When meeting Stacy Harris for the first time, one might wonder how such a petite woman could pack such a powerful journalistic punch!  This local journalist is a controversial force to be reckoned with! Many of you may be familiar with her through her website and articles in Stacy's Music Row Report.  Former ABC radio broadcaster and publicist for several Grand Ole Opry stars, she is also internationally known as a country music historian and music industry analyst.  Her vast talents as a columnist, broadcast journalist, feature writer, public speaker and arts critic, have enabled her to become a notable book author as well.  Stacy has published eight books, and her latest hardback book, "Classic Country," available at Wal-Mart, and Andrews McMeel Publishing also boasts an entertaining compilation CD.

Stacy has written scripts for The Nashville Network (TNN), The NASCAR Country Radio Network, MJI Broadcasting's nationally-syndicated ,Country Quiz, program, Biff Collie, Gerry House and Nashville International as well as several entertainment trade and special interest publications, including Billboard, Cash Box, Record World, Amusement Business, Performance, CMA Close Up, Satellite Business, Goldmine and Music Row.

Stacy was recently interviewed by such national and international news organizations as the Associated Press, BBC World Services, BBC 4 Scotland, and CBS Radio News.  Stacy didn't stop at just TV talk shows, she also lent her talents to movies as well.

Stacy Harris was the last to interview Hee Haw/Grand Ole Opry star David "Stringbean" Akeman within hours of his murder.

It would seem that Stacy has done it all!

When asked about whether or not she felt being a member of the CMA or GMA would affect a journalist's objectivity, she replied, "Some of them have memberships, I think it can...I think a good journalist will not allow any perceived conflict of interest to influence what they do.

"In fact, I wrote an article about that subject that actually got me into a little bit of trouble.   In the 70's, if you ever read an article about women in the music business, it was always quoting three women,who either said they had 'heard about it or not experienced it.'" 

A magazine called COUNTRY FEVER asked Stacy to do an article on "Nashville's Power Women."  At first she hesitated, but eventually agreed and interviewed several women with completely different views.  She also included on her own experiences on the subject. One thing that she found that was that "the younger the women were, the less discrimination they had faced."

She said she didn't have a handle on what younger women go through today, because she is older.  When asked, as an older woman, had she experienced any discrimination there, she replied, "I think what would sum up my feelings on the whole subject, and why I think I'm right about this is...I say to everybody, no matter how you feel on this subject, if you and I were to make a list,of the 10 most important men on music row, or the 10 most powerful men, let's put it that way, on music row, the ones that we thought were the most powerful, and then we were going to make a list of the 10 most powerful women, our list probably wouldn't be the same, they might be very different.  But the one thing that I probably could tell you without even having looked at either of our lists, is that your 10 most powerful men and my 10 most powerful men would be collectively more powerful than both of our 10 most powerful women.  So, to me, if I'm right about that, that sums up the whole argument."

Stacy has done so much with her life and career and when asked if there is anything that she hasn't done, but would aspire to do, her answer was this, "Maybe ownership of a media source.  I think that's where your opinions mean more.  I've seen so many people in those positions that do not act responsibly, and I would like to basically show people how it's done.  If I can set an example that someone would want to follow, then I think that's making a contribution."

What advice has she for young women coming up in the business world today?  "Get a good education.  When I first came to Nashville I had so much trouble getting something in the (music) industry, because I didn't have any experience."   Thanks to her college degree, she was hired by WPLN radio.Having a degree gave her an edge that most people didn't have and helped her break into this industry and eventually become the controversial and well-recognized powerhouse that she is today.  Stacy is presently working on another book.  This one will be a memoir which will be much more personal to her, and I, for one, look forward to reading it!

An internationally-known country-music historian, author, academician, music industry and popular culture analyst, celebrity journalist, ethnomusicologist, columnist, broadcast journalist, feature writer, media personality, public speaker, pundit, arts critic, technical writer, axiologist, entertainment entrepreneur and polymath, Stacy Harris covered the Nashville entertainment scene as a Nashville-based stringer for Newsweek and as a domestic stringer (with Secret Service clearance) for ABC.