Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: In-person at Birthplace of Country Music Museum; virtual via YouTube

Cost: Free and open to the public

Join us on Tuesday, May 13 for a Speaker Session with Erika Barker and Julia Underkoffler: Country Music, Comedy, and the Small Screen. After World War II, television grew at an exponential rate. From the 1940s through the 1960s, advanced technology, greater disposable income, and the increase in the number of stations helped television to become the era’s primary mass medium. Television allowed country music to reach a wide audience, and popular shows such as I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show had regular segments featuring country musicians. 

Erika Barker is the Curatorial Manager at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. She is active in a variety of community organizations and activities, including the Awards Committee for the Tennessee Association of Museums; as President of Arts Alliance Mountain Empire; on the Little City Roller Derby team; and as lead singer for Junction 4961. 

Julia Underkoffler is the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s Collections Specialist. She recently graduated from East Tennessee State University with an MA in Public History; is active with the Northeast Tennessee Museums Association; and is an avid fan of football and live music.