Hello, and thank you for visiting! My name is Brian Dempsey and I completed the Ph.D. in Public History at Middle Tennessee State University, and the M.A. in History at James Madison University. My dissertation considered the historical development and modern use of blues music tourism in Mississippi. Since then I have combined my love of history and music as a university professor, a professional practitioner in the Nashville music industry, and as a strategic consultant on various development projects. Originally from the Mississippi Delta, my work focuses on the relationship between landscape and cultural identity, the connections between the arts and historical interpretation, and the process of helping communities tell more complete stories.

An Associate Professor of History at the University of North Alabama since 2017, I also serve as the Director of the UNA Public History Center.

Experience

Education

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Ph.D in Public History, 2009
Dissertation: “Refuse to Fold: Blues Heritage Tourism and the Mississippi Delta.” Advisor: Dr. Carroll Van West

James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia

MA, American History, 2003; BA, American History, 1999

Research Interests: Collaborative Public History, Digital Humanities, US Southern Cultural History, Heritage Tourism, Race in the United States, American Music History, Cultural Legacies of the American Revolution and American Civil War, Interpretive Landscapes.

Experience

Associate Professor of History and Director of the UNA Public History Center University of North Alabama - Florence, Alabama. August 2017 - Present.  

Selected Courses: Introduction to Public History; Heritage Tourism; The Public History of Thomas Jefferson; Digital History; American Material Culture; US History To 1877; US History Since 1877; Graduate Thesis Director, Graduate Internship.

Upcoming Publication:

"An Island of Trees: History and Identity in the Mississippi Delta.” In Branching Out: The Public History of Trees, University of Massachusetts Press (2024)

Recent Publications:

Visual Curator, Johnny Cash: The Life In Lyrics, Voracious Press, November 2023.

Book Review of Colin Edward Woodward, Country Boy: The Roots of Johnny Cash.University of Arkansas Press. Journal of Southern History. Southern Historical Association.

Book Review of Jennifer Ladino, Memorials Matter: Emotion, Environment, and Public Memory at American Historical Sites. H-Net Reviews. February, 2020. Humanities and Social Sciences Online. Published. See review here.

Consultant - Johnny Cash Family Trust - Nashville, Tennessee. January 2020 - present.

Contributing interpretive, visual, and narrative strategies regarding the legacy of American music icon, Johnny Cash.

Archivist and Director of Communications and Brand Strategy - Nashville, Tennessee and Wilson, Arkansas. Oneil Hagaman, PLLC - Nashville, TN. 2010 - 2017.
I collaborated with my colleagues at Oneil Hagaman and Sandbox Entertainment to direct, manage, and curate a multifaceted marketing and cultural strategy that leveraged history, food, the arts, agriculture, and education to contribute to the full scale revitalization efforts underway in the Arkansas Delta town of Wilson. I also worked with recording artists, management, and firm clients to develop and implement strategic archival, production, branding, and creative initiatives.