Jason Isbell doesn't make country music, at least not in the traditionalist sense of the word, and exists entirely outside the mainstream music industry in Nashville. (The title of his most recent album, 2017's stunning The Nashville Sound, seemed to be at least in part a dig against the way the town works.) But people in the country music establishment seem to be recognizing that Isbell is doing great work. And now The Tennesseean reports that the Country Music Hall Of Fame has named Isbell its 2017 Artist-In-Residence.
Isbell is the Hall Of Fame's 18th Artist-In-Residence, and at 38, he's also the youngest. In the past, most of the Artists-In-Residence have been country music legends like Kris Kristofferson, Rosanne Cash, Kenny Rogers, Alan Jackson, and Vince Gill. As part of his Artist-In-Residence duties, Isbell will perform three shows at the museum's CMA Theater 12/5, 12,12, and 12/19.
