Dr. Brian F. Wright holds a Ph.D. in Historical Musicology from Case Western Reserve University and is a former research assistant for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archive. Prior to UNT, Dr. Wright was Assistant Professor at Fairmont State University, where he taught a variety of music history courses and worked extensively with the local chapter of Guitars 4 Vets. Dr. Wright specializes in the history of American popular music. His ongoing research project focuses on the history of the electric bass in jazz, rock, and rhythm & blues from 1951-1967, exploring issues such as social stigma, amateur music-making, race, and popular music historiography. His current manuscript, The Bastard Instrument: A Cultural History of the Electric Bass, is under contract as part of the University of Michigan Press’s Tracking Pop series, and his article on Motown session bassists James Jamerson and Carol Kaye was recently published in the Journal of the Society for American Music.