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The True Tunes Podcast

The True Tunes Podcast

By: John J. Thompson / True Tunes
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We make no apologies here: Our goal is to help artists as they work to make the world a more beautiful and musical place, and to help grow audiences for those artists, both in scale and in depth. You might notice that our conversations with artists, producers, authors, and industry leaders are usually focused on those two main themes: artist and audience development. I experienced this first-hand for decades at the Cornerstone Festival – and I have dedicated my life to it for over forty years. And now, as an artist and author myself – and as a professor and director of music industry studies – helping the next generation of songwriters and artists find their way in this algorithmically addled environment is very close to my heart. I’m still here – working to make sense of it all right alongside everyone else.

This is what we believe:

We believe music is spiritually significant, not merely entertaining. All music participates in something larger than itself.

We believe human curation is more valuable than algorithmic convenience. Trusted guides with great taste and earned judgment matter more than a machine that gives you more of what you already like.

We believe gathering matters more than commerce, though commerce makes gathering possible. The transaction is credible because the curation is trustworthy.

We believe countercultural conviction can be held without apology and without aggression. We know who we are. We are not interested in being popular in the wrong rooms.

We believe the artist and the audience are equally sacred. The line between them nearly disappears when music is doing what it is supposed to do. The faith underneath all of it shows up in the questions we bring, not in the answers we insist on.

We are a virtual – and occasionally real-life venue, not a feed, with lots of rooms to explore. A gathering place with human voices at the center -- asking what the work is doing to us, where it comes from, and why it matters.

We still believe. So do you. Come join us.

Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Music
Episodes
  • Sheryl Crow & The Students: Part 2 of 4 ("Success", Values, & Longevity)

    Sheryl Crow & The Students: Part 2 of 4 ("Success", Values, & Longevity)
    Oct 25 2026

    SHERYL CROW & The Students, PART 2 (of 4)

    We’re jumping back into the conversation between Sheryl Crow and one of my Lipscomb Music Industry Studies students, Abby Whitman, recorded at a private event at The Well in Nashville. If you missed Part 1 (also the "Pilot" episode of this new show format), you’ll want to go check that out too, but you can listen to these in any order.

    In this segment, Abby asks Sheryl where she finds inspiration, how her definition of success has evolved over the years, and how her values as an artist shape her continuing work.

    You can hear the entire conversation by joining this project on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TrueTunes for as little as $5 per month. Members also get access to exclusive articles, livestream events, special audio content, special stuff from JJT's archives, and much more. And don't miss our new editorial feed at TrueTunes.Substack.com.

    Find the full Show Notes Page at TrueTunes.com/connect-Crow2
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    22 mins
  • Big Beautiful Bruce Brown Special! (True Tunes Classic!)

    Big Beautiful Bruce Brown Special! (True Tunes Classic!)
    Aug 16 2026
    Big Beautiful Bruce Brown Special This show would not exist without the long, steady, wise guidance and technical prowess of music writer, radio veteran, and mixmaster extraordinaire, Bruce A. Brown. In this special, inside-out episode, we turn the microphone around. Host and podcast co-founder John J. Thompson sits down with Bruce in the “Virtual True Tunes Interview Suite” for a wide-ranging conversation about his life, his work, his passions, and the four-decade friendship behind this podcast. The conversation comes on the first anniversary of the Big Beautiful Bruce Brown Benefit, a two-hour streaming event held after Bruce's cancer diagnosis, where a slew of artists contributed home-recorded songs and testimonials. Together with Bruce's GoFundMe, the benefit raised roughly $20,000 toward the treatment costs insurance doesn't cover. Woven throughout this episode are clips of music from artists who benefit from friends, including Michael Roe, Terry Scott Taylor, Bill Mallonee, Bill Campbell, Dave Perkins, Glenn Kaiser, Phil Keaggy, Jimmy Abegg, The Choir, Chris Taylor, and others. There’s a lot more music, too! SUPPORT BRUCE Bruce's fundraiser remains open — costs have continued to mount in the year since the benefit. If this episode moved you, please consider putting a few bucks in the jar HERE. If you want to support the show more broadly, please join our Patreon community or drop us a one-time tip via PayPal, and check out our MERCH! And thank you for doing all the other stuff — leaving us ratings and reviews on Apple Podcasts, signing up for the email list, and subscribing to the weekly Spotify Mixtape. Spotify and Apple are great places to discover new music, but once you discover an artist you love, please support them with your dollars and your attention. (NOTE: Our friend and long-time supporter, David Bunker, is also in need of help as he is battling Lewy Body Disease. We are helping to host a special tribute event in Nashville on September 12th, and encourage you to give to his GoFundMe Campaign as well. More info can be found HERE.) MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE This episode features numerous exclusive musical clips from the “BBBBB” livestream, including: Jimmy Abegg; Phil Keaggy; Terry Scott Taylor; Michael Roe & Bruce Spencer; Kevin Max; The Choir; Bill Campbell; Phil Madeira Trio; Glenn Kaiser; Dave Perkins; Bill Mallonee (And a few words from Amy Grant & Steve Taylor) With additional musical excerpts from: The Sunshine Boys - We Need A Whole Lot More Of Jesus (And A Lot Less Rock & Roll) Daniel Amos - Divine Instant (instrumental mix) David Grisman - Shenandoah Breakdown Johnny Cash - Hey, Good Lookin’ The George Martin Orchestra - Can’t Buy Me Love Steve Taylor - Svengali (Remix) Russ Taff - If II Had My Way The Seekers (of St. Louis, MO) - Road of Life The Way - If You Will Believe Blessed Hope - Something More Jethro Tull - Bourée King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man (Instrumental Mix); The Court of the Crimson King (Instrumental Mix) Daniel Amos - Everyone’s Fallen Down (Live Bootleg ’82 version) The Osmonds - Down By the Lazy River The Horace Silver Quintet - Song for My Father The Monkees - Early Morning Blues And Greens (Master Backing Track) The Charlie Peacock Jazz Quintet - Promise of Fellowship Kept Delirious - Deeper Natalie Bergman - Shine Your Light On Me Dexter Gordon - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Ella Fitzgerald - Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney Flo Price - Scene 1: Somewhere In Outer Space Above Planet Earth / It’s the Very Best Time of the Year Bruce Cockburn - Deer Dancing ‘Round a Broken Mirror; After the Rain Jacob Collier - You Can Close Your Eyes Mike Roe - Mercy Seat Bill Mallonee - Best Seat In the Room (Instrumental) Chris Taylor - Meditation (Melt Into Morning) Phil Keaggy - Noah’s Shuffle; Jam In The Side Pocket; Tiger Tail (Super Sessions!) (And possibly a few notes from Michael Roe & Mark Harmon - Spirits Flying Over Mt. Tamalpais and The Choir - Cool Black Water) And Licensed music from the Soundstripe Library IF YOU LOVED THIS EPISODE, don't miss: David Bunker on Artist Care & Nurturing the Creative Big Beautiful Bruce Brown Benefit!Bill Mallonee: Love Vigilante for LifeSinging Along with The ChoirThe Beautiful Mystery of Terry Scott Taylor (Part 1)Renaissance Man Jimmy AbeggMichael Roe Did It For Love (Pt. 1)Chris Taylor Carries The Flame (+ Sixpence on the Jukebox!)
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    1 hr and 32 mins
  • True Tunes Connect - PILOT (Sheryl Crow Pt 1)

    True Tunes Connect - PILOT (Sheryl Crow Pt 1)
    Jul 22 2026

    Welcome to the PILOT EPISODE of True Tunes Connect, a new chapter in this continuing story that began back in 1989.

    Thirty years ago, I interviewed a freshly minted artist named Sheryl Crow for the pages of our old print magazine, True Tunes News, right as her first hit single was breaking. We had a feeling there was something deeper going on than "just having some fun." Turns out we were right. (Our Patreon members can find a digital reprint of that original article in their feed.)

    For this pilot, we're dropping in on a private event recently held near Lipscomb University that we called "Wisdom From The Well", where one of my Music Industry Studies students, Abby Whitman, sat down to interview Sheryl herself. I open the show, then hand her the mic — and she did a better job of it than I did three decades ago.

    A note for longtime listeners: True Tunes Connect isn't the classic True Tunes Podcast, though it comes from the same place. These episodes run shorter — usually 15 to 20 minutes — built around two things we care about most: developing artists, and developing the audiences who need them. The long-form conversations you remember haven't gone anywhere; they'll surface from time to time as Special Features, and the full extended interview (including the rest of this Sheryl Crow conversation) is available to our Patreon members (and coming soon to our Substack subscribers) at Patreon.com/TrueTunes and TrueTunes.Substack.com.

    We will also continue to throw super-short "Microdose" episodes into the feed, along with some @45RPM specials. But True Tunes Connect is a wider, more comprehensive project we are developing to connect artists to the ideas, inspiration, and resources they need, and listeners to the artists they love. It's about artist - and audience - development and connection, with expressions that include the podcast, articles, workshops, books, and gatherings. You'll hear about it all - including our creed - here on the pilot and in upcoming episodes. Spread the word!

    Find photos, links, and more on the full Show Notes Page at TrueTunes.com/Connect-Pilot

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    20 mins
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