Doctoral student digs into Latino church music on ‘MTSU On the Record’

Latino music in Murfreesboro churches was the topic on a recent edition of the “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Hunter Moore

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Hunter Moore, a student pursuing a doctoral degree in public history, first aired April 21 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and at www.wmot.org. You can listen to their conversation above.

Moore, a former Music Row songwriter and folk music circuit performer who lives in Nashville, chose to research music performed by Latinos as part of a project for a class taught by history professor Martha Norkunas.

Initially, Moore said, he thought he could find secular venues and festivals where Latino musicians would perform. Instead, he found nine different Murfreesboro churches that offer services in Spanish with music.

“I would go into groceries that serve Spanish-speaking people, or restaurants, and the repeated answer that I got was that the churches were the best place to look, that people were too busy to perform music in other places (because they were) working sometimes multiple jobs,” Moore said.

Moore attended services at five of the nine churches during two months in 2019. The churches were Roman Catholic, Baptist and nondenominational in their affiliations.