The Oxford American presents its 20th annual Southern Music Issue, featuring more than 25 stories exploring the history and legacy of North Carolina music. Among the contributors are novelists Jonathan Lethem, Jill McCorkle, and Wiley Cash, and the beloved North Carolina musicians Rhiannon Giddens and Tift Merritt. Nina Simone, one of the most important artists of the twentieth century, is the cover artist and subject of a feature essay written by poet Tiana Clark.

The issue comes with a 24-song CD sampler (plus accompanying digital download with four bonus tracks) highlights music from NC legends like Simone, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson, James Taylor, and Elizabeth Cotten, and many others. Accompanying the sampler in the issue are detailed liner notes and essays on the songs.

*The North Carolina Music Issue comes with a free CD with digital download.*