Tusculum College professor Katie Doman's stories in song have been heard on stage, at special events, and in the classroom at Tennessee's oldest college.

Now, Doman's warm, expressive voice and lyrical poetry of love, life, joy, and sorrow has been captured on "Beautiful Day," her debut album.

"As anyone who hears Katie quickly realizes, her impressive voice is at home with a wide range of music. On this album, she moves easily from Carter Family material to uptempo bluegrass, from a funky modern acoustic sound to lyrical contemporary country/folk songs," writes noted bluegrass musician Jack Tottle in the liner notes. Tottle is director of East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Program.

"But, Katie possesses an even rarer gift," Tottle continues. "She composes wonderful new songs - a veritable wealth of musical jewels that sparkle with the reflected light of life's joys and sorrows. Those presented here are typical of her lovingly crafted and poignant musical poetry."

Nine of the 12 songs on the album were written by Doman, assistant professor of English at Tusculum, whose writing credits also include composing music for "Hidden Heroines of Northeast Tennessee," a dramatization of oral histories from this area as well as the theme song for the successful cooperative effort by communities in the Tri-Cities to earn the "All American City" designation. That song, "Strength in Numbers," is included on the new album.

Doman is accompanied on "Beautiful Day" by the ETSU Bluegrass Band, a group of which she was a member as a student at the university in Johnson City. While earning her master's degree in English, Doman had enrolled in the university's Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Program and was quickly invited to join the program's premiere performing group, the ETSU Bluegrass Band.

The cover art features original work by Doman's neighbor Paul deMarrais and the album was designed by her brother-in-law Troy Doman.

The album is available on the Now and Then Records label of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at ETSU, of which the Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Program is also a part. The album is available from Doman at katiedoman.com or from the Center, which can be access online at http://cass.etsu.edu.

"Beautiful Day" also provides Doman an opportunity to add to richness of the traditional Appalachian music she has promoted and worked to preserve over the years. Last year, Doman served on the curatorial committee for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and was a co-chair of the music task force. During the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Doman helped introduce artists performing during the event, the largest annual cultural event in the nation's capital.

As part of the "Year of Appalachia" project, Doman helped collect recordings of traditional artists of the region, which were given to the Smithsonian to become part of its Folkways collections and copies were also provided to the Archives of Appalachia at ETSU.

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