Born and raised in St. Louis, Roy Wunsch was a big hitter in the music industry for thirty years. After leaving his hometown, he moved to Nashville and worked with many important artists, including Mary Chapin Carpenter and Willie Nelson, primarily with CBS/Sony Music. He first started with CBS as National Promotion and Sales Manager through their sister label, Epic Records. Through his innovative changes in marketing strategies, he advanced to Vice President of Epic and CSB Associated labels, eventually making his way to President of CBS Nashville Operations. During his tenure, he received many awards of excellence for his performance in the industry. Throughout his career, he was on the board of the CMA and Country Music Hall of Fame and was an early supporter of W.O. Smith Music School.
Seeing the contributions that W.O. Smith makes to the Nashville community greatly inspired Roy to create the Stardust Scholarship through W.O. Smith. This scholarship is awarded to W.O. Smith graduates who decide to continue their music education into college. Each student is rewarded with a scholarship as long as they continue in music studies and remain in good academic standing at their university. The Roy Wunsch “Stardust” Scholarship continues to keep his legacy in Nashville’s music industry vibrant while continuing to support the city’s creative community.
