Malone, a revered country music historian who is perhaps best known in Madison as host of the weekly "Back to the Country" radio show on WORT-FM, was having lunch the day before the award ceremony with Mike Seeger, the acclaimed traditional mountain musician, and half-brother of Pete.

Seeger had won the award himself some years earlier and now Malone asked, "Mike, did you say anything besides thank you'?"

Seeger replied: "I spoke for 30 minutes."

Malone's eyes got wide. He didn't have anything prepared.

That won't come as a great surprise to Bill's many friends, who know that he talks and writes with uncommon intelligence and passion about music and musicians, but can come up short on the subject of himself.

It may be Malone is just too busy to beat his own drum. Earlier this month, he flew to Richmond to give the opening address at the Virginia Historical Society's symposium on Patsy Cline. On May 12, a book on which Bill collaborated with the Appalachian singer-songwriter Hazel Dickens, "Working Girl Blues: The Life & Music of Hazel Dickens," will be published by the University of Illinois Press.

The lifetime achievement award from the Society for American Music -- which describes its mission as seeking "to stimulate the appreciation, performance, creation and study of American music in all its diversity" -- came on the 40th anniversary of the original publication of Malone's best-known work, "Country Music, U.S.A." It has been reprinted several times and is widely recognized as the definitive volume of country music scholarship.

What surprises some people is that for more than a decade now, Bill Malone -- southern drawl and all -- has been living in Madison. A native Texan, he came here in 1996 when his wife, Bobbie, took a job with the Wisconsin Historical Society. It was a colleague of Bobbie's who noted that the host of WORT's country music show was leaving. Bill got the gig, three hours each Wednesday morning, and it's become popular enough that in February 2007, when Malone celebrated the show's 10th anniversary, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz stopped by with an admiring proclamation.

Bill's good nature -- so evident in his warm radio delivery -- should not be mistaken for an unwillingness to take a stand. His politics lean liberal, and he was a great admirer of the late Texas firebrand journalist Molly Ivins.

Malone once introduced Ivins before she spoke in Madison. Bill and Bobbie warmed up the crowd by singing "Beautiful Texas" with some new lyrics added especially for Ivins. The Malones are frequent collaborators, and even their home telephone answering machine issues a spirited duet. Their CD of old-time favorites, "Gathering Shells and Other Things," was released in 2006.

Bill's willingness to speak out was proven once and for all in 2003, when the Dixie Chicks landed in hot water for comments about George W. Bush made by the group's lead singer, Natalie Maines, on a London stage. Not only did Malone continue to play Dixie Chicks music on his radio show, he issued a pointed rebuttal to an attack on Maines written by prominent country music journalist Chet Flippo. The exchange appeared on the Country Music Television Web site.

Malone's admiration for fiery independence, and his affection for the working class, can be seen in his work on the new Hazel Dickens book. Malone wrote an extended biographical introduction for the book, which showcases 40 of Dickens' best songs.

Dickens grew up in a coal-mining family in West Virginia and may be best known for her song "Black Lung," which she sang to powerful effect on the soundtrack of the Academy Award-winning documentary, "Harlan County, USA."

"There is no mistaking the sound we hear," Malone writes of Dickens' voice. "It is not a pathetic wail, nor a dejected cry of despair. It is an angry call for justice."

Last month, when his conversation with Mike Seeger alerted Malone of the need to say a few words when receiving a lifetime achievement award, Bill jotted down some lines that evening about how happy he was that his music -- country music, old-time music -- was being recognized. He got through that just fine giving his speech the next day, but when he spoke about the woman who had first introduced him to that music, his mother, he got a little choked up.

Still, he recovered. By the end, he was able to grin and say:

"This is one for the hillbillies!"