Services Set For Vet Music Row Exec Eddie Mascolo

Edward (“Eddie”) H. Mascolo

Visitation for the late Eddie Mascolo will begin Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 16), 4-7 p.m., at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Franklin.

The widely loved Music Row record-promotion executive passed away at age 76 on Friday, Jan. 12, following a battle with cancer. Mascolo was a 1991 graduate of Leadership Music and was an avid participant in the annual Country Radio Seminar events.

A native of the Pittsburgh, PA area, Edward H. Mascolo began his music career as an independent pop record promoter in 1968-69. His skills garnered immediate recognition from national record companies. Decca Records was the first major label to hire him. From 1970-75, he was the Southeast regional promotion director for PolyGram Records.

In 1975, RCA Records hired him as its manager of promotion for the Southeast and Southwest regions. As such, he became a key figure in the RCA pop-crossover successes of Dolly Parton (1980), Waylon Jennings (1980), Ronnie Milsap (1981), Alabama (1981), Sylvia (1982), Deborah Allen (1983) and Kenny Rogers (1983). Mascolo made history in 1984 when he became the first Nashville executive to be appointed as a major-label director of national pop promotion. Based in both Music City and Manhattan, he worked with such RCA pop stars as Hall & Oates, Diana Ross, Eurythmics, The Pointer Sisters and Rick Springfield.

From there, he was elevated to Senior Vice President of Product Development at RCA. In 1988, Mercury Records named him its Senior Vice President of Country Promotion. That label’s roster featured Kathy Mattea, The Statler Brothers and The Kentucky HeadHunters, among others. In 1994, Eddie Mascolo became the vice president and general manager at River North Records. The company had already signed Peter Cetera as its flagship pop artist. Its Nashville division included Holly Dunn, Rob Crosby and Steve Azar on its country artist roster.

Starstruck Entertainment hired him as its vice president of radio promotion in 1999. The company’s main artist was/is Reba McEntire. As the senior vice president of promotion at McCluskey & Associates, Mascolo next worked with a variety of artists, including Vince Gill, Collin Raye and BlackHawk.

He joined Turner & Nichols & Associates and Trey Turner Management in recent years. This is where he became instrumental in the breakthrough of Easton Corbin and in the on-going stardom of Rascal Flatts.

Following Tuesday’s visitation, a second one is scheduled for 9:30-11 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Jan. 17. The funeral mass will follow at 11 a.m. St. Matthew Catholic Church is at 535 Sneed Rd. W., Franklin, TN 37069. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church.

Eddie Mascolo is survived by Carol, his wife of 55 years, as well as by sons Mark and Brian and by his five grandchildren.