Industry Ink: Jeffrey Steele, Grass Roots Promotion, Reel Muzik Werks, Fred Mollin
Jeffrey Steele Helps Raise $150,000 At 15th Annual Benefit Concert
Jeffrey Steele. Photo: Anthony Scarlati
The 15th annual Jeffrey Steele & Friends fundraiser concert was recently held at The Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee. The event raised $150,000 to support overlooked and at-risk youth in Middle Tennessee and beyond in the memory of Steele’s son Alex, who passed away in 2007.
The evening, which was hosted by Steele and his daughter Casey LeVasseur, included performances by Steele, Paul Overstreet, Lit, Ira Dean, Billy Dean, Darryl Worley, Silence X Noise, CJ Solar, Bridgette Tatum, and Stephen Wilson Jr.
During the event, Steele and his family made grants from the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund to three non-profits. Two of those grants included $100,000 checks to both The Skatepark Project, helmed by Pro Skater Tony Hawk, and The Beat of Life, a Nashville-based non-profit that uses the healing power of music. The event also supported One Pedal At A Time, a non-profit organization that is focused on suicide awareness and prevention.
“We’ve been blown away with your generosity over the past fifteen years. We have raised over $1.5 million to help nonprofits in our area who are championing our youth and the kids of our community and in other neighborhoods and communities across the country to share Alex’s love and light to those who need it most,” the LeVasseur family shares.
GrassRoots Promotion Adds Nancy Johnson, Ups RJ Jordan
GrassRoots Promotion has added Nancy Johnson as its Music Row Promotion Manager. She will step into the role previously held by RJ Jordan, who is transitioning to the company’s management division as VP Artist Management & Development.
Johnson comes to GrassRoots after previous stops at Capitol Records, Big Machine Records and Broken Bow Records.
GrassRoots Co-Owner and Managing Partner, Nancy Tunick, comments: “We are so excited to welcome Nancy Johnson to our promotion team. Her knowledge and experience speak for itself, and she has always been a wonderful partner to radio. We are equally excited to have RJ take the helm at the management division after seven very successful years in our promotion department. His expertise in radio and records as well as his exceptional creative and strategic skills will benefit our growing management roster.”
Reel Muzik Werks Announces Two Staff Additions
Derek Hughes, Armando Bonnet
Reel Muzik Werks (RMW), a full-service independent music publisher specializing in film/TV music and international rights management, has added two staff members to its Nashville headquarters.
Derek Hughes is a producer and songwriter who comes to Nashville from Austin, Texas. He will serve as RMW’s Studio & Creative Manager. He also works in the EDM industry with artists such as Lux and Adara. He is currently composing his first feature film, due out later this year.
RMW’s new Studio & Sync Assistant Armando Bonnet is a producer, artist, songwriter and engineer who hails from Puerto Rico. Steeped in a wide variety of global music genres, he brings musical twists to all of his creative endeavors.
“We are excited to welcome two new additions to our RMW family,” says Teri Nelson Carpenter, Reel Muzik Werks’ CEO. “Derek is a gifted Composer & Producer and Armando has an amazing creative sense. We look forward to growing our artist roster and music catalogue with the assistance of these two talented professionals.”
Chris Keaton Presents To Represent Producer Fred Mollin
Fred Mollin. Photo: Ed Rode
Producer, arranger and musician Fred Mollin has added Nashville-based Chris Keaton Presents as his U.S. producer representative.
Mollin has worked with artists such as Jimmy Webb, Johnny Mathis, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jackie Evancho and more. His work producing duets found him working with iconic artists including Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Carly Simon, Glen Campbell, Crosby and Nash, Art Garfunkel, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Cole, Gregory Porter, Gloria Estefan, Michael McDonald, Todd Rundgren, Carole King, and Joe Cocker.
“Chris is known as The Connector. Of course, I want to be represented by him!”says Mollin. Keaton adds, “The opportunity to represent a talent like Fred is an absolute joy and I look forward to our future.”
Keaton can be reached at [email protected].
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