Music Business Veteran Laurie Lynn Larson Passes
Laurie Lynn Larson.
Laurie Lynn Larson passed away on March 2 of sudden complications of a recurrence with Ovarian/Peritoneal cancer at the age of 60.
Born and raised in Littleton, Colorado, she became a fan of country music and singer songwriters as a teen. She moved to Nashville in 1983 where she studied Sales and Marketing at Lipscomb before transferring to Belmont to study music business.
She began her career writing copy for Jeff Walker at Aristo Media and worked at the original Country Music Hall of Fame. During her 11 years with the Crook & Chase show, Larson spent two years in Los Angeles.
After moving back to Tennessee, she worked in marketing for Mercy Ministries, organizing the 2000 Mercy Project that included Amy Grant, Michelle Tumes, Point of Grace, Donna Summer and Martina McBride. She moved into management, working with Jana Stanfield, Robin Crowe (Dark Horse Studio) and others. She served as assistant producer on the 2003 Alabama Farewell Tour documentary.
She later spent 10 years working in sales for Senior Living facilities. During her time at Belmont Village Senior Living she produced five “Bluebird At The Belmont” songwriter shows raising money for the Vanderbilt Center for Quality Aging. The shows featured Tony Arata, Bob Dipiero, Allen Shamblin, Jeff Trott, Jon Night, Billy Montana, Aaron Barker, Doc Holladay, Keith Burns, Heidi Newfield, Jimmy Nichols, Jill Colluci & Pam Rose and more.
Larson counts one of her proudest moments as facilitating the recording of her wife Karen Staley’s track “I’ll Leave My Heart In Tennessee” recorded by Opry members Daily & Vincent. It was later unanimously voted in the TN Legislature in 2022 as the 11th Official Tennessee State Song.
Larson is survived by Staley, her wife of 14 years, cousins Tamara, Terry & Dean Berry, and their children Taylor, Aubrey, Jasmine and Jade Berry. She will be interred with a Green Burial in the pasture of Staley’s former Scarlet Sun Farm, now White Oak Farm, in Franklin, Tennessee on Friday (March 6) at 5:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Alive Hospice here.
