Former CMA Exec Helen Farmer Passes

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Pictured: Helen Farmer with former CMA Executive Director Tammy Genovese, during Farmer’s induction into the Source Nashville Hall of Fame Class of 2008. Photo: CMA Archives

Longtime Country Music Association executive Helen Farmer has died at age 92.

She was the CMA’s director of programs and special projects, working directly under the late Country Music Hall of Fame member Jo Walker Meador (1924-2017). Farmer earned the CMA’s Founding President’s Award in 1994 and was presented with a SOURCE honor in 2008.

The Nashville native worked for the CMA for more than 20 years, witnessing the country industry’s growth throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. She handled logistics for the annual CMA Awards and was involved in the planning of the Fan Fair festivals. She retired from the CMA in 1994.

Among her other accomplishments was the 1973 founding of the Music City Tennis Invitational, which raises money for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. She was also involved with the American Cancer Society and with legislative advocacy efforts resulting in anti-stalking laws.

Helen Farmer died on Sunday, May 13, of natural causes.

She is survived by sons Michael and Sonny Farmer and by six grandchildren. Her funeral will take place on Wednesday, May 16, at Congregation Micah in Brentwood at 2001 Old Hickory Blvd.

Arranger, Producer and Conductor Ronn Huff Passes

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Musician, composer and arranger Ronn Huff died March 18. To honor his life, a service will be held at 2 p.m. on April 7 in Wightman Chapel at Scarritt Bennett in Nashville, with a time of visitation beginning at 1 p.m.

In 1973, Huff arranged and recorded Alleluia, A Praise Gathering which became the first Christian music recording to receive and RIAA Gold Album certification. He was the producer and principal conductor for the Nashville Symphony from 1994 until 2002. In 2005, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame. His arrangements can be heard on recordings by Faith Hill, Amy Grant, Celine Dion, Jewel, Martina McBride, Alison Krauss, Sandi Patty, Keith Urban, George Strait, Clint Black and Boston Pops. In 2011, he received the Golden Baton Award from the Nashville Symphony.

Huff was also a founding member of the Friends of the Arts at Belmont Board, whose members support the College of Visual and Performing Arts. In 2005, the Ronn and Donna Huff Endowed Scholarship was created to support a Belmont Music student majoring in Composition and Arranging.

Huff is the father of musicians/songwriters/producers Dann Huff and David Huff, and their brother Ronn Huff II.

Nashville R&B Mainstay James Nixon Laid To Rest

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Funeral and burial services were held last week for one of Nashville’s classic r&b figures, James “Nick” Nixon.

Nixon was laid to rest on Monday, March 5. He was a singer, guitarist, producer, educator and songwriter who endured as a leading light of Music City’s soul scene for more than 50 years.

He sang gospel music as a child, but became enthralled with rhythm & blues and rock & roll as a teenager in the 1950s. He joined a local teen group called The Bear Lairs.

In the mid-1960s, he formed his own band, King James & The Sceptres and became a full-time music professional. This band became a popular nightclub and campus attraction throughout the South.

His next group was NTS Limited. It featured bass player Billy Cox, who went on to join Jimi Hendrix on records, on tours and at the Woodstock Festival. During the 1960s, the three top r&b guitarists in Nashville were Nixon, Hendrix and Johnny Jones. At one time or another, all three worked in the legendary Jefferson Street r&b band The King Casuals.

Nixon replaced Jones in the popular group The Imperial 7 when Jones went on tour with Bobby Blue Bland. He continued to perform intermittently with this group for the rest of his life. The ensemble was eventually billed as The New Imperials.

In 1974, Nixon signed with Chess Records with his group Past, Present & Future. Their records were produced in Nashville by future country and rock star Charlie Daniels.

Nixon tried his hand at record producing, himself. He worked with the legendary Fairfield Four gospel group on its 1979 LP Dig a Little Deeper.

Nixon, Cox, Jones, D.J. Hoss Allen and guitar great Scotty Moore collaborated on a novelty record titled “Over 50 Blues,” which garnered some sales and radio airplay during the 1980s.

In the 1990s, James Nixon returned to gospel music. He signed with Ted Jarrett’s Nashville label T-Jaye Records and issued Me, Myself & The Lord in 1997. The title tune to his 1999 CD Stand Up became a gospel hit single.

He also continued to perform with The Imperials and worked as a session guitarist for Mac Gayden, Richard Julian and others.

A resurgence of interest in Nashville’s heritage r&b artists occurred in the late 1990s. Artists such as Marion James, Roscoe Shelton, Earl Gaines, Clifford Curry and Johnny Jones enjoyed comeback careers. The Country Music Hall of Fame celebrated the scene with its Night Train to Nashville exhibit and Grammy-winning reissue CD of 2004.

James Nixon joined the trend with his comeback CDs No End to the Blues (2002), Back Down South (2005) and Live In Europe (2010). He appeared in the 2010 film Redemption Road and sang “Rising Sun Blues” on its soundtrack. He was given the “Keeping the Blues Alive” award by the Blues Foundation in 2000.

He joined The Andy T Band in 2011. The group was signed to the national blues label Blind Pig Records and issued the CDs Drink, Drank, Drunk (2013), Livin’ It Up (2014) and Numbers Man (2015) while Nixon was its lead singer and guitarist. Health issues caused him to retire from the band in 2016.

In addition to maintaining his performing and recording career for decades, James Nixon taught music for 35 years in Nashville’s Parks & Recreation Department. In 2010, he co-founded the Nashville Blues Society. He was also a board member of The Blues Foundation.

James Nixon died on Feb. 28 at age 76. He is survived by his wife Birdie, by sons David, Jeff, Jonathan and Jeremy and by 10 grandchildren.

Tower Records Founder Russ Solomon Dies

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Russ Solomon, who developed Tower Records into one of the world’s largest music and video retail chains, has died at age 92 at his home in Sacramento, California on Sunday, March 4.

Solomon, born in 1922, developed Tower records from a section in his father’s drug store in Sacramento, California in 1941, and by 1960 had opened the first Tower Records. He developed Tower Records to an international chain store that at its peak had nearly 200 stores in 21 states nationwide. According to CBS News, the company held up to 180,000 music titles in its largest stores.

In 1995, Tower Records became one of the first retailers to move online, offering RealAudio samples on Tower.com, as well as 99 cent digital downloads in Liquid Audio format. The company would go on to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a second time in 2006 as the music industry was affected by music piracy, and underwent the transition from physical product to downloads and later streaming.

Solomon’s story was documented in 2015 with All Things Must Pass, a look at the Tower Records story. Solomon has been inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

Music Business Association (Music Biz) president James Donio said of Solomon’s passing, “Music Biz is extremely saddened to learn of the passing of a true music industry legend and icon, Russ Solomon. As the founder and CEO of Tower Records, Russ was one of the primary architects of NARM in its formative years. His and Tower’s presence and influence loomed large in our Association for many decades. You always felt the love when Tower was in the room. He served on our Board of Directors and held the office of Chairman from 1987-88. During his tenure, he presented his Chairman’s Award to Barbra Streisand, which he remembered as a highlight of his career. He himself was honored with our Presidential Award for Sustained Executive Achievement in 1999. I fondly recall walking with him through the ‘Gallery of Memories’ we created for our 50th Anniversary Convention in 2008 as he provided a running commentary of each and every photo and piece of memorabilia we displayed. Russ returned to our annual conference for the first time in many years as we honored his dear friend John Esposito of Warner Music Nashville with that same Award in 2016. Coincidentally, he sat with Mary Wilson of The Supremes at our Industry Jam that same year, and I recall this surreal moment looking out into the audience and seeing them chatting and laughing together. I am so lucky to have known and worked with Russ during my nearly 30 years here at the Association. Russ was quite outspoken and having a conversation with him about the music business was always a priceless education. He never ceased to amaze me with his unique wit and wisdom. I had actually just spoken with Russ a few days ago about a special tribute we’re planning for him at our 60th Anniversary Conference in May, and he planned to be there. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Russ’ beloved Patti, his family, friends, colleagues, and all of the music fans around the world who have a special memory of what Tower Records meant to them.”

Top Country Showman Ronnie Prophet Passes

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Ronnie Prophet

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame member Ronnie Prophet died on Friday (March 2) at age 80.

Known as one of country’s finest all-around entertainers, Prophet is perhaps best remembered in Nashville as the house act in the Printer’s Alley showplace The Carousel Club in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also a recording artist for RCA on Music Row.

The ebullient singer, flashy guitarist, comic, TV star, business entrepreneur, witty emcee, songwriter, impressionist and raconteur was noted for his live-wire stage presence and endearingly manic manner. He was a popular guest on Ralph Emery’s Nashville Now TV program on TNN and a regular in the casinos of Las Vegas opening for Danny Thomas and Perry Como.

Born Ronald Lawrence Victor Prophet in 1937, he was raised near Montreal. He was entertaining in local venues while still in high school in the 1950s. By 1962, he was performing during summer seasons at a dude ranch in New York State. He moved from there to resort engagements in Florida and the Bahamas.

He began performing in Music City in the 1970s. He did comical impersonations, engaged audiences in his act and hooked his guitar up to gizmos that made novelty sounds.

Meanwhile, he returned to Canada to launch The Ronnie Prophet Show on CBC-TV in 1973-81. He moved to Canada’s CTV network for long-running stints as the star of the Grand Old Country (1975-80) and Rocky Mountain Inn television series. Other Canadian TV starring gigs included Country Roads (1973) and Ronnie & The Browns (1990-91).

In Nashville, he was signed by RCA Records in 1975. His charted country singles in the U.S. were “Sanctuary” (1975), “Shine On” (1976), “It’s Enough” (1976), “Big Big World” (1976) and “It Ain’t Easy Lovin’ Me” (1977).

In England, he became the star of Ronnie Prophet Entertains on BBC-TV. Success in Canada continued as well. He won CCMA awards as Male Vocalist of the Year in 1977 and 1978, then CCMA Entertainer of the Year in 1984.

He sang duets with Glory-Anne Carriere, whom he married in 1986. These won them the CCMA Duo of the Year award in 1984.

Prophet’s solo successes on the Canadian country charts began with 1973’s “San Diego.” Another notable hit in Canada was 1979’s “Phantom of the Opry.” He also scored top-10 Canadian country hits with “The Ex-Superstar’s Waltz” (1982), “No Holiday In L.A.” (1987) and “If This Is Love” (with Carriere, 1984).

A total of 31 Ronnie Prophet singles hit the Canadian country charts between 1973 and 1992. He formed his own Prophet Records in the 1980s. He was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

In the new millennium, he became a headliner in Branson, Missouri. He was the opening act for George Jones on tour in 2005.
Son Tony Prophet also became a country music artist. Ronnie Prophet’s second cousin was Canadian country singer Orval Prophet.

Ronnie Prophet passed away in Florida, following kidney failure, with family and friends at his side. Prophet is survived by his wife of 32 years, Glory Anne Carriere Prophet, sons Tony (Kitty), Jimmy (Emily), step children Rhonda, Paisley, Warren Carriere, and Tamara Greer, as well as 12 grandchildren.

He will be laid to rest at Avoca Cemetery near his farm home in Quebec, Canada. In lieu of flowers, the Prophet family has requested donations be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – Ronnie Prophet Memorial Fund.

Country Hitmaker Daryle Singletary Dies

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Daryle Singletary

Daryle Singletary died Monday morning (Feb. 12) in Nashville. He was 46. His cause of death is being determined.

Singletary was best known for ’90s country hits including “I Let Her Lie,” “Too Much Fun,” and “Amen Kind of Love.” Throughout his career, Singletary has collaborated with George Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, John Anderson and more.

Singletary moved to Nashville in 1990, and began performing in talent contests around Music City, before he began a regular gig at The Broken Spoke. After releasing a couple of unsuccessful singles on Evergreen Records in the early ’90s, Singletary released his debut album for Giant Records in 1995, followed by two follow up projects, garnering hits including “I Let Her Lie Lie” and “Too Much Fun.”

By 2000, he had teamed with Koch Records for the album Now and Again, which featured Greg Cole as producer. They followed with 2002’s That’s Why I Sing This Way, which featured collaborations with Johnny Paycheck, Jones, Haggard and more.

After Koch Records closed in 2005, Singletary moved to Shanachie Records to release 2007’s Straight From The Heart, which featured appearances from Skaggs, Anderson and others on country evergreens including “The Bottle Let Me Down” and “Fifteen Years Ago.” 2009 saw the release of Rockin’ The Country, followed by 2015’s There’s Still A Little Country Left. In 2017, he teamed with bluegrass star Rhonda Vincent on the duets album American Grandstand.

Singletary, a native of Cairo, Georgia, is survived by his wife, Holly, two sons, Jonah and Mercer, two daughters, Nora and Charlotte, parents, Roger and Anita Singletary, brother, Kevin Singletary, sister-in-law, Melinda Singletary, mother and father-in-law, Terry and Sandy Mercer, and brother and sister-in-law, Tony and Kristy Rowland.

Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

 

Funeral Services Announced For Longtime Opry Musician/Vocalist George McCormick

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(George McCormick pictured third from left)

Funeral services for Mr. George Washington McCormick, 84 of Silver Point and formerly of Nashville, will be held Friday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. at the Baxter Chapel of Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home. Interment will follow in Crest Lawn Cemetery. Rev. Tony Crow will officiate.

George’s family will receive friends Thursday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. and again Friday from 11 a.m. until service time at the funeral home.

He died Monday February 5, 2018 in Cookeville Regional Medical Center.

He was born June 16, 1933 in Smith Co. to the late Jesse Joseph and Della Lee Burton McCormick. A gifted musician and vocalist, George moved to Nashville at age 14 to play music and work at WLAC radio. He began his Grand Ole Opry career in 1951 to sing and play with Martha Carson. In his 47 years at the Opry, he played guitar and bass fiddle and sang harmony, tenor, baritone and lead with Opry artists including Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, The Louvin Brothers, Jim Reeves, Porter Waggoner, Dolly Parton and Grandpa Jones. He retired from the Opry in 1998 was a member of the AFL-CIO Musicians Union.

Described as one of a kind and a character, George enjoyed telling stories, laughing and joking with his family and many friends. He attended Smith Springs Baptist Church and Nolensville Baptist Church while in Nashville and was currently attending Silver Point Baptist Church.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brothers, David McCormick, Joe McCormick and Billy McCormick; sister, Betty McCormick; and by step-daughter, Anita Zemuncek and granddaughter Andrea Gregg.

He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Betty Norrod McCormick, daughters, Teresa McCormick of Cookeville, Trilene McCormick of Nashville, Mindi McCormick, both of Nashville and Anita (Marvin) Stewart of Columbia, TN; step-daughter Helen Smith; brother, Charles (Shirley) McCormick of Nashville; grandchildren, Nicholas Mathis, Roxanne Mathis, Kelsie Rowland, Sidney Roberts, Lauren Hali McCormick, Joey Stewart, Hunter Stewart and Candace Scarbro; and great grandchildren, Bella Masters, Ja’Marian Norwood, Blaine and Riley Scarbro, Shilah and Penelope Roberts and Everett and Corbin Rowland.

Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.

Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements (931) 526-6111.

HoriPro’s Dave Hall Dies

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Dave Hall

HoriPro’s longtime Executive Advisor Dave Hall died on Friday, Jan. 19, MusicRow has confirmed. He was 76.

Hall’s career included performing around the world with several country artists. Hall worked in conjunction with HoriPro’s Royalty Department and Creative Team to guide policy as well as day-to-day functions.

Visitation will be Friday, Jan. 26 from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. at Bond Memorial Chapel in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Graveside services will be conducted 1 p.m. Saturday, January 27, 2018 at Mt. Juliet Memorial Gardens with Phil O’Donnell and Butch Baker officiating.

Hall was the son of the late, Staley and Mary Basham Hall. Dave was also preceded in death by his wife, Peggy Hall. He is survived by daughter, Leslie (Michael) Barr; brothers, Woody (Linda) Hall and Ron (Janice) Hall; sister, Narvona Langley; grandchildren, Amber Bay and Tabitha Sanders; great-grandchildren, Landon Wortham, Aarik Bay, Adrianna Zaragoza and Mariah Zaragoza and several nieces and nephews.

Flowers accepted or memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, PO Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692.

 

Hit Singer-Songwriter Lari White Passes

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Lari White

Multi-faceted Nashville entertainer Lari White has died at age 52.

She is best known for her string of RCA hits of the 1990s, including “That’s My Baby” (1994), “Now I Know” (1994), “That’s How You Know (When You’re In Love)” (1995) and “Ready, Willing and Able” (1996). White was also a stage and screen actor, a songwriter, a record producer and a label owner.

In addition to co-writing most of her hits, she also had her songs recorded by Tammy Wynette, Rebecca Holden, Patti Page, Danny Gokey, Sarah Buxton and Pat Green, among others.

Her vocal collaborators on disc included Rodney Crowell, Toby Keith, Hal Ketchum, Trisha Yearwood, Shelby Lynne, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Faith Hill and Radney Foster.

White was born in Dunedin, FL and was a performer from childhood on. She began singing and playing piano in her family’s band at age 4, wrote her first song when she was 8 and had toured performing pop, gospel, rock and soul by the time she reached her teens.

She majored in audio engineering in college and launched her solo career singing ad jingles and studio backup vocals. Lari White came to Nashville in 1988 to compete, and win, on the TNN TV talent contest You Can Be a Star.

This led nowhere, so she became active in Nashville theater. White acted in the play Crimes of the Heart and in the musical Fiddler On the Roof in those days. As a songwriter, she signed with Ronnie Milsap’s publishing firm, then with Almo-Irving. She also briefly sang with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.

In 1990, she unsuccessfully auditioned to become the lead singer of Highway 101. She then became Rodney Crowell’s backup vocalist on a 1991 tour. The star produced her 1993 RCA debut LP Lead Me Not, which led to her nomination as the ACM’s Top New Female Vocalist of the year. The album’s song

“What a Woman Wants” became the first country video to be filmed in Rome, Italy.

In 1994, White had a major role in the CBS-TV movie XXX’s And OOO’s. White’s second RCA album, 1994’s Wishes, made her a country star. It became a Gold Record and yielded her first top-10 hits. She branched out from country sounds to incorporate more of her musical influences on 1996’s Don’t Fence Me In.

Her 1997 Best Of Lari White CD included her hit duet with Travis Tritt “Helping Me Get Over You,” which they co-wrote. After being dropped by RCA, she bounced back by singing the title tune of the Grammy winning Amazing Grace LP, performing on the NFL Country album and placing her recording of “Power in the Blood” on the soundtrack of Robert Duvall’s acclaimed movie The Apostle.

She signed with Disney’s Lyric Street label and returned to the country hit parade with her 1998 performance of “Stepping Stone,” the title tune from her CD for the company.

Lari White returned to acting via a plumb role in the 2000 Tom Hanks movie Cast Away. Then she was featured in the Kate Jackson indie feature of 2004, No Regrets.

White formed her own label, Skinny Whitegirl Records to market her later albums. She and husband Chuck Cannon also founded the Nashville Underground label to distribute the works of their fellow singer-songwriters. They built their own recording studio, The Holler.

She issued her r&b effort, Green Eyed Soul, in 2004, and it became especially successful in Great Britain. She also produced the Billy Dean hit “Let Them Be Little” that year.

In 2006, she starred on Broadway in the Johnny Cash-themed musical Ring of Fire. This led to her debut appearance at Carnegie Hall and a concert with Marvin Hamlisch and The Nashville Symphony.

White co-produced Toby Keith’s 2006 album White Trash With Money and its hits “Get Drunk and Be Somebody” and “A Little Too Late.” She was also behind the star’s “Mockingbird” duet with his daughter, Krystal Keith. In addition, she began producing Mac Davis in 2006. These efforts led to a flurry of articles about women breaking through in Nashville as record producers.

Lari White issued My First Affair as her second Skinny Whitegirl CD in 2007. She launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund her 2016 double album Old Friends New Loves. One CD contained re-recordings of her hits and the other compiled her new songs.

She passed away Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018.

Lari White is survived by her husband, Chuck Cannon, by daughters M’Kenzy Rayne and Kyra and by son Jaxon.

Services Set For Vet Music Row Exec Eddie Mascolo

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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.