Crickets Bandmember J.I. Allison Passes

/by

Jerry Ivan Allison, the last survivor of the seminal rock ’n’ roll band, The Crickets, has died at age 82.

Known as “J.I.,” he co-wrote classic songs with the band’s leader, Buddy Holly (1936-1959). Both Holly and The Crickets are in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. The Holly/Allison copyrights include “Peggy Sue” and “That’ll Be the Day.”

The group was formed in Lubbock, Texas in 1957. Holly sang and played lead guitar. Allison was the drummer. Joe B. Mauldin (1940-2015) played bass. Niki Sullivan (1937-2004) was on rhythm guitar. Sullivan soon dropped out, leaving the band as a three piece with Holly, Allison and Mauldin.

Born in 1939, Allison had been performing with Holly informally for several years before the group’s official formation. So had their boyhood friends Bob Montgomery and Sonny Curtis. Curtis recorded some pre-Crickets songs with Holly in Nashville in 1956.

The Crickets’ first recording sessions were held in Clovis, New Mexico with producer Norman Petty. From them came the band’s first hit, 1957’s “That’ll Be the Day.” This Holly/Allison song was memorably revived by Linda Ronstadt in 1976.

Sometimes billed as The Crickets and sometimes billed as Buddy Holly, the group placed 11 titles on the pop charts between 1957 and 1959. Among those songs were the Holly/Allison co-written “Think It Over” and “Peggy Sue.” The latter was named for Allison’s girlfriend and later wife, and was propelled by his relentless drumming.

Buddy Holly and The Crickets in 1957 (top to bottom: Allison, Holly and Mauldin)

Holly and Allison also co-wrote “Well All Right,” “Look at Me,” “Tell Me How” and “Early in the Morning.” The sides billed as by The Crickets were on Brunswick Records and tended to be more rock-oriented. The sides billed as by Buddy Holly were on Coral Records and leaned toward more pop in style.

Allison also recorded solo works. In 1958, he issued “Real Wild Child” billed as Ivan. It charted for five weeks, reaching No. 68. The song later became a rock classic, recorded by Iggy Pop, among others.

After Holly’s death in a 1959 plane crash (“The Day the Music Died”), Allison continued to lead The Crickets. The core of the group became Allison, Mauldin and Curtis, with various other members coming and going over the next four decades.

The Allison/Curtis composition “More Than I Can Say” was an early non-Holly Crickets favorite. Bobby Vee made it a hit in 1961, and it was revived via a 1980 hit single for Leo Sayer. Another of the band’s tunes was “I Fought the Law,” penned by Curtis. The post-Holly Crickets first charted in late 1961 with Allison’s song “He’s Old Enough to Know Better.”

The band moved from Texas to Los Angeles, signed with Liberty Records and toured with The Everly Brothers. The band became the label’s go-to session musicians, backing Eddie Cochran, Bobby Lee and Johnny Burnette. Allison also memorably drummed behind the Everlys on “Til I Kissed You.” Curtis established a solo career as a singer-songwriter while also performing as a Cricket.

In 1963, the Crickets hit the UK top 40 with “My Little Girl” and “Don’t Try to Change Me.” In 1964, the band issued “California Sun” as its contribution to the surf-rock genre. During this era, the young British musicians in The Beatles named themselves partly in homage to The Crickets.

In 1970, Allison and Curtis recorded as backing vocalists on Eric Claipton’s debut solo album. In 1972, Allison played drums on Johnny Rivers’ L.A. Reggae album. In 1976, he played on J.J. Cale’s album Troubadour. With varying personnel, The Crickets recorded throughout the 1970s,

The Crickets toured with Waylon Jennings for five years beginning in the late 1970s. This is also when the band relocated to Nashville.

In 1988, Paul McCartney produced and played piano on the band’s recording of “T-Shirt.” In the 1990s, The Crickets toured and recorded with “folkabilly” star Nanci Griffith.

The band released The Crickets and Their Buddies in 2004. The album featured collaborations with Griffith, Clapton, Jennings, John Prine, Graham Nash, Rodney Crowell and Bobby Vee, among others.

In 2007, Allison was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville. In 2012, Allsion and The Crickets were placed into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, as a belated recognition for their oversight when Holly was inducted in 1986.

The group’s final performance was on Feb. 6, 2016 at The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. This was the site of Holly’s last performance in 1959.

J.I. Allison died in Nashville on Monday, Aug. 22. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Hit Songwriter Charles Quillen Passes

/by

Award winning country songwriter Charles Quillen died last Friday in east Tennessee at age 84.

Charles Quillen

His biggest hits were the trio of chart-toppers he co-wrote for Ronnie Milsap—“Back on My Mind Again” (1979), “My Heart” (1980) and “I Wouldn’t Have Missed it for the World” (1981). The last-named was a pop-crossover success as well as a No. 1 country song.

He also co-wrote Steve Wariner’s top 10 smashes “Your Memory” (1980) and “By Now” (1981).

Charles William Quillen was born in Virginia in 1938. Following high school graduation in 1956, he served 10 years in the U.S. Army, including a year in Vietnam. After his discharge, he settled in Kingsport, Tennessee and worked at the Mead Corporation paper company.

He’d been writing songs for several years when he decided to try his luck in Nashville in 1970. The early years in Music City were lean. He began to get album cuts in 1974, then achieved major success beginning in 1978.

He co-wrote two of east Tennessee stylist Con Hunley’s biggest hits, “They Never Lost You” (1980) and “What’s New With You” (1981).

Quillen’s other chart successes included “Our Wedding Band” for Louise Mandrell and R.C. Bannon (1982), “She Used to Love Me a Lot” for David Allan Coe (1985), “I Talked a Lot About Leaving” for Larry Boone (1987), “The Jukebox Played Along” for Gene Watson (1989) and “Why Don’t That Telephone Ring” for Tracy Byrd (1993).

He returned to No. 1 in 1986 as the co-writer of John Schneider’s “What’s a Memory Like You (Doing in a Love Like This).” During his Nashville career, Charles Quillen received 12 ASCAP Awards and numerous Gold and Platinum records for his works.

His songs were recorded by such Country Music Hall of Fame members as George Strait, Conway Twitty, Charlie Louvin, Johnny Cash, Barbara Mandrell, Floyd Cramer and Charley Pride.

Among the dozens of other stars who recorded Qullen’s tunes were Blake Shelton, Moe Bandy, Wayne Newton, Sylvia, Marie Osmond, Mark Chestnutt, Jim & Jesse, Charly McClain and Ricky Van Shelton.

Always quick to praise his collaborators, Quillen called himself “blessed” to have written with such Music Row greats as Dean Dillon, Kye Fleming, Dennis Morgan, Don Pfrimmer, Conrad Pierce, John Jarrard and John Schweers.

He was known as “Downtown Charlie” to listeners of Nashville sports-talk radio programs. He was an avid Tennessee Vols fan.

Charles Quillen retired in 2005 and returned to Kingsport. He died there of an undisclosed cause on Aug. 19.

He is survived by his daughter, Allison Quillen Hurst and by his son, Joey Quillen; by two grandchildren, two sisters, a brother and several nieces nephews, cousins and extended family members.

At his request, Charles Quillen was cremated, and a memorial service will be announced at a later date. Carter Trent Funeral Home of Kingsport is serving the Quillen family.

Longtime Garth Brooks Concert Promoter Ben Farrell Passes

/by

Ben Farrell

Longtime Nashville-based concert promoter Ben Farrell passed away on Aug. 10. He was 76.

Farrell was born in Jackson, Tennessee. His father, Kerby Farrell, was a professional baseball player and manager. The family traveled for years with Farrell developing an early love of baseball. He attended David Lipscomb University on a baseball scholarship, and in 1966 was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and went on to play with the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox Farm Clubs. In 1968, Farrell was drafted into the U.S. Army and served two years of active service, training troops for Vietnam.

He got his start in country music in 1970 and worked in the industry for 52 years. Farrell began his career with Varnell Enterprises working alongside Lon Varnell, assisting with concert promotions, marketing and on-site supervision with artists such as Elvis Presley, Elton John, Lawrence Welk and Guy Lombardo. He remained at Varnell Enterprises his entire career, ultimately becoming the company’s President.

Farrell was most notably Garth Brooks’ concert promoter for over 30 years, first joining the country legend in 1989. Later in his career, he worked with The Statler Brothers, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, The Osmonds, Charley Pride, Ronnie Milsap, Barbara Mandrell and many more. In more recent years, he worked with Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean and Chris Young.

“I love Ben Farrell. And like Chris LeDoux, Ben Farrell will continue to be the kind of man I want to be. Honest, fair, and hard working. I am lucky to have known him,” Brooks shares.

Farrell is survived by his wife, Autumn, and daughter, Ella Grace.

Visitation will be held on Aug. 23 from 4-6 p.m. CT at Woodmont Christian Church in Nashville, with a Celebration of Life to follow on Aug. 24 at 11 a.m. CT.

Pop And Country Great Olivia Newton-John Passes

/by

Olivia Newton-John. Photo: Michelle Day

Grammy and CMA award winning Olivia Newton-John has died at age 73, following a long struggle with cancer.

Husband John Easterling announced her passing on social media yesterday. She died at her Southern California ranch on Monday, August 8.

Olivia Newton-John had seven top-10 country hits, including “Let Me Be There” (1973) and “I Honestly Love You” (1974). Newton-John was the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 1974. Her pop smash “Hopelessly Devoted to You” (1978) was drawn from the soundtrack of her much-loved movie musical Grease. “Physical” was No. 1 on the pop hit parade for 10 straight weeks in 1981. She has sold more than 50 million records worldwide.

Olivia Newton-John was born in England in 1948, but her family moved to Melbourne, Australia when she was five. Her parents divorced four years later, and she was raised by her mother. At age 14, she began singing with three female friends in folk and jazz clubs. A year later, her older sister got her a job on a local TV show.

This led to winning a national talent contest. The prize included passage to London and a recording contract. Her debut pop single appeared in 1966. In England, she formed the duo Pat & Olivia with singer Pat Carroll. When Newton-john returned to solo singing, Carroll’s husband John Farrar became her producer.

Her early singles included versions of the American folk song “Banks of the Ohio” and Bob Dylan’s country tune, “If Not for You.” The latter became the title tune of her debut LP in 1971. The record also included versions of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night.”

Executives at her record label decided to market her as a country singer. “Let Me Be There” hit the country top-10 in 1973, became a Gold Record and earned her a country-music Grammy Award. She followed it with the Gold-selling, back-to-back, top-10 country smashes “If You Love Me (Let Me Know)” and “I Honestly Love You” in 1974. The latter won the Grammy as Record of the Year, plus a pop Grammy. She was named the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year.

This created controversy in Nashville. Johnny Paycheck, Billy Walker, Jean Shepard, Bill Anderson, Barbara Mandrell and others objected to Newton-John, John Denver, Marie Osmond, Bonnie Tyler, Pia Zadora and other pop acts being embraced by country radio. Newton-John confessed that when she was told she was being marketed as “country,” she had no idea what that meant.

When the CMA voters chose her over Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton and Tanya Tucker, the pot boiled over. Dissidents formed an anti-CMA organization called the Association of Country Entertainers (ACE) in protest.

“Have You Never Been Mellow” became another Gold Record country smash for the singer in 1975. Olivia Newton-John moved to the U.S. in 1976 and successfully courted Nashville when she recorded in Music City. The totally countrified “Please Mr. Please” became another Gold Record, and she recorded the works of such Nashville songwriters as Mickey Newbury, Dolly Parton, Rory Bourke and Bob Morrison. She also began to write songs, herself.

In 1976, she took Linda Hargrove’s “Let It Shine” into the country top-10. “Every Face Tells a Story” and “Don’t Stop Believin’” also became country hits that year. The latter became the title of her first Nashville-recorded album, as well as her 2018 autobiography.

She was 29 when she was reluctantly cast as teenager “Sandy” in the 1978 movie Grease. It became the most successful movie musical of all time. “You’re the One That I Want” was a duet with costar John Travolta that earned a Platinum pop record. The soundtrack’s ballad “Hopelessly Devoted to You” went Gold and became her last significant country-crossover hit.

She received the prestigious Order of the British Empire in 1979. Thus, she became Dame Olivia Newton-john.

The pop hits “Magic,” “Xanadu” (with the Electric Light Orchestra) and “Suddenly” (with Cliff Richard) emerged from the soundtrack of her 1980 film Xanadu. A year later, the Platinum-selling “Physical” became an aerobics-class staple and the biggest pop smash of her career. Olivia Newton-John’s other pop hits of the 1980s included “Make a Move on Me” (1982), “Heart Attack” (1982), “Twist of Fate” (1983) and “Soul Kiss” (1985). Elton John produced and co-wrote her 1988 single “The Rumour.”

By this time, she had racked up multiple accolades from the American Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music, ASCAP, NARM, the People’s Choice Awards, Billboard, Cashbox and Record World. She became a global touring attraction. Eight of her album earned Gold and/or Platinum certificates. She earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1983-92, she and Pat Carroll Farrar operated Koala Blue, a boutique chain selling Australian clothing and other products. She wed actor Matt Lattanzi in late 1984, and they had daughter Chloe in 1986. The couple divorced amicably in 1995.

The star’s commitment to animal welfare and ecological responsibility resulted in her 1990 appointment as the goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environmental Program. Her 1989 LP Warm and Tender contained lullabies inspired by her daughter. The record was packaged in recycled cardboard and contained tips on how to help the environment.

Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. After successful chemo, alternative medicine, a partial mastectomy and spirituality, she became a tireless advocate for breast-cancer awareness. She founded a women’s cancer center in Australia. In 1994, she released the album Gaia: One Woman’s Journey, which chronicled her ordeal.

She resumed recording country music in Nashville in 1997. She co-wrote with Gary Burr, Victoria Shaw, Annie Roboff, Chris Farren, Steve Seskin and other Music Row tunesmiths. Her resulting Back With a Heart CD was released the following year. The album’s “Love Is a Gift” won Newton-John a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song after it was featured on the soap As the World Turns.

She teamed with Shaw, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Bryan White, Billy Dean, Neal McCoy and Michael McDonald on 1998’s “One Heart at a Time.” The record was a benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Tis the Season, a Christmas album with Vince Gill, was marketed by Hallmark in 2000. Her 2006 album Grace and Gratitude coincided with the marketing of her line of women’s wellness products, both by Walgreen’s. In 2008 she wed businessman John Easterling via an Inca ceremony in Peru.

Her cancer returned in 2013, but she again persevered. In 2016, she teamed up in a female trio with Nashville’s Beth Nielsen Chapman and Canada’s Amy Sky. The album was titled Liv On. All three singer-songwriters were breast-cancer survivors. Newton-John returned to Music City to sing for Chapman at the latter’s 2016 induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed again in 2018, and this time she found that the cancer had metastasized to her back. She withdrew from performing and sought alternative forms of treatment. She advocated cannabis therapy; her daughter established a marijuana farm in Oregon.

In addition to her husband, Olivia Newton-john is survived by daughter Chloe Lattanzi, sister Sarah, brother Toby and 15 nieces and nephews. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Beloved Music Industry Veteran Ed Hardy Passes

/by

Ed Hardy

Music industry veteran Ed Hardy, who served as President of Great American Country (GAC) for eight years, died on Sunday (July 31). He was 73.

Hardy was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Edward B. and Rita M. Hardy. He studied communications and journalism at Kent State University and spent 20 years as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he attained the rank of Major.

Hardy started his career working at local radio stations throughout Ohio. He spent much of the mid-’90s building Deschutes River Broadcasting from a single AM/FM radio in Tri-Cities, Washington, to a collection of 19 stations, operating in markets across the Pacific northwest. When he sold his radio group, it led to the growth of Citadel Radio.

In 2000, Hardy became president of MeasureCast, the internet-streaming broadcast audience measurement company. He was also a consultant to MediaBlue/Nox Solutions, the top provider of web design, hosting and fulfillment products for nationally syndicated and network radio talk show hosts.

Hardy became President of GAC in 2004 when Scripps Networks acquired the network. In his eight years with GAC, he led the network through a move to Nashville and oversaw a complete brand transformation. He announced his retirement in 2012.

Pictured (L-R): Troy Tomlinson, Sarah Trahern, Ed Hardy. Photo: Courtesy of the CMA

Hardy was a very involved Music Row executive. He served on the CMA Board of Directors from 2005 to 2017 and the CMA Foundation Board from 2014 to 2021. Hardy also acted as CMA’s interim CEO in 2013, as well as president of the Board of Directors at W.O Smith Community Music School in Nashville. He also found time to spend five years as a reserve police officer.

Hardy was the current Chairman of Music City Inc. (the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp Foundation Board). He was also active with Operation Song, which connects his military experience with his passion for music.

He received the CMA Chairman’s Award in 2013 for his outstanding service to the organization. In 2014, he was given the President’s Award from the Country Radio Hall of Fame.

Ed Hardy is survived by his wife Kim Susan Hardy; daughter Stephanie (Hardy) Kasbrick and son-in-law Jacob Kasbrick; grandchildren Emmie Jeanne and Bear Weller; and cousins Patrick M. Hardy, Thomas A. Hardy, Catherine A. Hardy and John J. Hardy.

Of Hardy’s death, CMA CEO Sarah Trahern shares, “They certainly broke the mold with Ed Hardy, and I am greatly saddened by his loss. One of my favorite memories working with Ed was when he led a coalition of us, including GAC and Scripps Networks, the NCVC and the Opry to host a nationwide telethon to help Nashville recover from the devastating 2010 floods. Thanks to his dedication, passion and refusal to take no for an answer, he made it happen and raised millions in relief. With a relentless competitive spirit, Ed aimed high and challenged those around him to do the same. He was fiercely loyal to friends, old and new, and carried an unwavering love of country music. My deepest condolences go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.”

Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp CEO Butch Spyridon shares, “Ed Hardy served this organization in so many ways–first as a broadcast partner, then a sponsor, then a board member and then chairing both the NCVC board of directors and the board of our foundation. Through that, we developed a deep friendship that transcended work. It is very unusual to have a boss, mentor and friend all at the same time. He leaves a huge void and will be missed.”

More details to come regarding a celebration of Hardy’s life to be held at the W.O. Smith School of Music.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor can be made to W.O. Smith School, Daniel’s Center at MTSU, and Operation Song.

Services This Weekend For Nashville Sax Great, Walter Riley King

/by

Walter Riley King

Funeral and burial services will be held Saturday (July 30) for Nashville saxophonist Walter Riley King. He died on July 19 at age 71.

The musician toured with blues great B.B. King for more than 35 years and created arrangements for the superstar’s band. He recorded with country stars Roy Clark, Mac Davis and The Oak Ridge Boys, as well as with Etta James, Eric Clapton, Albert King, Z.Z. Hill, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Billy Ocean, Hot, Joe Tex, Denise LaSalle and others.

Walter Riley King was born in Mississippi and raised near Memphis as the eldest of 19 children. He came to Nashville to attend Tennessee State University, where he performed in “The Aristocrat of Marching Bands” for three years.

Following graduation, he became a music educator working with the bands at Goodlettsville High School and Pearl High. He also entertained in the Nashville R&B groups The Tyrone Smith Revue and the Jimmy Church Band, among others.

In addition to B.B. King, he went on to perform with The Temptations, The Dells, Hot, Gladys Knight, Dr. John, U2, Lena Horne, Nancy Wilson, The Muscle Shoals Horns and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra.

In the studio, he worked with such top-ranked producers as Quincy Jones, Phil Ramone, Glen Frey, Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett.

Walter Riley King was a longtime resident of Omaha and served as guest conductor of the Omaha Youth Symphony. He was also a songwriter, actor, flutist and black-belt Karate master.

He is survived by partner Brenda King and by sons Christopher King, Brandon King and Walter Burns, as well as by six grandchildren and 12 siblings.

There will be a viewing today (July 29) at Highland Hills Funeral Home, 2422 Brick Church Pike. Visitation will be tomorrow (July 30) from noon to 1 p.m. with the funeral service to follow at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church, 2416 Clifton Ave. The interment will be at Greenwood North Cemetery.

Memorial Set For Singer / Philanthropist Saundra Steele

/by

A celebration of the life of Nashville singer Saundra Steele will be held on Friday (July 29) at the Belle Meade Country Club.

Steele died on May 30 at age 72 following a battle with ovarian cancer. She was noted as a major-label recording artist, a touring backup vocalist, a prolific demo singer, a Nashville nightclub headliner, an avant-garde art patron, a philanthropist and a designer.

Born Saundra Joyce Rucker in 1949, she was a child and teen entertainer in West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and other mid-Atlantic states at fairs and festivals. She became a three-time “Star of Tomorrow” winner on Atlantic City’s Steel Pier and performed on Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour on CBS-TV.

She moved to Music City in 1967 at age 18. During the 1970s and 1980s, Steele recorded as a pop and/or country vocalist for the labels Royal American, Monument, United Artists and EMI. Her one prominent album was Saundra Steele, released on UA in 1980.

She married prominent Nashville businessman William Alexander Steele III in 1975. They became stewards of “Owl’s Hill,” a Williamson County modern-architecture mansion, grounds and nature sanctuary.

In the music business, Saundra Steele toured as a backup singer for George Jones, Johnny Rodriguez, Ronnie Milsap, Johnny Tillotson, Boots Randolph and the Stamps Quartet. She also became a Music Row demo singer.

She worked in the studio with Garth Fundis, Ralph Murphy, Allen Reynolds, Roger Cook, Bobby Wood and her longtime musical partner, steel guitarist Lloyd Green. As an entertainer, Steele developed local popularity as a performer in such Printers Alley nightspots as the Western Room and Carousel.

Coinciding with her residency at Owl’s Hill, she became a collector of avant-garde artwork. She designed decor for the Symphony Ball, co-chaired the inaugural Opera Gala at the War Memorial and worked on the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon.

Saundra Steele is survived by her daughters Britt Genevieve and Olivia Ruth Steele, by her granddaughter and by three siblings.

Her ashes will be interred alongside her husband in the Steele family plot at Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin, as well as in the Rucker family plot in Webbville, Kentucky. In lieu of flowers, donations to Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary, 545 Beech Creek Road South, Brentwood, 37027; Cheekwood, 1200 Forrest Park Drive, Nashville, 37205; and, Alive Hospice, 1718 Patterson Street, Nashville, 37203 are welcome.

“All who loved her are invited to join and share a Saundra story!” is the invitation to Friday’s event. Billed as “a celebration of her whimsical and and extraordinary life,” it will be held on Friday, 3:00pm to 6:00pm at the Belle Meade Country Club.

Iconic Mastering Engineer Glenn Meadows Passes

/by

Glenn Meadows

Music Row’s most renowned and respected mastering engineer passed away on Thursday (July 7).

Glenn Meadows died in Nashville at age 68, following a brief illness.

During his career, Meadows worked on thousands of hit records — from Randy Travis to Taylor Swift, from Steely Dan to Merle Haggard. He earned two Grammy Awards.

A Tennessee native, Meadows was an industrial engineering graduate of Georgia Tech who started his career at The Sound Pit in Atlanta.

Based in Music City since 1975, he ran Masterfonics beginning in 1989. In 2011, he joined Mayfield Mastering.

Over a 40+ year career, Meadows mastered the albums of Jimmy Buffett, Shania Twain, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Dan Fogelberg, England Dan & John Ford Coley, LeAnn Rimes, Reba McEntire and hundreds of others.

During the vinyl era, he was a lacquer cutting engineer who signed his work with Glenn, Glen, GAM or GM etched in the runout area of the disc.

In 2019, the Nashville chapter of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) honored Glenn Meadows with the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in Mastering Engineering. The honor took place at an awards ceremony held at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

Funeral arrangement have not been announced.

Beloved Producer/Engineer Bil VornDick Passes

/by

Bil VornDick

Music Row veteran Bil VornDick died on Tuesday (July 5) at age 72, less than a week after he’d been diagnosed with cancer.

He was a producer/engineer who was renowned for his recording-studio skills, particularly in folk, bluegrass, Americana and acoustic-music circles. VornDick worked on albums that earned more than 40 Grammy nominations and nine wins.

His clients included Alison Krauss, Doc Watson and Charlie McCoy. He had served two terms as the chairman of the Nashville chapter of Audio Engineering Society (AES).

Born William Thomas VornDick, he was raised in northern Virginia. While still a student and playing guitar in rock bands there, he sold some songs to Cedarwood Publishing on Music Row. Chet Atkins urged him to move to Nashville and helped him enroll in Belmont University.

In 1979, he became an early graduate of Belmont’s music-business program. Country superstar Marty Robbins heard him working on demos for Loretta Lynn’s publishing company and hired him as his studio’s chief engineer.

VornDick subsequently became the chief engineer at Stargem Studio, the founder of The Music Shop and the owner of Music Row Audio and Mountainside Music Group Productions.

He became particularly associated with the “new acoustic music” genre that emerged in the 1980s. He worked with Béla Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Craig Duncan, Alison Brown, Mark O’Connor, Vassar Clements, Edgar Meyer and David Grier, among others.

Following his Grammy-winning work with Alison Krauss, he worked with a bluegrass who’s-who, including Peter Rowan, The Dillards, The Country Gentlemen, New Grass Revival, The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Del McCoury, Doyle Lawson, Claire Lynch, Rhonda Vincent, The Earls of Leicester, Dan Tyminski, Laurie Lewis, Larry Cordle, The New Coon Creek Girls and IIIrd Tyme Out.

He also had credits with mainstream Nashville country artists. VornDick worked on records by Lynn Anderson, Trace Adkins, Jo-El Sonnier, Janie Fricke, Marty Stuart, Gene Watson, Asleep at the Wheel, Jimmy C. Newman and Sweethearts of the Rodeo, in addition to Robbins.

Bil VornDick was an active participant in the Nashville music community. He did advisory and/or instructional work for MTSU, Belmont, Folk Alliance, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the Recording Academy, MerleFest, Telluride, South Plains College, AES, Kerrville Folk Festival, Vol State and more.

He campaigned to save RCA Studio A from demolition, promoted popularity charts for roots music and championed health insurance for music people.

In recent years, he became widely admired in the Americana field. That genre’s Jim Lauderdale, Maura O’Connell, T-Bone Burnett, Jesse Winchester, The Fairfield Four, John McEuen, Leon Redbone, Robert Earl Keen, Webb Wilder, Robin & Linda Williams, Hazel Dickens and Charlie Haden all worked with him.

In 1998, he produced the epic Clinch Mountain Country, a 36-song tribute that featured legendary Ralph Stanley dueting with Bob Dylan, Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, Porter Wagoner, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith, the Kentucky HeadHunters, Diamond Rio, Joe Diffie, George Jones, Vern Gosdin, John Anderson, Hal Ketchum, Gillian Welch, BR549, Junior Brown and more. It was named Rolling Stone’s Top Country Album of the Year, got nominated for a Grammy and earned two trophies from the IBMA.

Bil VornDick was cherished for his personality as well as his studio skills. He was invariably kind, wise, welcoming, gentle and generous.

Yesterday, social media was alive with praise from folks who’d known him or worked with him. Among the hundreds posting tributes were O’Connor, Andrea Zonn, Mike Bub, Garth Shaw, Alison Auerbach, Steve Marcantonio, Yarn, Sharon Corbitt, Wally Wilson, Wanda Vick, Marcy Marxer, Tim McFadden, Louisa Branscomb, Steve Betts, Michael Snow and Rodney Dillard.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Memorial Set For Flora-Bama Legend Joe Gilchrist

/by

Joe Gilchrist

The iconic Flora-Bama nightclub on the Gulf Coast will host a Celebration of Life on Sunday (June 26) to honor the legacy of its longtime owner, Joe Gilchrist.

The venue’s godfather passed away on May 25 at age 80. The Flora-Bama has long been a mecca for the Nashville songwriting community. Gilchrist founded the annual Frank Brown International Songwriting Festival at the venue, and it has endured for nearly 40 years.

Gilchrist and the Flora-Bama were the subjects of the documentary film Stories in Rhyme: The Songwriters of the Flora-Bama Lounge. The movie had its premiere at BMI on Music Row in 2019.

“There didn’t seem to be any separation between how Joe ran his business and how he lived his life,” says Mullet Wrapper newspaper editor Fran Thompson. “He was always about community service and being fair to everybody….What made Joe different from the beginning was not his willingness to lose money by paying musicians on slow nights. He was different because he encouraged them to play their own songs.”

Adds Stories in Rhyme director Lynn Raybren, “Joe built a legacy and culture around treating others with kindness and respect….His love of songwriters and music would earn him the title ‘Patron Saint of Songwriters.’”

Regulars at the Flora-Bama have included Jimmy Buffett, John Prine, Dean Dillon, Jimmy Hall, Gove, Larry Jon Wilson, Alan Rhody, Red Lane, Hank Cochran, Gatemouth Brown, Wet Willie and Billy Joe Shaver. Gilchrist often ended the evening by buying a last-call round of drinks for the house.

Kenny Chesney staged his Flora-Bama Jama national TV special there in 2014. It attracted more than 40,000 fans to the venue’s beach.

Joe Gilchrist bought the Flora-Bama from his childhood friends Bubba and Connie Tampary in 1978. Officially named The Flora-Bama Lounge & Package, it is located on the stretch of beach on the Gulf border between Alabama and Florida.

In the early days, he borrowed money to get his employees through the winter. The club’s Friday-afternoon Happy Hour crowd grew when Gilchrist made it a popular place for construction crews to cash payroll checks. He also ran shuttles for sailors to and from the area’s nearby Naval stations.

Ken Lambert became the Flora-Bama’s first musician. Darrell Roberts, Jimmy Lewis, Rock Killough and others soon followed. Killough invited his Music Row songwriting buddies to the club.

This led to the founding of the Frank Brown International Songwriting Festival in 1984. Gilchrist named it after his club’s doorman. A who’s-who of Nashville songwriting has performed there. Tanya Tucker, Jim McBride, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band members, John Rich, Midland and other contemporary figures have appeared in recent years.

Gilchrist and the Flora-Bama have long been noted for community involvement, hosting everything from weekly religious services to military-appreciation galas. Proceeds from the festival go to local music education.

Today, the Flora-Bama is surrounded by high-rise condominiums, but much like The Station Inn in Nashville, it continues to be an island of rootsy authenticity. The club is still noted for hundreds of bras hanging from the ceiling of one room, its tent for Sunday-morning services and its annual “Mullet Toss” on its beach. Gilchrist served on the board of the Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce for more than a decade.

The Joe Gilchrist Celebration of Life will take place on Sunday at the Flora-Bama tent stage from 2-6 p.m. The event will continue with music in the main room from 6-10 p.m. and with a full day of music in the main room on Monday, 2-10 p.m. As always at the legendary, laid-back Flora-Bama, the vibe will be informal.

Andy Haynes, the director of the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival, reports that he is pursuing some kind of recognition in Nashville for the widely loved entrepreneur.