Tatum Hauck-Allsep. Photo: Ashley Hybert
The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.
Music Health Alliance Founder/CEO, Tatum Hauck-Allsep, established the music industry’s first non-profit resource for healthcare in 2013, which has gone on to serve over 18,000 industry professionals and saved them over $84 million in healthcare costs. Allsep’s career also includes time with MCA Records, artist management, and the launch of the Vanderbilt Medical Center’s Music Industry Relations Department. In 2021, Tatum was named CMA Humanitarian of the Year for MHA’s COVID Relief efforts. Her additional awards include MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row, Nashville Healthcare Hero, Women of Music City, Nashville Post’s Top Non-Profit Leader, National Healthcare Innovation Award, and numerous honors from Billboard.
MusicRow: Where did you grow up?
I grew up deep in the piney woods of south Mississippi. I went to junior high and high school in Sumrall, Mississippi. We did not even have a stop light, we had a caution light. We would hang out at The Handy Pantry on Friday nights after football games. It was just a teeny tiny town. It was safe and nobody left.
MCA & Arista promotion teams in 1998
What did you want to become then?
The music industry wasn’t even on my radar. I thought that I wanted to go into medicine. I came to Nashville to go to Vanderbilt in 1993. I focused on medicine and I got weeded out my junior year of college pretty quickly by organic chemistry. It just did not make sense to me. My major at Vanderbilt was Human and Organizational Development.
I had always worked in healthcare in the summers. I worked in an emergency room in Mississippi and volunteered at the children’s hospital at Vanderbilt. When it came time to intern, I thought, “I’m in Music City. I’ll just see what’s happening in the music industry.” I ended up with an internship at MCA Records and I felt like I had found my tribe. I thought, “Oh my gosh. I’ve never felt so at home anywhere. Not in college, not in high school, and not at home in Mississippi. These are my people.”
Did you change your major?
Nope! I stayed Human and Organizational Development and it’s really been an asset. It was psychology combined with sociology combined with business. Having that real, tangible experience in the setting that eventually became my career was invaluable.
The head of my department at Vanderbilt had been a songwriter. He understood that if you stepped out [of healthcare], it would be really hard to step back in. He let me create independent studies every semester, so I was able to intern in every department at MCA and Decca.
What did you do after graduation?
The second semester of my senior year, right before I was about to graduate, I got hired because Scott Borchetta got fired. Who gets to say that? (Laughs) Obviously, he has done just fine. Everybody at MCA loved him and cheered for him, it was just time for him to spread his own wings. When he left, everybody in the department bumped up and I became the receptionist of promotion at MCA Records. I felt like I had arrived.
MCA promotion team with Reba McEntire in 1999
What were your goals for your career then?
I was watching artist managers take risks early. Erv Woolsey took a risk early with George Strait and there were so many stories like that about the greats in our industry. I really thought that I would end up either staying and climbing the ladder at the label or going into management.
I had a starter marriage in the music industry, which I don’t recommend, but it gave me my greatest life lessons of all time. I met my future husband, moved real fast and left MCA. I went to Atlantic for a hot minute with Barry Coburn and then left to build a management company with my starter husband. I got pregnant quick, right after we got married, and got divorced within a year.
In the divorce, I inherited some artists. (Laughs) The Derailers were one of them. I learned a ton and they’re still really good friends. I thought management was phenomenal—I loved the negotiating piece and I loved understanding contracts, but I couldn’t be on the road with twin boys, so I to needed to make another career change.
What happened next?
I went into pre-term labor, and it ultimately led to Music Health Alliance. By that point, I was 26 or 27, so I understood the value of benefits and health insurance. When I left employment with benefits, I made sure the first thing I did was get health insurance. When I went into pre-term labor, I was in the hospital for six weeks on bedrest. The boys were born at 28 weeks, so three months early. They each weighed two pounds and were in the NICU for nine weeks. Fortunately, they are great now, but I left the hospital with two sick babies, a half million dollar bill, and a marriage that was imploding.
I didn’t know that you could negotiate medical bills and I didn’t know that you could challenge decisions by health insurance companies. I liquidated every asset I owned and talked to my grandfather, who was a businessman, and asked him to co-sign a loan with me. He did and it took me 10 years to pay off.
I also learned that my story was not unique. It was happening all over the music industry. Every five minutes there was a benefit where we were passing the bucket for somebody. That really resonated because at my darkest hour, when I was a single mom with infant twins on heart monitors and oxygen, it was the music industry that made me feel so safe and so loved. It was a much smaller industry then, but everybody operates the same way today. This is a really precious family.
Tatum with infant twins, Rex & David, in NICU in 2001
How were you able to move on?
Vanderbilt Medical Center wanted to start their first department of music industry relations. I ended up getting hired for the job. They really wanted to be fundraising and I said, “Everybody goes to the music industry with their hand out. We’ve got to make this medical center valuable to the music industry.” The person I reported to had built a committee of music industry executives—Joe Galante, Kix Brooks and more. One day Kix said, “If you can figure out how to bring health insurance to the music industry, then they’ll come use your facility.”
That’s all I needed to hear. It gave me permission to understand this crazy thing that almost wrecked my life. So I started meeting with health insurance companies. I met with about 17 of them and after every one of the meetings, I felt like I needed a shower. It was so gross. All they saw were big numbers and big money. It was way before the Affordable Care Act had passed, so about 35 cents of every dollar went to commission for health insurance. It was big money at that point. I met a guy who had been in the music industry who was an insurance broker. He wasn’t held captive by any one company. We started what was CMA Sound Healthcare. I left Vanderbilt after three or four years to build Sound Healthcare.
When did you decide to start Music Health Alliance?
The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 and that opened up this enormous opportunity for the music industry to have access to healthcare like never before. My whole goal with Sound Healthcare was to build a nonprofit and my business partner did not have any interest in that. He was a businessman, which is totally fine. Sales were his mechanism. We decided to amicably part ways. My family and I moved to Montgomery, Alabama and that was what allowed me to clearly see the path that needed to be taken to build what became Music Health Alliance.
Tatum with with patient, Dalton Waggoner at the 2nd Annual Miles & Music For Kids benefitting Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in 2007. Photo: Susan Waggoner
My husband had been an attorney before he became a professor. One night at 3 in the morning, I woke him up and I was like, “I had this dream! Look at this dissolution agreement. Is there a non-compete?” He was like, “Oh my God. It’s 3 in the morning. There’s no non-compete.” I wrote the entire business plan for Music Health Alliance that night.
I had this dream about what it should look like and insurance had to be a component. It had to be a part of it, but just one small part. In the United States, that’s the primary mechanism to gain access to healthcare: health insurance. But I had to figure out a way to remove the profit motive. With the profit motive, it skews the objectivity. We need to make sure if you walk in and you have a healthcare issue, the payment mechanism that we pick for you is going to be what meets your needs, not my needs.
When did you get to start helping music industry folks?
The first client that called to ask for some help was Cowboy Jack Clement. He had been diagnosed with liver cancer and just needed help navigating it. I hadn’t even come up with the name Music Health Alliance yet, but the whole template of how we navigate came into play when we helped Cowboy Jack walk through his liver cancer. He said, “I’m going to have a living wake. I think it’d be really cool if it benefited this nonprofit you’re building.” That was in January of 2013 and that was our first public facing event where we launched.
How did you start building your team?
Kimberly Dunn was my right hand and sounding board starting Music Health Alliance. Herky Williams was our first development director. When he went on to pursue other things, I looked in MusicRow and I saw that Sheila Shipley Biddy was leaving the label where she was. She had been one of my greatest mentors when I was an intern.
Tatum with Dukes of Hazzard cast at Vanderbilt Children’s 2006
I called her and said, “I don’t know what your next step is, but I’ve started this nonprofit. I can only pay you a half salary for now, but this is what I need: an advocate. Someone who can study and understand Medicare, someone to help us bring organization to this non-profit.” So Sheila became the first full-time, salaried hire and now she’s our CFO. I feel so honored to get to work with her every day and learn from her. I’m a bulldozer and a big picture person. She can take the big picture and help bring the execution to it.
Music Health Alliance became even more life-saving during the pandemic. What was that like?
Overnight, the phone calls went from, “I’ve got a new diagnosis and I need help finding a doctor and navigating medical bills,” to, “I don’t know how I’m going to be able to afford formula, diapers and food.” Because we’ve been able to be nimble, it allowed us to shift gears really quickly and figure out how to meet that need. We went online to try to get gift cards from Walmart, Kroger and Trader Joe’s, but you could buy one gift card a piece. We called our banker at City National Bank, Lori Badgett, who has been a champion for us since the beginning. We said, “We need to come cash a $60,000 check and I’m going go buy gift cards at these stores.” She said, “Alright. Let’s make it happen.” So my son—who served as my bodyguard—went with me into the bank to get $60,000, put it in my little purse, and go to Walmart and buy gift cards. (Laughs)
Pictured (L-R): Hunter Phelps, Hardy, Tatum Allsep (Founder/CEO, Music Health Alliance), Jameson Rodgers, Randy Montana at the inaugural “Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda” event benefitting Music Health Alliance. Photo: Hunter Berry
People would come to us to get gift cards, but then we would talk to them about their secondary needs. Is it help with your rent? Is it help with diapers and formula? Some people would call back for help for a second month, about 40% would call back for a third month, and about 3% to 5% called back for a fourth month. It was amazing to see people figuring out how to navigate it. Our industry is so resilient.
Then it was following the virus. What do all these vaccinations mean? How do we differentiate fact from fiction? So we found the facts and then we would assimilate them out to industry leaders. It wasn’t coming from us, we were just sourcing them so they could see the facts.
What’s your proudest accomplishment at Music Health Alliance?
I didn’t know Beverly Keel—I had just revered her because she is an icon. Somebody called and said, “Beverly’s sister is in liver failure and they’re telling her to go home and get her affairs in order.” The Hippocratic Oath hangs in my office. It says, “I will practice my craft, the art of medicine, not based on profit, but because it is the right thing to do.”
In the U.S., you can’t get on a transplant list if you are not fully insured. I understand that, from the business sense, but not from the human sense. Especially not at a nonprofit, faith-based hospital. We were able to go in and navigate and find loopholes. The transplant gave her five more years. That’s one of the cases that means the most to me.
Industry Ink: Cody Johnson, Kody Norris, Bradley Gaskin, Greg Oliver Agency
/by Lorie HollabaughCody Johnson Celebrates One-Year Anniversary Of Documentary
Shane Tarleton/ WMNEVP, Artist Development, Mike Dupree/WMN VP, Creative Director and Cody Johnson
Cody Johnson is celebrating the one-year anniversary of his award-winning autobiographical documentary film Dear Rodeo: The Cody Johnson Story.
Since its release the film has received numerous awards from The Telly Awards, The Wild Bunch Film Festival and The Wild West Film Festival. It recounts Johnson’s real-life journey from the dusty rodeo arenas of rural Texas to some of the biggest musical stages in America. The film also features guest appearances by Reba McEntire, Navy Seal Chris Kyle’s widow Taya Kyle, Johnson’s wife Brandi, his producer Trent Willmon, and more.
The cinematic feature-length documentary, directed by Shaun Silva, debuted in over 230 movie theaters nationwide last summer before it was released on Amazon Prime last fall.
Kody Norris Show Fills Out Team
Pictured (L-R, back row): Jeremy Westby (2911 Media), Rush Davenport, Frank Wing, (Reliant Talent Agency), Terry Calogne (Richards & Southern), Josiah Tyree, Kody Norris, Mary Rachel Nalley-Norris, Charlie Lowman (The Kody Norris Show), Holly Bonnette (HB Entertainment), Scott Sexton (2911 Media), Scott Heuerman (BubbleUp), and Jeff Howard (Reliant Talent Agency); (L-R, front row): Mark Freeman (Rebel Records), John Landers (BubbleUp), Ellen Larsen, Jack Shenton, Kaley Edgerton, Jenn DiChara, Cole Speed (Reliant Talent Agency). Photo: Amy Richmond.
The Kody Norris Show has assembled a new team.
Norris along with Mary Rachel Nalley-Norris, Josiah Tyree and Charlie Lowman, are taking the show to the next level by adding Rebel Records, Reliant Talent Agency, HB Entertainment, Richards & Southern, 2911 Media, and BubbleUp to the team.
Offering a combination of country and bluegrass with a nostalgic flare, the Kody Norris Show earned the National Traditional Country Music Association’s 2017 Bluegrass Album of the Year for their When I Get The Money Made project. The group signed with Rebel Records in 2019 and has since released All Suited Up, which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard charts.
Bradley Gaskin Inks With 30A Life Records
Bradley Gaskin
After nearly 10 years since leaving Nashville and a major label deal, Bradley Gaskin has signed with independent label 30A Life Records.
The “Mr. Bartender” singer-songwriter, who currently boasts more than 4 million views on TikTok, is back in the studio with producer/songwriter Keith Stegall tracking new music for an album slated for release later this year, with a tour in the works.
30A Life Records President Jack Cole shares, “I met Bradley in 2011 at The Rendezvous in Memphis—he was performing a show there and happened to sit down right beside me. I had just heard his song on the radio a few weeks before and couldn’t believe he was sitting next to me. We hit it off from that point on and have been great friends ever since. When I heard ‘Mr. Bartender’ on the radio for the first time, it made me stop in my tracks. Just an awesome voice—powerful to the core and makes you believe in what he’s singing.”
“Unfinished business—more songs to record, more songs to write and allow my fans to hear, more shows, more memories, more of a name you won’t forget, which means more country music and more of The Honky Tonk General,” Gaskin adds. “My first song ‘Mr. Bartender’ is not how I want my fans to only remember me by. My decision to stop singing, writing and performing has now been overturned. Thanks to Jack Cole and Bob Clark, these ‘ol boys started a record label just for me—to do what I do, write and sing what I want to, and be the artist I feel I’m meant to be.”
GOA Music & Speakers Expands Staff, Promotes One
Pictured (L-R, top row): Ember Tanksley, Justin Dorris; (L-R, bottom row): David Richt, Courtney Long
GOA Music & Speakers (Greg Oliver Agency, Inc.) has announced a staff promotion and three additions to its team.
Sr. Agent Ember Tanksley has been promoted to VP and will oversee all operations of GOA Music. She has been with the company for eleven years, previously working at William Morris Agency for ten years.
Additionally, two new Booking Coordinators–David Richt and Courtney Long–have joined the team. Richt, a Belmont University graduate, was Music Director at a multi-site church in Miami before joining the GOA team. Meanwhile, Trevecca University grad Long previously interned for Jeff Roberts & Associates, Proper Management, and Round Table Management.
Finally, Justin Dorris has been appointed Agent for GOA Speakers. A former head of booking for Dave Ramsey and Ramsey personalities, he also served as a talent buyer for all Ramsey Solutions live events and worked for AEG Live, Charles Dorris & Associates, and DR Artist Management.
Luke Combs Launches ‘Living Lucky with Luke Combs’ Lottery Experience
/by Lorie HollabaughLuke Combs. Photo: Jeremy Cowart
Luke Combs has partnered with Atlas Experiences and the Wisconsin Lottery to launch the “Living Lucky with Luke Combs” multi-state lottery scratch off and bonus drawing.
Through the promotion, Combs will be showcased on lottery tickets. The partnership is a natural fit given the content of Luke’s iconic song “When It Rains It Pours,” which is centered around winning a hundred bucks on a lottery scratch-off ticket.
Atlas created a marketing strategy that includes custom Combs-branded lottery tickets, a unique 30-second TV and radio spot, interactive 3D Augmented Reality creative, custom merchandise, and a cash concert.
The Wisconsin Lottery will kick off ticket sales and will be followed by 14 other state lotteries in Texas, Maine, Vermont, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas, Hoosier, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska over the next 12 months.
Wisconsin Lottery Director Cindy Polzin shares, “Wisconsin is full of Luke Combs fans, so it makes sense we’re the first state to offer the scratch and bonus drawing. I can’t wait to award the exclusive ‘Living Lucky with Luke Combs’ concert experience to three Wisconsin Lottery players!”
“I’m truly honored for the opportunity to give my fans the chance to live out the song ‘When It Rains It Pours,’ and a shot at half a million dollars,” Combs notes. “The lottery brought this great idea to me, and I had to get involved. Good luck to everyone!”
Scotty McCreery Celebrates Three No. 1 Hits
/by LB CantrellPictured (L-R): Norbert Nix, President and Partner, Triple Tigers Records; Scott Stem, McCreery’s Manager, Triple 8 Management; Scotty McCreery; Kevin Herring, SVP of Promotion, Triple Tigers Records; and George Couri, McCreery’s Manager, Founder of Triple 8 Management and Partner, Triple Tigers Records. Photo: Ryan Camp for Triple Tigers Records
Music industry members gathered at The Electric Jane on Tuesday (Aug. 9) to raise a glass to Triple Tigers recording artist Scotty McCreery.
The party came on the heels of his recent hit “Damn Strait” spending three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, following his previous No. 1 hits “You Time” and “In Between.” In addition to being recognized for the No. 1 tracks, McCreery also received plaques to signify Gold certification by the RIAA for each single, as well as a MusicRow No. 1 Challenge Coin for “Damn Strait” reaching No. 1 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart.
Some of the songwriters for each tune were on hand to receive plaques for their success. McCreery spoke about each one, thanking them for believing in him and making music with him.
Of the many there to celebrate McCreery were his Triple Tigers label staff and Triple 8 management team.
Pictured (L-R): Triple Tigers Records’ Norbert Nix, MusicRow Magazine’s Sherod Robertson, Scotty McCreery with his MusicRow No. 1 Challenge Coin, Triple 8 Management’s Scott Stem, Triple 8 Management’s George Couri. Photo: Ryan Camp for Triple Tigers Records
“All three of these songs deserved their own huge No. 1 party,” said Kevin Herring, SVP of Promotion for Triple Tigers Records. “The dedication of so many great people have culminated in achieving the chart pinnacle for all three of these songs. Nobody has worked harder or deserves more credit than Scotty, and it sure is fun to all celebrate our victories together.”
Triple Tigers President and Partner, Norbert Nix, said, “Scotty, the creative vision that you and your creative team have is absolutely second to none. You’re a great man, you’re going to be a great father, and you surround yourself with great people like Frank Rogers, Aaron Eshuis, and Derek Wells—whose chemistry you can’t beat. The sonic excellence is amazing.”
When McCreery took the mic, he was extremely gracious, making sure to recognize as many team members as he could. He spoke about his journey from American Idol to celebrating five consecutive No. 1 songs.
“I didn’t know what I was getting into back in 2011,” McCreery said. “As I’ve grown older, matured, married the love of my life and now am expecting our first child this November—which is nuts—we’ve lived life. When you live life, you have a lot of stuff to write about.
“It took us seven years to get a No. 1 song on country radio,” he added. “It was ‘Five More Minutes’ that got the ball rolling for us. That’s what I love about country music: it’s real people, telling real stories. It will always be that way no matter how it sounds. At the end of the day, it’s the storytelling that matters.”
After thanking everyone from the label, management team, songwriters and business managers, a glowing McCreery closed with a sweet sentiment.
“I could talk for hours and hours, but everybody here has played a role in this. It takes a village and I’m proud to be a part of this village. I’m proud to tell people that y’all are my village.”
CMA Fest, Let Freedom Sing! Provide Big Boost To Nashville Economy
/by Lorie HollabaughLet Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th. Alan Poizner/Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
A new report reveals both CMA Fest and Let Freedom Sing! pumped millions of dollars into the local Nashville economy this season.
CMA Fest generated $65.2 million in estimated direct visitor spending, bouncing back with modest growth from the last festival in 2019 when direct visitor spending was $64.9 million. The festival also helped push the number of hotel room nights sold in June to a record level for the city–up 20% year over year, and 11% ahead of 2019 levels. June 2022 now stands as the single month with the most room nights ever sold in Davidson County to date.
“We’ve said it before, but it truly takes a village to produce CMA Fest,” notes Sarah Trahern, CEO, Country Music Association. “We are so grateful to work alongside all of our incredible city partners to make the event a success year after year. Our attendees certainly come to CMA Fest to experience four jam-packed days of country music, but we know a significant number use the festival as a chance to visit Nashville. We look forward to next year’s event when we celebrate our 50th anniversary of CMA Fest!”
Nashville’s Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th event generated $11 million in estimated direct visitor spending. The total is down from last year’s $14.7 million, but was expected by organizers with the holiday falling on a Monday and the spotty weather forecast. The event drew an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 to the free downtown concert and fireworks show.
“Major events like these are critical to sustaining our success and filling the unprecedented number of new hotel rooms opening in our city,” says Butch Spyridon, CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “Nashville ranks second in the country in the construction of hotel rooms as a share of inventory, so we can’t take our eye off the ball and must continue to create demand for the city.”
Both CMA Fest and Let Freedom Sing! were featured on national television, with ABC broadcasting a three-hour CMA Fest special on Aug. 3, and both CMT and CNN covering Let Freedom Sing!
Highlights from the NCVC’s CMA Fest survey:
Out-of-town visitors: 83%
First-time attendees: 52%
Likely to attend next year: 96%
Average length of stay: 5.1 nights
Average party size: 3.2 people
Top six states: Florida, New York, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and California
International visitors: 4.2%
Accommodations: 74% chose hotels; 14% chose short-term home rentals
Highlights from the NCVC’s Let Freedom Sing! survey:
First-time attendees: 84%
Likely to recommend to others for next year (scale of 1-10): 9.5
Average length of stay: 3.8 nights
Average party size: 3.8 people
Visitor travel method: Drive, 58%; Fly, 42%
Top six states: New York, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Alabama and Pennsylvania
Accommodations: 71% chose hotels; 13% chose short-term home rentals
Derek George Renews Publishing Deal With Spirit/Fluid
/by Lydia FarthingPictured (L-R): Chip Petree, Ritholz Levy Fields; Kara Jackson, Senior Creative Director, Spirit Music Nashville; Michelle Davey, Director of Administration/Office Manager, Spirit Music Nashville; Hannah Hall, Creative Director, Spirit Music Nashville; Derek George; Brian Bradford, General Manager/VP of Administration and Operations, Spirit Music Nashville; Frank Rogers, CEO, Spirit Music Nashville; Matthew Beckett, Milom, Horsnell, Crow, Kelley, Beckett, Shehan; AJ Burton, Vice President, Fluid Music Revolution; and Elizabeth Lombardi, Milom, Horsnell, Crow, Kelley, Beckett, Shehan.
Spirit/Fluid, the Nashville-based joint venture between Spirit Music Group and Frank Rogers’ Fluid Music Revolution, has renewed an exclusive publishing deal with Derek George.
George is a Grammy-nominated musician with hits spanning across three decades as a songwriter, producer and publisher. He has had over 100 cuts and has worked in almost every facet of the industry—managing his own recording studio, being an accomplished session singer and guitarist, writing hit songs, producing major record label releases, and running an independent publishing company. He has had songs recorded by Blake Shelton, Bryan White, Randy Houser, Diamond Rio, Rascal Flatts, Brantley Gilbert, Jerrod Niemann, Jennifer Nettles, Trace Adkins, Miley Cyrus, Wynonna, Chase Bryant, Drake White, and Hootie And the Blowfish, among others.
In the last decade, he has produced eight top 10 hits, five of which were No. 1s. George has had eight singles released to country radio as a songwriter in the same six-year span, and celebrated his third No. 1 as a writer with Darius Rucker’s “For the First Time.” He currently has the Frank Ray radio single “Country’d Look Good On You,” which is top 20 on the country chart. George also co-wrote five of the six tracks on Ray’s upcoming EP, releasing on Aug. 12, and has upcoming releases with Rucker, Chris Young, and Lainey Wilson.
As a producer, George helmed Randy Houser’s How Country Feels, which yielded 4 top 5 hits, along with the lead single off Houser’s follow up album Fired Up. He produced Joe Nichols’ “Sunny And 75,” co-wrote Jerrod Niemann’s No. 1 hit “Drink To That All Night” and produced and co-wrote Chase Bryant’s “Little Bit of You” and “Room To Breathe.”
“Derek George is a beast,” Rogers expresses. “He is a great songwriter, producer, singer and musician. It has been a blast working with Derek the last several years and would could not be more excited about the future. I can’t wait for you to hear what DG has been up to lately!!!”
“Derek has been with us for the last several years and he’s crafted and/or produced some of Nashville’s biggest songs. DG is a rare talent and we couldn’t be more excited to continue our relationship,” says AJ Burton, Vice President, Fluid Music Revolution.
“So excited to continue making music with Frank, AJ, and all the Spirit and Fluid creative staff,” George adds. “The last four years have been an absolute joy and I’m looking forward to what the future holds.”
My Music Row Story: Music Health Alliance’s Tatum Hauck-Allsep
/by LB CantrellTatum Hauck-Allsep. Photo: Ashley Hybert
Music Health Alliance Founder/CEO, Tatum Hauck-Allsep, established the music industry’s first non-profit resource for healthcare in 2013, which has gone on to serve over 18,000 industry professionals and saved them over $84 million in healthcare costs. Allsep’s career also includes time with MCA Records, artist management, and the launch of the Vanderbilt Medical Center’s Music Industry Relations Department. In 2021, Tatum was named CMA Humanitarian of the Year for MHA’s COVID Relief efforts. Her additional awards include MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row, Nashville Healthcare Hero, Women of Music City, Nashville Post’s Top Non-Profit Leader, National Healthcare Innovation Award, and numerous honors from Billboard.
MusicRow: Where did you grow up?
I grew up deep in the piney woods of south Mississippi. I went to junior high and high school in Sumrall, Mississippi. We did not even have a stop light, we had a caution light. We would hang out at The Handy Pantry on Friday nights after football games. It was just a teeny tiny town. It was safe and nobody left.
MCA & Arista promotion teams in 1998
What did you want to become then?
The music industry wasn’t even on my radar. I thought that I wanted to go into medicine. I came to Nashville to go to Vanderbilt in 1993. I focused on medicine and I got weeded out my junior year of college pretty quickly by organic chemistry. It just did not make sense to me. My major at Vanderbilt was Human and Organizational Development.
I had always worked in healthcare in the summers. I worked in an emergency room in Mississippi and volunteered at the children’s hospital at Vanderbilt. When it came time to intern, I thought, “I’m in Music City. I’ll just see what’s happening in the music industry.” I ended up with an internship at MCA Records and I felt like I had found my tribe. I thought, “Oh my gosh. I’ve never felt so at home anywhere. Not in college, not in high school, and not at home in Mississippi. These are my people.”
Did you change your major?
Nope! I stayed Human and Organizational Development and it’s really been an asset. It was psychology combined with sociology combined with business. Having that real, tangible experience in the setting that eventually became my career was invaluable.
The head of my department at Vanderbilt had been a songwriter. He understood that if you stepped out [of healthcare], it would be really hard to step back in. He let me create independent studies every semester, so I was able to intern in every department at MCA and Decca.
What did you do after graduation?
The second semester of my senior year, right before I was about to graduate, I got hired because Scott Borchetta got fired. Who gets to say that? (Laughs) Obviously, he has done just fine. Everybody at MCA loved him and cheered for him, it was just time for him to spread his own wings. When he left, everybody in the department bumped up and I became the receptionist of promotion at MCA Records. I felt like I had arrived.
MCA promotion team with Reba McEntire in 1999
What were your goals for your career then?
I was watching artist managers take risks early. Erv Woolsey took a risk early with George Strait and there were so many stories like that about the greats in our industry. I really thought that I would end up either staying and climbing the ladder at the label or going into management.
I had a starter marriage in the music industry, which I don’t recommend, but it gave me my greatest life lessons of all time. I met my future husband, moved real fast and left MCA. I went to Atlantic for a hot minute with Barry Coburn and then left to build a management company with my starter husband. I got pregnant quick, right after we got married, and got divorced within a year.
In the divorce, I inherited some artists. (Laughs) The Derailers were one of them. I learned a ton and they’re still really good friends. I thought management was phenomenal—I loved the negotiating piece and I loved understanding contracts, but I couldn’t be on the road with twin boys, so I to needed to make another career change.
What happened next?
I went into pre-term labor, and it ultimately led to Music Health Alliance. By that point, I was 26 or 27, so I understood the value of benefits and health insurance. When I left employment with benefits, I made sure the first thing I did was get health insurance. When I went into pre-term labor, I was in the hospital for six weeks on bedrest. The boys were born at 28 weeks, so three months early. They each weighed two pounds and were in the NICU for nine weeks. Fortunately, they are great now, but I left the hospital with two sick babies, a half million dollar bill, and a marriage that was imploding.
I didn’t know that you could negotiate medical bills and I didn’t know that you could challenge decisions by health insurance companies. I liquidated every asset I owned and talked to my grandfather, who was a businessman, and asked him to co-sign a loan with me. He did and it took me 10 years to pay off.
I also learned that my story was not unique. It was happening all over the music industry. Every five minutes there was a benefit where we were passing the bucket for somebody. That really resonated because at my darkest hour, when I was a single mom with infant twins on heart monitors and oxygen, it was the music industry that made me feel so safe and so loved. It was a much smaller industry then, but everybody operates the same way today. This is a really precious family.
Tatum with infant twins, Rex & David, in NICU in 2001
How were you able to move on?
Vanderbilt Medical Center wanted to start their first department of music industry relations. I ended up getting hired for the job. They really wanted to be fundraising and I said, “Everybody goes to the music industry with their hand out. We’ve got to make this medical center valuable to the music industry.” The person I reported to had built a committee of music industry executives—Joe Galante, Kix Brooks and more. One day Kix said, “If you can figure out how to bring health insurance to the music industry, then they’ll come use your facility.”
That’s all I needed to hear. It gave me permission to understand this crazy thing that almost wrecked my life. So I started meeting with health insurance companies. I met with about 17 of them and after every one of the meetings, I felt like I needed a shower. It was so gross. All they saw were big numbers and big money. It was way before the Affordable Care Act had passed, so about 35 cents of every dollar went to commission for health insurance. It was big money at that point. I met a guy who had been in the music industry who was an insurance broker. He wasn’t held captive by any one company. We started what was CMA Sound Healthcare. I left Vanderbilt after three or four years to build Sound Healthcare.
When did you decide to start Music Health Alliance?
The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 and that opened up this enormous opportunity for the music industry to have access to healthcare like never before. My whole goal with Sound Healthcare was to build a nonprofit and my business partner did not have any interest in that. He was a businessman, which is totally fine. Sales were his mechanism. We decided to amicably part ways. My family and I moved to Montgomery, Alabama and that was what allowed me to clearly see the path that needed to be taken to build what became Music Health Alliance.
Tatum with with patient, Dalton Waggoner at the 2nd Annual Miles & Music For Kids benefitting Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in 2007. Photo: Susan Waggoner
My husband had been an attorney before he became a professor. One night at 3 in the morning, I woke him up and I was like, “I had this dream! Look at this dissolution agreement. Is there a non-compete?” He was like, “Oh my God. It’s 3 in the morning. There’s no non-compete.” I wrote the entire business plan for Music Health Alliance that night.
I had this dream about what it should look like and insurance had to be a component. It had to be a part of it, but just one small part. In the United States, that’s the primary mechanism to gain access to healthcare: health insurance. But I had to figure out a way to remove the profit motive. With the profit motive, it skews the objectivity. We need to make sure if you walk in and you have a healthcare issue, the payment mechanism that we pick for you is going to be what meets your needs, not my needs.
When did you get to start helping music industry folks?
The first client that called to ask for some help was Cowboy Jack Clement. He had been diagnosed with liver cancer and just needed help navigating it. I hadn’t even come up with the name Music Health Alliance yet, but the whole template of how we navigate came into play when we helped Cowboy Jack walk through his liver cancer. He said, “I’m going to have a living wake. I think it’d be really cool if it benefited this nonprofit you’re building.” That was in January of 2013 and that was our first public facing event where we launched.
How did you start building your team?
Kimberly Dunn was my right hand and sounding board starting Music Health Alliance. Herky Williams was our first development director. When he went on to pursue other things, I looked in MusicRow and I saw that Sheila Shipley Biddy was leaving the label where she was. She had been one of my greatest mentors when I was an intern.
Tatum with Dukes of Hazzard cast at Vanderbilt Children’s 2006
I called her and said, “I don’t know what your next step is, but I’ve started this nonprofit. I can only pay you a half salary for now, but this is what I need: an advocate. Someone who can study and understand Medicare, someone to help us bring organization to this non-profit.” So Sheila became the first full-time, salaried hire and now she’s our CFO. I feel so honored to get to work with her every day and learn from her. I’m a bulldozer and a big picture person. She can take the big picture and help bring the execution to it.
Music Health Alliance became even more life-saving during the pandemic. What was that like?
Overnight, the phone calls went from, “I’ve got a new diagnosis and I need help finding a doctor and navigating medical bills,” to, “I don’t know how I’m going to be able to afford formula, diapers and food.” Because we’ve been able to be nimble, it allowed us to shift gears really quickly and figure out how to meet that need. We went online to try to get gift cards from Walmart, Kroger and Trader Joe’s, but you could buy one gift card a piece. We called our banker at City National Bank, Lori Badgett, who has been a champion for us since the beginning. We said, “We need to come cash a $60,000 check and I’m going go buy gift cards at these stores.” She said, “Alright. Let’s make it happen.” So my son—who served as my bodyguard—went with me into the bank to get $60,000, put it in my little purse, and go to Walmart and buy gift cards. (Laughs)
Pictured (L-R): Hunter Phelps, Hardy, Tatum Allsep (Founder/CEO, Music Health Alliance), Jameson Rodgers, Randy Montana at the inaugural “Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda” event benefitting Music Health Alliance. Photo: Hunter Berry
People would come to us to get gift cards, but then we would talk to them about their secondary needs. Is it help with your rent? Is it help with diapers and formula? Some people would call back for help for a second month, about 40% would call back for a third month, and about 3% to 5% called back for a fourth month. It was amazing to see people figuring out how to navigate it. Our industry is so resilient.
Then it was following the virus. What do all these vaccinations mean? How do we differentiate fact from fiction? So we found the facts and then we would assimilate them out to industry leaders. It wasn’t coming from us, we were just sourcing them so they could see the facts.
What’s your proudest accomplishment at Music Health Alliance?
I didn’t know Beverly Keel—I had just revered her because she is an icon. Somebody called and said, “Beverly’s sister is in liver failure and they’re telling her to go home and get her affairs in order.” The Hippocratic Oath hangs in my office. It says, “I will practice my craft, the art of medicine, not based on profit, but because it is the right thing to do.”
In the U.S., you can’t get on a transplant list if you are not fully insured. I understand that, from the business sense, but not from the human sense. Especially not at a nonprofit, faith-based hospital. We were able to go in and navigate and find loopholes. The transplant gave her five more years. That’s one of the cases that means the most to me.
15th Annual ACM Honors To Make Fox Network Debut
/by Lydia FarthingThe 15th Annual Academy of Country Music Honors will air Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. CT on Fox, marking the event’s return to television and the first time the special will air on the network.
The all-star event will recognize several special honorees, including ACM Triple Crown Award recipient Miranda Lambert, ACM Spirit Award recipient Chris Stapleton, ACM Poet’s Award recipient Shania Twain, ACM Milestone Award recipient Morgan Wallen and ACM Film Award recipient Yellowstone. Reigning ACM Female Artist of the Year and 4x ACM Award winner Carly Pearce will return to host for a second year, as well as grace the stage with a musical performance.
There will also be an array of performances across the star-studded evening of live music and tributes, including ACM Award winner and Grammy nominee Trace Adkins performing his cover of “A Country Boy Can Survive” from the upcoming Fox country music drama Monarch. The series will premiere on Sunday, Sept. 11 immediately following the Fox NFL doubleheader before making its time period premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. CT.
Other performers and presenters include Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, The Warren Brothers, Brooks & Dunn, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Ernest, Jesse Frasure, Vince Gill, Ashley Gorley, Mickey Guyton, Hardy, Wynonna Judd, Avril Lavigne, Little Big Town, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson and more. The full lineup of artists will be released in the coming weeks.
“Country music royalty reigns on Fox this fall, starting with the debut of Monarch, the network’s new drama about the first family of country music, followed by one of country’s most special nights, ACM Honors,” shares Rob Wade, President, Alternative Entertainment and Specials, Fox Entertainment. “This partnership with the Academy of Country Music marks the return to television for this beloved, star-studded event, giving country fans everywhere all the more reason to call Fox home.”
“We are thrilled to bring one of our industry’s favorite and most poignant nights back to primetime television and to kick off our first-ever ACM partnership with Fox,” adds Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside. “Being our 15th anniversary show makes the return to television even more special and a great opportunity to bring ACM Honors to the fans to experience the admiration and respect that our country community has for its own through emotional tributes and unique performances.”
The 15th Annual ACM Honors will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Tickets are currently on sale to the general public at AXS.
New Installment Of ‘CMT Storytellers’ To Premiere With Darius Rucker
/by Lorie HollabaughDarius Rucker. Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images for CMT
Darius Rucker will headline the second installment of the recently revived CMT Storytellers, premiering on Aug. 31 on CMT.
The one-hour CMT Storytellers: Darius Rucker concert event will feature performances and never-before-heard stories about how the country icon’s hits came to be. The evening will feature music from Rucker’s solo career, in addition to his time as frontman of Hootie & The Blowfish, providing an inside look at Rucker’s songwriting process, life in the industry and career.
“There have been so many nights when someone comes up to me after a show and tells me what a song means to them, when they first heard it or how it became a song at a pivotal moment in their life, played at a wedding or even a memorial,” Rucker explains. “The way music connects and how the story evolves for each person differently is perhaps the coolest aspect of music, which is what makes a show like CMT Storytellers so special as I think we can always use more moments of connection.”
Legendary duo Brooks & Dunn kicked off the CMT Storytellers series revival this spring. The Storytellers franchise originally aired on VH1 from 1996-2015 and featured legendary artists such as Garth Brooks, Pearl Jam, Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift, among others.
Matthew West, Maverick City Music Among Top GMA Dove Awards Nominees
/by Lorie HollabaughMatthew West and Maverick City Music are among the top nominees for the upcoming 53rd Annual GMA Dove Awards, racking up seven nods each. Songwriter and producer Jeff Pardo received nine nominations for this year’s awards.
The nominees were announced in an artist-hosted livestream event featuring Jimmie Allen, Erica Campbell, Evan Craft, Sonya Isaacs, Brandon Lake, Trip Lee, Chris Tomlin, and Tye Tribbett.
Other nominees with multiple nods include Anne Wilson, Ben Glover, For King & Country, Jeff Sojka, Jonathan Smith and Phil Wickham, who received six nominations each. Brandon Lake, CeCe Winans, Chandler Moore, Chris Brown, Jonathan Jay, and Steven Furtick earned five nods.
“Congratulations to this year’s impressive list of Dove Awards nominees,” says GMA President, Jackie Patillo. “For the past few years, we’ve chosen a theme for each show that represents our community and why we celebrate. Today we announced this year’s theme, Sound of Heaven. Although our musical styles may be different, our mission is the same. Together we lift one voice–the sound of heaven.”
Voting for the final winners will run Aug. 18-25. The GMA Dove Awards will take place live in Nashville on Oct. 18 with this year’s broadcast airing exclusively on TBN and the TBN app on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. CT.
Nominees for the 53rd Annual GMA Dove Awards:
Song of the Year
“Be Alright” (Writers) Sean Cook, Evan Craft, Willy Gonzalez
“Believe For It” (Writers) Dwan Hill, Kyle Lee, CeCe Winans, Mitch Wong
“Come What May” (Writers) Darren Mulligan, Jeff Pardo
“Good God Almighty” (Writers) David Crowder, Ben Glover, Jeff Sojka
“Hold On To Me” (Writers) Lauren Daigle, Paul Duncan, Paul Mabury
“House Of The Lord” (Writers) Jonathan Smith, Phil Wickham
“Jireh” (Writers) Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine
“Look What You’ve Done” (Writers) Tasha Layton, AJ Pruis, Keith Everette Smith, Matthew West
“My Jesus” (Writers) Jeff Pardo, Matthew West, Anne Wilson
“Promises” (Writers) Keila Alvarado, Joe L. Barnes, Dante Bowe, Phillip Carrington Gaines, Lemuel Marin, Aaron Moses
“Rattle!” (Writers) Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake
Artist of the Year
CeCe Winans
FOR KING + COUNTRY
Maverick City Music
We The Kingdom
Zach Wiliams
New Artist of the Year – Sponsored by Cantinas Arts
Anne Wilson
Blessing Offor
DOE
Jordan St. Cyr
Ryan Ellis
Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year
No Church In A While – Lecrae, 1K Phew
The End. – Trip Lee
TWO UP TWO DOWN – Aaron Cole
Unstoppable (United We Can) – Angie Rose
UPPERHAND – indie tribe
Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year
“House of the Lord” – Phil Wickham
“In Jesus Name (God Of Possible)” – Katy Nichole
“My Jesus” – Anne Wilson
“RELATE” – FOR KING + COUNTRY
“Scars In Heaven” – Casting Crowns
Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year
Healer – Casting Crowns
Milk & Honey – Crowder
My Jesus – Anne Wilson
Rise Up – CAIN
What Are We Waiting For? – FOR KING + COUNTRY
Bluegrass/Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year
“All Is Well” – Carrie Underwood
“God Is Real” – The Sound
“Grace And Goodness” – Sunday Drive
“In The Sweet By And By” – Dolly Parton, ft. Larry Cordle, Carl Jackson, Jerry Salley, Bradley Walker
“Mamas” – Anne Wilson, ft. Hillary Scott
Southern Gospel Album of the Year
2:22 – Karen Peck & New River
Just Sing! – The Collingsworth Family
Keeping On – Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
More To The Story – The Kingsmen
Something New – Legacy Five
Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year
“Adulting – Live” – Jonathan McReynolds, Mali Music
“Believe For It” – CeCe Winans, ft. Lauren Daigle
“Gotta Believe” – Tasha Cobbs Leonard
“Sunday” – Koryn Hawthorne
“When I Pray” – DOE
Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year
Clarity – DOE
Jonny X Mail: Live in LA (Stereo) – Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music
Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition – Maverick City Music
Oil + Water – Travis Greene
One Touch – Jabari Johnson
Gospel Worship Recorded Song of the Year
“Breathe” – Maverick City Music, ft. DOE, Jonathan McReynolds, Chandler Moore
“Goodness of God – Live” – CeCe Winans
“Jesus“ – Phil Thompson
“Lazarus” – Maranda Curtis
“Love Song” – Travis Greene, ft. Madison Binion
Worship Recorded Song of the Year – Presented by CCLI
“God, Turn It Around” – Jon Reddick
“Hymn of Heaven” – Phil Wickham
“I Speak Jesus” – Charity Gayle
“Jireh (Radio Version)” – Maverick City Music ft. Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine
“Know You Will” – Hillsong UNITED
Worship Album of the Year
Are We There Yet? – Hillsong UNITED
Homecoming (Live) – Bethel Music
Hymn of Heaven – Phil Wickham
LION – Elevation Worship
SEVEN (Live) – Brooke Ligertwood
Spanish Language Recorded Song of the Year
“A Ceigas” – Indieomar, Musiko
“Color de Alegria” – Andy Alemany, TWICE, Samuel ASH
“Danzando” – Gateway Worship Español, ft. Daniel Calveti, Becky Collazos, Christine D’Clario, Travy Joe, Josh Morales
“Júbilo” – Maverick City Música, Miel San Marcos
“Mi Salvador” – Mosaic Msc
Inspirational Film/Series of the Year
American Underdog
Blue Miracle
Redeeming Love
The Chosen
The Jesus Music
Terry Hemmings To Exit Provident Entertainment, Holly Zabka Named President
/by LB CantrellTerry Hemmings
Renowned music business executive Terry Hemmings will exit Provident Entertainment at the end of August. Holly Zabka will succeed Hemmings as President, reporting directly to Randy Goodman, Chairman and CEO, Sony Music Nashville.
Hemmings has played an integral role at Provident Entertainment, signing and building its roster for 20 years. His impact at Provident has expanded the profiles of faith-based artists such as Zach Williams, CAIN, Casting Crowns, Kirk Franklin and more.
Holly Zabka
“Over the last two decades, Terry has played an important part in shaping Provident and we are grateful to him for his commitment to leading the business and supporting our artists, songwriters and creators for so long” shares Goodman. “As Sony Music Nashville continues to work even more closely with Provident, we are committed to strengthening that connection under the leadership of Holly as she further elevates Provident, our artists and our songwriters.”
Hemmings says, “Provident Entertainment and Sony Music have been my home for 20 years. I am grateful for the many inspiring artists, songwriters, and our community at Provident with whom I have had the privilege to work. My career here has been an incredibly special and rewarding part of my life. I wish our entire team at Provident and Sony Music Nashville the very best as I move ahead to explore new elements of my life for which my time here has equipped me. I am excited to see a new generation of leaders take this business forward and further the foundation we have built together.”
Zabka is a 14-year veteran of Provident. With decades of experience in leadership roles across the music industry on both the publishing and creative sides of the business, she most recently served as Senior Vice President, Essential Music Publishing (EMP) and Head of Creative for Provident Label Group (PLG). Since Zabka joined the company, Provident has celebrated more than 60 No. 1 songs and has partnered with top artists and songwriters such as Williams, CAIN, Jason Ingram, Ethan Hulse, Matt Maher, Mia Fieldes, Jonathan Smith, Red Rocks Worship and more.
“For the last 14 years, I have had the great joy of championing an incredible roster of artists and writers at Provident Entertainment,” she shares. “In my new role, I am honored to continue advocating for our creatives and leading an amazing staff in developing our business, writing exciting new chapters for growth and opportunity, and ushering in a vibrant season of significant songs and stories. I am confident that the future of faith-based music and films is Provident Entertainment.”