As musicians have steadily embraced a do-it-yourself approach to varying degrees as part of their overall career strategy, made feasible by the growth of streaming and an ever-blossoming number of social media platforms, music industry professionals increasingly offer independent services to fill any number of artists’ needs, including publicity, marketing, and radio and/or playlist promotion.
Carole-Ann Mobley, of CAM Creative, aims to fill a niche in the market, offering independent A&R services to help artists find and create their best songs. She is known for her work with publishers such as Reviver Publishing and artists including eclectic singer-songwriter Drew Baldridge and country-rock duo LOCASH.
Before launching CAM Creative Services in 2015, Mobley served as VP, A&R for Warner Music Group, where she signed artists including Brett Eldredge and Frankie Ballard. Her career also includes time as Sr. Director, A&R for Sony Music, and Director of A&R for Starstruck Entertainment, as well as work for Beckett Productions and Austin City Limits.
Mobley spoke with MusicRow to discuss the current state of A&R, and the benefits and challenges of working as an independent A&R executive.
MusicRow: What is the biggest difference in working A&R independently, versus working for a label?
Mobley: I have to be a little more aggressive in doing this independently. The level of artists I work with now, I have to be savvier in getting songs, meetings and getting people excited. I don’t have the luxury of saying, “Oh, it’s going to be a Blake Shelton single.”
The most fulfilling thing for me is when they come to me they might be spending a lot of money on things that don’t matter and need help figuring out what to do. I can help get the ball rolling in a really productive way and they are so thankful, or when I bring them songs and they say, ‘These songs are so me,’ or they get the right producer, that’s really fulfilling.
Talk about the process you go through when working with a new client.
Some are more advanced, like a LOCASH or a Drew Baldridge. We have to establish trust and I have to understand where they want to go career-wise. What artists do they love, who would they tour with? So I can get a sense of who they are and reach out to the appropriate catalogs and start sending them songs.
When working with new artists, how do you manage the artist’s ambition and expectations?
I like to keep people in a positive state of mind but I’m a believer in realistic expectations. Not everyone you work with is going to be huge and famous. I think part of my job in A&R is having realistic expectations. I think that can be dangerous and I think A&R people need to be careful with their goals for their artists, because not everyone is cut out to be the next Luke Bryan. There are so many different ways for artists to have a successful career.
Perhaps the majority of country artists today also have a hand in crafting their own songs. How do you approach A&R when an artist also pens their own material?
A lot of my clients aren’t songwriters so I can kind of tell if I feel like they might have the potential, and I’ll lightly help them set up co-writes. I’ll still give them the best outside songs I can find. Sometimes they are super open to [outside songs] and then other times they are like, ‘I’m cutting songs I wrote.’ At the end of the day, I’m not their label and I’m not paying for the album, so they cut what they want. I have to sort of walk a fine line with that.
When they write more of their own songs, I take on more of a publisher role and I try to set them up on great co-writes. I also set about helping to edit their songs. They send me work tapes, and I’ll rip it apart and say, ‘Think about this hook,’ and other ways to help them with their music. If they are dead set on writing all of their own material, it’s my job to help them make their songs the best they can be.
Drew Baldridge is one of those artists who writes a lot of his own material. How did that working relationship come about?
Drew is with Rusty Gaston, a good friend of mine. Greg Hill brought me on to that project. Drew had never had an A&R person. He came out and did meetings and we found some amazing songs he was super excited to cut. While we were listening to songs, his writing level just rose tremendously because he was hearing the level of songs out there. Naturally, I think the bar was raised. That’s been exciting to watch.
Let’s say you are working with a client who already has a publishing deal. How does that relationship work, since publishers so often play a similar A&R role?
In the cases where they do have publishers, I’m usually friends with that publisher. They usually let me do my thing because they know there is a value in that, and we keep an open communication.
How has the state of A&R changed since your days working for a major label?
For years, it was so song-driven. In A&R we were all just fighting over every single writer’s demo sessions. People were putting demo sessions on hold—their whole session on hold—before anyone could hear them. We would send artists 50 songs a week. Also, we would sign artists based on pure talent; there was no social media. That’s changed now, obviously. Outside songs and writers have taken a huge hit because artists now have to write.
Who has been one of your biggest mentors in A&R?
[Former Sony Music Nashville chairman] Joe Galante. For 10 years I was his student and it was like going to Harvard. He gave us homework, he taught us the business. He taught me how to A&R a record. When we were making the second Chris Young record after he came off of Nashville Star, it was like, ‘this has to be the right thing.’ I remember Joe just talking about how to think about Chris as an artist. We had five No. 1 singles and it was a great success. Joe just had a handle on it. And it was hard, not all fun and games.
Industry Ink: ASCAP, Robert Earl Keen, Clio Music Awards
/by Jessica NicholsonASCAP’s I Create Music EXPO In The Round Coming To Bluebird Cafe
ASCAP’s I Create Music EXPO In The Round will be held at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe on Feb. 13. The songwriters round will include top ASCAP writers playing hit songs and sharing stories from their experiences at the annual ASCAP I Create Music Expo in Los Angeles. The Bluebird round will include Ashley Gorley, Cassadee Pope, Matt Jenkins, and Jon Nite.
Ticket sales begin Feb. 6 at 8 a.m. CT. For more, visit bluebirdcafe.com.
This year’s ASCAP I Create Music EXPO will be held in Hollywood, from May 2-4.
Robert Earl Keen Inducted Into Texas Cowboy Hall Of Fame
Robert Earl Keen was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, on Jan. 17, 2019, during a festive ceremony which included dinner and drinks at the World’s Largest Honky-Tonk, Billy Bob’s Texas.
The Hall of Fame honored Keen at the sold-out event for his prolific music career and charitable acts, presenting him with the Rick Smith “Spirit of Texas Award.” Celebrating the achievements and uniqueness of Texans, the award is dedicated to the memory of Rick Smith, a Texas visionary that left an unforgettable legacy through his concerts, music and the “Live at Billy Bob’s” recordings. Fellow Hall of Fame members include Willie Nelson, George Strait, Lyle Lovett, Tommy Lee Jones, and Red Steagall.
Submissions Now Open For 2019 Clio Music Awards
The awards highlight the top creative work globally in Branded Entertainment & Content, Design, Digital/Mobile, Experiential/Events, Film/Video, Innovation, Integrated Campaigns, Partnerships & Collaborations, Social Good, Social Media, and the Use of Music (Licensed, Original, Adapted). This year marks the addition of a Film and Video Technique medium as well as an option to submit physical entries within the Design medium (Event, Packaging, Printed Materials).
The early deadline for entries is April 19, 2019. For the entry kit, additional key dates, fees, and the full outline of mediums and categories, visit clios.com/music.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Reception, Tour Experience Returns for CRS
/by Alex ParryThe Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will welcome Country Radio Seminar attendees to Valentine’s Day ‘90s Country Style, a private cocktail reception with complimentary access to the museum on Thursday, Feb. 14, from 5 p.m.- 7 p.m.
The night will feature performances by Monument Records’ Walker Hayes and the label’s newcomer Brandon Ratcliff. The reception will be held in the museum’s Event Hall, where museum representatives will welcome radio and industry attendees and share information about the museum’s current exhibits including Outlaws and Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ‘70s, The Judds: Dream Chasers, Emmylou Harris: Songbird’s Flight, Little Big Town: The Power of Four, and Ralph Stanley: Voices From On High which will be open for viewing.
Credentialed CRS registrants also receive complimentary admission to tour the museum Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT.
“Throughout its history, country radio has played a vital role in the history and ever-evolving story of country music,” said Sharon Brawner, Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the museum. “We are happy to welcome Country Radio Seminar attendees to the home of country music history for the fourth consecutive year.”
The $699 final registration rate for Country Radio Seminar’s 50th Anniversary Event is available at CountryRadioSeminar.com. Single-day passes are also being made available for $200 per pass and are limited to two day passes per person. Day passes will only be available for purchase on-site.
Carole-Ann Mobley Celebrates Independent Approach To A&R Services
/by Jessica NicholsonAs musicians have steadily embraced a do-it-yourself approach to varying degrees as part of their overall career strategy, made feasible by the growth of streaming and an ever-blossoming number of social media platforms, music industry professionals increasingly offer independent services to fill any number of artists’ needs, including publicity, marketing, and radio and/or playlist promotion.
Carole-Ann Mobley, of CAM Creative, aims to fill a niche in the market, offering independent A&R services to help artists find and create their best songs. She is known for her work with publishers such as Reviver Publishing and artists including eclectic singer-songwriter Drew Baldridge and country-rock duo LOCASH.
Before launching CAM Creative Services in 2015, Mobley served as VP, A&R for Warner Music Group, where she signed artists including Brett Eldredge and Frankie Ballard. Her career also includes time as Sr. Director, A&R for Sony Music, and Director of A&R for Starstruck Entertainment, as well as work for Beckett Productions and Austin City Limits.
Mobley spoke with MusicRow to discuss the current state of A&R, and the benefits and challenges of working as an independent A&R executive.
MusicRow: What is the biggest difference in working A&R independently, versus working for a label?
Mobley: I have to be a little more aggressive in doing this independently. The level of artists I work with now, I have to be savvier in getting songs, meetings and getting people excited. I don’t have the luxury of saying, “Oh, it’s going to be a Blake Shelton single.”
The most fulfilling thing for me is when they come to me they might be spending a lot of money on things that don’t matter and need help figuring out what to do. I can help get the ball rolling in a really productive way and they are so thankful, or when I bring them songs and they say, ‘These songs are so me,’ or they get the right producer, that’s really fulfilling.
Talk about the process you go through when working with a new client.
Some are more advanced, like a LOCASH or a Drew Baldridge. We have to establish trust and I have to understand where they want to go career-wise. What artists do they love, who would they tour with? So I can get a sense of who they are and reach out to the appropriate catalogs and start sending them songs.
When working with new artists, how do you manage the artist’s ambition and expectations?
I like to keep people in a positive state of mind but I’m a believer in realistic expectations. Not everyone you work with is going to be huge and famous. I think part of my job in A&R is having realistic expectations. I think that can be dangerous and I think A&R people need to be careful with their goals for their artists, because not everyone is cut out to be the next Luke Bryan. There are so many different ways for artists to have a successful career.
Perhaps the majority of country artists today also have a hand in crafting their own songs. How do you approach A&R when an artist also pens their own material?
A lot of my clients aren’t songwriters so I can kind of tell if I feel like they might have the potential, and I’ll lightly help them set up co-writes. I’ll still give them the best outside songs I can find. Sometimes they are super open to [outside songs] and then other times they are like, ‘I’m cutting songs I wrote.’ At the end of the day, I’m not their label and I’m not paying for the album, so they cut what they want. I have to sort of walk a fine line with that.
When they write more of their own songs, I take on more of a publisher role and I try to set them up on great co-writes. I also set about helping to edit their songs. They send me work tapes, and I’ll rip it apart and say, ‘Think about this hook,’ and other ways to help them with their music. If they are dead set on writing all of their own material, it’s my job to help them make their songs the best they can be.
Drew Baldridge is one of those artists who writes a lot of his own material. How did that working relationship come about?
Drew is with Rusty Gaston, a good friend of mine. Greg Hill brought me on to that project. Drew had never had an A&R person. He came out and did meetings and we found some amazing songs he was super excited to cut. While we were listening to songs, his writing level just rose tremendously because he was hearing the level of songs out there. Naturally, I think the bar was raised. That’s been exciting to watch.
Let’s say you are working with a client who already has a publishing deal. How does that relationship work, since publishers so often play a similar A&R role?
In the cases where they do have publishers, I’m usually friends with that publisher. They usually let me do my thing because they know there is a value in that, and we keep an open communication.
How has the state of A&R changed since your days working for a major label?
For years, it was so song-driven. In A&R we were all just fighting over every single writer’s demo sessions. People were putting demo sessions on hold—their whole session on hold—before anyone could hear them. We would send artists 50 songs a week. Also, we would sign artists based on pure talent; there was no social media. That’s changed now, obviously. Outside songs and writers have taken a huge hit because artists now have to write.
Who has been one of your biggest mentors in A&R?
[Former Sony Music Nashville chairman] Joe Galante. For 10 years I was his student and it was like going to Harvard. He gave us homework, he taught us the business. He taught me how to A&R a record. When we were making the second Chris Young record after he came off of Nashville Star, it was like, ‘this has to be the right thing.’ I remember Joe just talking about how to think about Chris as an artist. We had five No. 1 singles and it was a great success. Joe just had a handle on it. And it was hard, not all fun and games.
Weekly Register: Cody Johnson, Maren Morris Top Country Sales Charts
/by Jessica NicholsonCojo Music/Warner Music Nashville artist Cody Johnson makes a triumphant debut atop this week’s Country Album chart, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Johnson’s Ain’t Nothin’ To It moved 34.5K units (12 million song streams). Johnson’s first major label album also debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Digital Album Sales chart.
Luke Combs‘ This One’s For You follows on the country albums chart this week at No. 2 with 22K (22 million song streams), with Dan + Shay‘s self-titled album at No. 3, moving 15K (16 million song streams). Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller is at No. 4 (11K/10 million song streams), followed by Kane Brown‘s Experiment at No. 5 with 11K and 10 million song streams).
Meanwhile, on the Country Song Sales chart, Columbia Nashville’s Maren Morris‘ recently-released “Girl” tops the list with 14K, followed by Dan + Shay’s “Speechless” with 10K, and Luke Combs “Beautiful Crazy” at No. 3 with 8.6K. Old Dominion‘s “Make It Sweet” is at No. 4 with 7K, while Tenille Arts‘ “I Hate This” debuts at No. 5 with 6.5K.
On the Country Streaming Songs chart, Morris also makes a big debut at No. 20 with “Girl,” which was streamed 3.8 million times in its first week. Dan + Shay take the top two slots with “Speechless” at No. 1 (9.2 million) and “Tequila” at No. 2 (7.8 million). Luke Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy” is at No. 3 with 7.7 million, followed by Kane Brown’s “Heaven” at No. 4 with 6.8 million and Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” at No. 5 with 6.8 million.
Welch Takes Tenth Week At No. 1 On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart
/by LB CantrellBrett James enters the top five this week, propelled by songs, Carrie Underwood’s “Love Wins” and Cody Johnson’s “On My Way To You.” Bobby Pinson follows at No. 6 with credits on Eric Church’s “Some Of It” and Dierks Bentley’s “Burning Man.”
The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, published every week, uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.
Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
Melissa Spillman Launches Management, Artist Development Venture FREETOWN Music Group
/by Jessica NicholsonMelissa Spillman
Melissa Spillman has announced the launch of management and artist development company F R E E T O W N Music Group in Nashville. Previously with Neon Cross Music and Capitol Records Nashville, Spillman will combine her experience in A&R, producer management, production coordination, and artist development to create a company that fosters and develops creative freedom and mainstream success.
F R E E T O W N’s roster includes country artists Tyler Dial and Catie Offerman, Nashville pop-rap artist Ellrod, producers Marshall Altman, Dan Fernandez and Brett Boyett, and songwriter/producer/author Jeremy Spillman and The DeVine Devils novel and soundtrack.
“I get to occupy a unique space in Nashville as a professional who can bring high-level experience to both producer management and artist development,” Spillman says. “I think opportunity in the entertainment industry is only broadening, and starting my own company gives me the autonomy and mobility to pursue success with artists and producers I can be personally invested in. I get to work with creators who are grateful and excited to do what we do, and I can’t think of a better group of people to partner with.”
Spillman’s most recent success was as the head of publishing and production of Neon Cross Music, the publishing company that’s home to Brandon Lancaster, lead singer of breakout country band LANCO, the soulful singer/songwriter Devin Dawson, and producer/writer Andrew Petroff. Additionally, she has managed and coordinated recording projects for producers Jay Joyce, busbee and Mikey Reaves for artists Eric Church, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, The Head and the Heart, Brothers Osborne, and many more.
Spillman can be reached at melissa@freetownmusicgroup.com.
CMA Foundation Commits Over $300K To Advance Partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools
/by Lorie HollabaughThe CMA Foundation is continuing its long-standing commitment to Metro Nashville Public Schools by investing more than $320,000 to support initiatives aimed at ensuring the success of music teachers and students across the district. Metro Schools is receiving a direct grant award of $205,000 as well as funding for a landmark music needs assessment survey that will help shape the future of music education in Metro schools. This investment brings CMA’s support of music teachers and education in Nashville to almost $12 million since 2006 – making it one of the largest local, private investments in the district’s public-school system.
“The CMA Foundation is one of our most valuable partners and their funding support helps provide excellence in music education in our schools, in a city known for quality music, and that’s an amazing benefit to our students,” said Dr. Shawn Joseph, MNPS director of schools.
Funds for the 2019 grant award were raised through the CMA’s annual CMA Fest, held in Nashville each June. This grant award will be used to provide side-by-side coaching for music teachers, private lessons for students, and sheet music for choral music programs. The CMA Foundation will also recognize 10 teachers in Metro Schools as one of the Music Teachers of Excellence. Each teacher recognized will receive a $2,500 award and $2,500 will be awarded for each teacher’s school music program.
“Music education has proven to be an effective and invaluable tool for academic achievement and social development,” said Tiffany Kerns, executive director, CMA Foundation. “Now, more than ever, we need to invest in our young people to be the creative, collaborative, free-thinking future our country needs. Through the power of music, we are able to come together and ensure all students have access to music education and our administrators have the support they need to cultivate a thriving program in their community. Expanding our partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools and working collaboratively on building a strong strategy for sustainability allows us to not just support those in our own backyard, but also help develop a strong model for resources and giving that can be mirrored across the country in our giving and impact.”
The CMA Foundation works to enrich music programs across the country, investing over $25 million to ensure all students have access to a quality music program.
CCM Star Sarah Gaines Dead At 59
/by Robert K OermannSarah Gaines
By Robert K. Oermann
Dove Award-winning gospel singer Sarah Gaines, 59, died on Jan. 17, following a struggle with cancer.
As a member of the duo Billy & Sarah Gaines, she regularly topped the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) charts in the 1980s and 1990s. She went on to have a solo career as a children’s entertainer.
Sarah was one of seven children raised in a gospel-singing household in Hampton, Virginia. She and Billy began singing together in 1974 and married in 1977. They sang lead in a group called Living Sacrifice in 1977-80. The act performed on TV’s The 700 Club in 1978.
Working as a duo, they performed in churches, at Christian music festivals and in coffeehouses. One early reviewer praised them as having, “the voices of angels.”
In Virginia, Sarah home schooled their children while Billy worked as a custodian. In 1985, they gambled their life savings on a move to Nashville to break into the music business. Billy took a job as a security guard until his songwriting earned him a publishing contract in Music City. Benson signed the duo and issued Billy & Sarah Gaines as the act’s debut LP in 1986. It yielded “Come Drink at My Table,” “You Are Faithful,” “In His Eyes” and “Risen in Me” as top-10 CCM hits. Sarah’s solo performance on the collection was “The Part That No One Sees.”
The team’s He’ll Find a Way was released in 1988. It contained the No. 1 CCM hits “Always Triumphant” and “How Great His Heart Must Be.” Those first two albums were performed in a pop style. For 1990’s Friends Indeed, Billy and Sarah reverted to the r&b sounds of their youth. “While You Wait” and the album’s title tune became big hits. No One Loves Me Like You (1991) and Love’s the Key (1993) rounded out their Benson contract.
Other Christian-radio favorites by Billy & Sarah Gaines included “Right Here at Home,” “The Same All the Time,” “God’s Amazing Love” and “I Found Someone.” They also had a hit BET video, “That Is Why.” They won a Dove Award for their participation on the 1994 project Generation to Generation. They had three other nominations for gospel’s highest honors. Sarah and Billy also became go-to backup vocalists for Amy Grant, CeCe Winans, dc talk and other CCM stars.
Donna Summer’s producer Michael Omartian became Billy’s cowriter in 1995. The couple signed with Warner/Alliance Records. With Omartian producing, Come On Back was issued in 1996. Anointed, CeCe Winans and Chris Willis provided backing vocals on this critically acclaimed album. In 1997, Sarah and Billy appeared on TNN’s Sam’s Place TV series taped at the Ryman Auditorium and on the TBN special Pat Boone’s Gospel America.
In the 2000s, the couple split up. Sarah went back to college to study early childhood education. She operated a series of successful daycare businesses and was a foster parent.
Her solo albums were geared to a young audience. They included Miss Kitty and the Neighborhood Play Place (2006) and Miss Kitty’s Neighborhood Christmas Show (2007). She emerged as a songwriter on these. Son Jason Gaines produced the records.
Last August, Nashville’s gospel community gathered at an event titled “Love Through Giving” to raise funds for Sarah’s cancer treatments. Among those participating were Juan & Lisa Winans, Angelo & Veronica, Alvin Love, Billy Gaines and CeCe Winans.
Sarah Gaines is survived by sons Nathan and Jason, by daughter Rachel Hockett and by two grandchildren. The funeral was held Saturday at Born Again Church on Trinity Lane. The family requests that memorial donations be made to her church’s building-fund campaign — Church on the Rock Nashville (www.cotrnashville.org/donate) — and/or to Grace Works Ministries (www.graceworksministries.net).
Joey Ebach and Ryland Fisher Sign With VibeCity Music
/by Lorie HollabaughFront Row: (L-R:) Ebach, Fisher. Back Row: Chuck Floyd, VibeCity’s Clay Mills and Marty Dodson, Jim Zumwalt
Joey Ebach and Ryland Fisher have both joined VibeCity Music as staff writers. Ebach and Fisher are the first songwriters signed to VibeCity Music.
“I have been mentoring writers for many years through SongTown, an online songwriting community I co-founded with Clay Mills,” said VibeCity Partner Marty Dodson. “We have mentored a number of writers who have moved on to staff writing deals with other publishers or had their songs recorded. Clay and I decided it was time to start our own publishing venture as the next step for SongTown writers who are ready to be staff writers. Our contracts are revolutionary in that they offer our writers unprecedented opportunities to succeed and benefit from their success almost immediately. Being writers ourselves, Clay and I want to put VibeCity writers in the driver’s seats at the beginning of their careers.”
“It became apparent pretty quickly while mentoring Joey and Ryland that they had the same qualities and skills of many of the hit writers I’ve co-written with over the years,” said VibeCity Partner Clay Mills. “It was really a no-brainer to help these guys take it to the next level with VibeCity.”
VibeCity launched in Nashville in late 2018 with SongTown Co-Founders Clay Mills and Marty Dodson at the helm. Mills and Dodson have a combined 30-plus years as songwriters writing No. 1 hits and charting songs that have garnered Grammy nominations, ASCAP and BMI Awards.
Alabama’s Randy Owen Recognized At St. Jude Country Cares 30th Anniversary Celebration
/by Lorie HollabaughRandy Owen, his wife Kelly, ALSAC CEO Richard Shadyac, Jr., St. Jude patient Caleb and his mother Kelly stand by a plaque honoring Owen for his dedication to the life-saving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during a press conference at the Country Cares seminar
Randy Owen was honored by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis recently with a special patient family room dedicated to him in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids radio program. Since its inception in 1989, led by Alabama’s Owen, Country Cares has pioneered radio philanthropic fundraising and raised more than $800 million for the lifesaving mission of the hospital.
More than 900 people in the country industry, including radio personalities, artists, executives, label reps and media, gathered in Memphis for special performances and industry-insider events to celebrate the special anniversary. Owen has led the charge to establish St. Jude as the charity of choice for the country industry through his 30-year dedication, and Country Cares is anchored by annual radiothons, comprised of 200 radio stations who share the mission of St. Jude with their listeners through various promotions and programming methods.
“Randy Owen has rallied the country music community like no other for 30 years to make a tremendous difference in helping St. Jude fulfill its lifesaving mission for our patients and their families,” says Richard Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “He is proof, like our founder Danny Thomas was, that one person can make a remarkable difference in this world. With the help of his friends in the country music industry, he was instrumental in starting the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids program, and we are forever indebted to Randy and his family for their years of generosity.”
“The most important thing I’ll ever do, apart from being a father and a husband, is helping children at St. Jude,” said Owen. “Over the past 30 years, I’ve watched children at St. Jude grow up to be happy, healthy adults. This room dedication shows that the country music industry has made a true impact, and I’m glad I could be part of that.”
Following the Country Cares format, St. Jude radio programs now reach beyond country into other genres including gospel, rock and Hispanic platforms, and because of programs like these, families at St. Jude never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food.