The Country Music Association will be the 2011 recipient of the Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award, it was announced today (1/24). The organization will be bestowed with the honor Tuesday, May 17 at Nashville’s Renaissance Hotel.
“Leadership Music is excited to recognize CMA as the 2011 recipient of the Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award,” says Jamie Cheek, president of Leadership Music Board of Directors. “As one of the foremost leaders in the music business, CMA has played an integral role in supporting many great artists as well as numerous businesses and organizations, including Leadership Music. We look forward to an extraordinarily special and intimate evening celebrating CMA’s accomplishments and years of service to our industry and community.”
The Dale Franklin Award was created in 2004 to recognize a music industry leader who exemplifies the highest quality of leadership and leading by example. Since the honor’s inception in 2004, recipients have included Tony Brown (2004), Gerry House (2005), Emmylou Harris (2006), Frances W. Preston (2007), The Bradley Family: Owen, Harold, Jerry, Connie and Patsy (2008); Garth Brooks, Jim Foglesong and Allen Reynolds (2009); and Fred Foster, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson (2010).
Analysis: Over the last three years, groups of individuals have been honored for the Dale Franklin Award but CMA is the first ever organization to be recognized. Leadership Music Exec. Dir. Karen Oertley explains that, while the award has historically been given to individuals, the criteria language specifies only that it will be awarded to a music industry “leader.” The Leadership Music board of directors felt that CMA’s initiatives such as the Awards, Music Festival, and Songwriter Series, combined with the generous donation of all net proceeds ($2.9 million) from the 2010 CMA Music Festival for flood relief and music education made all speak very favorably toward CMA’s leadership role in the community.
Tickets for this invitation-only event will be available in March.

Jim Williamson, the recording engineer known for work with Bob Dylan, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson, passed away at his Nashville area home on Jan. 20. He was 75, and died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Williamson played a role in recordings classics such as Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man,” Lynn Anderson’s “Rose Garden” and Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde album.
In fact, Williamson was behind the board when Dylan recorded “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.” He handled it with ease when Dylan insisted on recording the song in a single take, in the dark.
Williamson ran the boards for Country Music Hall of Fame producers Don Law, Owen Bradley, Ken Nelson and Billy Sherrill. He is also credited with being one of the first Nashville engineers to provide musicians with headphones during the recording process.
Williamson also helped a young Kristofferson, working as a studio janitor at the time, record the demos that ultimately led to his signing at Monument Records.
“He was a great listener and a father figure to a lot of people,” says hit producer Garth Fundis. “He was a really awesome man—honest to a fault.”
“He was one of the finest engineers I ever worked with in Nashville,” agrees Haggard, who enlisted Williamson for more than 10 years.
Williamson was a devoted family man who would have celebrated his 50th anniversary with wife Edith this year. He is survived by Edith; daughter Debbie Williamson, of San Diego; daughter Suzy Pender, of Nashville; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by son, Jimmy Williamson.
Williamson’s body is being cremated. Per his wishes, services will be private. No public memorial will be held.

The Grascals‘ video for “I Am Strong” has been added for airplay by GAC and The Country Network. Country Hall of Famer Dolly Parton makes a special guest appearance in the video, which was directed by David Corlew and produced by former TN Commission head David Bennett. The song, written by Jamie Johnson and wife Susanne Mumpower-Johnson with friend Jenee Fleenor, was inspired by stories of children being treated for cancer and other diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. The emotional video was filmed at the hospital and several patients make appearances. “The bottom line and the whole point of the video was to convey the song’s message,” Johnson says.  “We didn’t want to take anything away from the children or their stories, and I think we stayed true to that.” A portion of the proceeds from the song will benefit St. Jude.
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Jesse and Noah Bellamy’s single “Dirty With A Southern Drawl” has been shipped to Texas radio this week by Luna Chica Records, and it is accompanied by a controversial video. Shot in Memphis by director Mike McCarthy, the video incorporates elements of comic book style and WWII iconography to tell the story of a woman’s plan to stop the war through striptease. “Even though this video may raise a few eyebrows along Music Row and will most-likely not be embraced by CMT and GAC, we all feel it maintained the artistic integrity which it was meant to have,” says Brenda Cline, general manager and director of A&R for Luna Chica Records. “We think that viewers are tired of the same old cookie cutter videos. I say ‘bravo’ to Mike McCarthy, and Jesse and Noah’s creative risk taking. As far as the song is concerned, it’s as country radio as it gets and it’s great!”
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The Adam Craig Band has released the video for its song “Nothin’ Wrong.” Directed by Jeff Johnson in conjunction with Gamma Blast, the video was shot in various locations around Manchester, Tennessee. The concept behind it was to capture the value and simple joy in small-town living, being surrounded by a few close friends and the memories shared with them. “I love working with Adam, Brian, Jimi and Ryan” says Jeff Catton, of InTune Entertainment, who manages the band. “They’re extremely hard working and very focused on their career.”

Mayor Karl Dean, along with the Nashville Music Council, have announced a partnership with the recently launched Nashville Entrepreneur Center. This agreement will provide local start-ups in digital media and entertainment with direct support.
Initially the NEC will present business plans for the Music Council, providing entrepreneurs with executive level feedback. Additionally, the NEC will launch a mentoring program for the Music Council, pairing a start-up venture with an industry leader. ASCAP President Tim DuBois and former Sony Chairman Joe Galante have been elected to start the mentoring program.
“Cities seeking to grow and prosper in the 21st century have to support innovation and entrepreneurism in key industries,” says Mayor Dean. “The music industry in particular is ripe for new ideas and new business models that will help shape its transition into the digital age. This partnership between the Music Council and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center will help ensure that the future leader and leading ideas of the music industry are being cultivated right here in Nashville.”
Nashville Entrepreneur Center was launched in 2010 by Vanderbilt faculty member Michael Burcham in hopes of being an incubator for local businesses in four industries: healthcare, technology, social enterprise, and digital media & entertainment. New entrepreneurs will be able to access NEC and its staff for available options and resources.