Jim Malloy
Recording engineer, producer and song publisher Jim Malloy died Thursday, July 5, at age 87. Malloy worked with such superstars as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. He won a 1963 Grammy Award for his engineering work on Henry Manclini’s movie theme “Charade” and was nominated for Grammys five other times.
Born in Illinois in 1931, he moved to the West Coast for a career in the electronics industry in 1954. He began his career in Los Angeles in the early 1960s by engineering discs by Mahalia Jackson, Duane Eddy, Duke Ellington, Doris Day, Ike & Tina Turner, Miles Davis, Lee Hazelwood, Ann-Margret, Sam Cooke, Bob Wills, Bing Crosby and Mancini.
Chet Atkins enticed him to move to Nashville. Atkins ran the Music Row office of RCA Records, for whom Malloy worked in 1965-68. He engineered albums by RCA’s Eddy Arnold, Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Hank Snow, Connie Smith and John Hartford, as well as Atkins, Nelson, Parton and Presley.
Jim Malloy
His record-production career began in 1968-69 with the acclaimed Townes Van Zandt albums For the Sake of the Song, Our Mother the Mountain and Townes Van Zandt.
A stint at Monument Records led to work with Roy Orbison.
Ray Stevens was also a regular production client there. Malloy produced the star’s 1969 million-selling hit “Gitarzan” among other efforts. Jim Malloy was the recording engineer for Johnny Cash’s national TV series in 1969-71. It was filmed at the Ryman Auditorium and featured a who’s-who of the music world at the time, including Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt and Merle Haggard.
When former RCA executive Brad McEuen launched Mega Records, Malloy became that label’s regular producer.
With Malloy as her producer, Sammi Smith earned a Grammy Award for her 1971 pop-crossover million seller on Mega, “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” He also produced her hits “Today I Started Loving You Again” (1975), “City of New Orleans” (1973), “Never Been to Spain” (1974), “Long Black Veil” (1974), “My Window Faces the South” (1976) and “Then You Walk In” (1971).
The last-named was co-written by Jim Malloy’s son David Malloy. He became a staff songwriter at his father’s publishing company, DebDave Music. So did Even Stevens, and the two co-wrote with star Eddie Rabbitt. This resulted in giant hits for the firm such as “I Love a Rainy Night” and “Drivin’ My Life Away” in the early 1980s. The company also discovered such songwriters as Paul Overstreet, Dan Tyler, Frank Myers and Thom Schuyler.
Meanwhile, Jim Malloy continued to produce records. He guided four LPs by Stella Parton and continued to work with Elvis Presley and other artists. In recent years, Malloy reunited with Eddy Arnold for a series of albums. He published his memoir, Playback, in 2005.
Update [8/15/18]: A Celebration of Life will be held for Jim Malloy on Friday, Aug. 24, from 5-7 p.m. at Studio A (located at 30 Music Sq. W) in Nashville. In lieu of flowers, those wanting to make a contribution in Jim’s honor can do so to the Nashville Engineer Relief Fund.
Jim Malloy (second from left) celebrates BMI Million-Air awards with BMI’s Jody Williams, David Malloy, BMI’s David Preston and Phil Graham in January 2018. Photo: Steve Lowry
Rezonant Music Publishing, Stryker Music Group Sign Ryan Plappert
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Mark Ahlberg/Stryker; Rebekah Gordon/Rezonant; Ryan Plappert; Tim Wipperman/Rezonant; Michael Martin/ASCAP.
Songwriter Ryan Plappert has signed a joint venture publishing deal with Rezonant Music Publishing and Mark Ahlberg’s Stryker Music Group. Plappert, a Belmont University graduate, was selected to be part of ASCAP’s GPS Project Class in 2013 and previously wrote for Sony/ATV.
“I feel honored to have the opportunity to work alongside such a diverse and talented writer roster,” Plappert said. “Mark, Rebekah, Tim and the rest of the creative team at Rezonant and Stryker have a passion for songwriting that rivals my own. Never have I felt more inspired to create music. This is exactly where I want to be and I couldn’t be happier to be here.”
“The partnership with Mark and the addition of Ryan to our Rezonant family is truly exciting,” said Rezonant’s VP Creative, Rebekah Gordon. “Ryan has an incredible ability to create a lasting melody and an insatiable work ethic. We look forward to building upon the success that he and Mark have with Stryker.”
“Ryan is a class act writer and remarkable talent,” noted Ahlberg. “Expanding the team around him to include Rebekah Gordon and Tim Wipperman from Rezonant will further help Ryan prove himself to be one of Nashville’s most creative and dedicated new writers.”
The Steeldrivers, Bluegrass Underground Plan 10th Anniversary Celebration
/by Lorie HollabaughThe Steeldrivers released their self-titled debut album 10 years ago, and are celebrating the anniversary milestone in style with a special performance at The Caverns in conjunction with Bluegrass Underground’s 10th anniversary throwdown on Friday, Aug. 17. The band was the first act ever to play Bluegrass Underground, located in the valley of Pelham, Tennessee at the base of Monteagle mountain, back on Aug. 16, 2008.
“Our dedication and determination remain just as intact today as it did 10 years ago,” says singer, songwriter and fiddler Tammy Rogers. “I liken us to what the Rolling Stones would sound like if they played banjos, fiddles and mandolins — it’s that rock-n-roll edge played on traditional instruments and our shows continue to reflect that high-level energy and fun. I think we have another 10 years in us!”
The band re-released their self-titled debut on vinyl last year, and their most recent Rounder Records project The Muscle Shoals Recordings reached No. 1 on the Billboard‘s Bluegrass Chart and received a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.
Arista Records Relaunches With David Massey As President/CEO
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Clive Davis, David Massey, Rob Stringer
Legendary record label Arista Records has relaunched, with David Massey as President/CEO. Massey, based in New York, will report directly to Sony Music Entertainment CEO Rob Stringer.
In addition, Sony Music and Massey have entered into a new joint venture for Massey-led artist management and music publishing businesses.
Clive Davis founded the Arista Records label in 1974; the label served as a recording home to artists including Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Carlos Santana, Patti Smith, the Grateful Dead, and many others. The label was shuttered in 2011, along with the Jive and J imprints. However, Arista Nashville has continued to operate, and is currently home to artists including Brad Paisley, Cam, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s duet album.
Davis said, “I am really delighted to see the Arista name return to a place of prominence under an executive with the talents of David Massey. David is a true music man who has tremendous respect for artistry, and he is the ideal choice to carry on the label’s great tradition.”
Massey was previously president/CEO of Island Records. Since 2013, he oversaw artists including Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Elton John, Bon Jovi and others. Prior to his work at Island, Massey spent six years as president of Mercury Records, working with Neon Trees, Portishead, and more. His career also includes roles as Exec. VP, A&R at Sony Music Label Group U.S., and president of imprint Daylight Records. Earlier in his career, he was at Sony Music’s Epic Records, where he spent a decade in a variety of roles, including EVP/GM, and Exec. VP, A&R.
Massey commented, “I want to thank Rob Stringer for the phenomenal opportunity to return to Sony Music in an expansive new partnership and lead the next chapter of Arista Records. Clive Davis made the Arista name synonymous with tremendous creativity and great songs, and I look forward to continuing that identity by working with the many talented people at Sony to build a new roster of hit artists. I am also excited to join forces with Sony to drive additional growth through artist management and music publishing.”
Stringer said, “We are excited to be reintroducing the iconic Arista brand as a full major label under the leadership of David Massey. David is a visionary and progressive talent developer and his recent success at breaking new artists around the world only highlights his remarkable consistency of creative success year after year. As well as releasing new music to the world, David will use his vast experience in building new publishing and artist management ventures that will enhance Sony Music’s overall music strategy.”
Maren Morris, Florida Georgia Line Make Nielsen 2018 Mid-Year Top Songs Rankings
/by Jessica NicholsonMaren Morris
Maren Morris and Florida Georgia Line have both earned massive sales and airplay in the first half of 2018, thanks to two record-breaking songs. On Nielsen’s 2018 Mid-Year rankings, FGL’s collaboration with Bebe Rexha, “Meant To Be,” ranks at No. 2 with more than 2.5 million (Songs with SES On-Demand). Morris’ collaboration with Zedd and Grey, “The Middle,” is at No. 3, with 2.068 million.
Both songs also make Nielsen’s Top 5 Radio songs as of mid-year 2018, with “Meant To Be” at No. 2 with 585,000 spins and an audience of more than 2 billion. “The Middle” ranks at No. 5, with 470,000 spins and an audience of more than 2 billion.
Both Jason Aldean and Keith Urban had albums place in the Top 10 albums (total sales) chart for the first half of 2018. Aldean’s Rearview Town is at No. 3 with 328K, while Urban’s Graffiti U is at No. 10 with 199K.
Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett Among Top Country Earners In Nielsen 2018 Mid-Year Report
/by Jessica NicholsonJason Aldean
Released in April 2018, Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town sits at the peak of Nielsen’s top five country albums in terms of sales at mid-year 2018. The Broken Bow Records artist’s album earned sales of 522,000 (album+TEA+On-Demand Audio SEA). Columbia Nashville artist Kane Brown‘s self-titled album ranks at No. 2, with 432,000. Luke Combs‘ This One’s For You, Chris Stapleton‘s 2015 album Traveller, and Thomas Rhett‘s Life Changes round out the Top five country albums for mid-year 2018.
Additionally, Aldean’s Rearview Town is among the overall Top 10 albums (total sales) for mid-year 2018, reaching No. 3 overall, with 328,000. Rearview Town ranks only behind The Greatest Showman: Original Soundtrack (1.064 million) and Justin Timberlake‘s Man Of The Woods (403,000).
Top 5 Country Albums. Source: Nielsen 2018 Mid-Year Report
Aldean is also the Top (Country) Genre Artist on Nielsen’s 2018 Mid-Year chart, which ranks sales data (album+TEA+On-Demand Audio SEA) from Dec. 29, 2017 through June 28, 2018. Aldean’s sales topped 862,000 for the first half of the year. Thomas Rhett also makes the Top 5 (Country) Genre Artists list at No. 5, with 524,000 for the first half of 2018.
Top 5 Country Genre Artists. Source: Nielsen 2018 Mid-Year report.
Brown’s track “Heaven” also ranks at No. 2 on Nielsen’s 2018 Mid-Year Top 5 radio songs (ranked by Airplay Audience). “Heaven” garnered more than 205,000 spins (audience of more than 791 million), bested only by Luke Bryan’s “Most People Are Good,” which earned more than 211,000 spins (audience of more than 829 million). “Most People Are Good” was also recently named a Song of the Year at the 30th annual MusicRow awards.
Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” is at No. 4, with 188,000 spins and an audience of more than 727 million. Thomas Rhett’s “Marry Me” is at No. 5, with 182,000 spins and an audience of more than 721 million.
Aldean, Brown and Thomas Rhett also dominate the Top 5 Songs chart, with Brown’s “Heaven” at No. 1 with 1.36 million (Songs w/ SES On-Demand). Brown’s “What Ifs” (ft. Lauren Alaina) is at No. 5 with 916K. Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” is at No. 2, with 1.3 million, while Thomas Rhett’s “Marry Me” is at No. 3 with 1 million.
Overall, country as a genre continued to rank fourth in its share of total volume. Country music’s total volume was 8.4 percent as of mid-year 2018, vs. 8 percent in mid-year 2017. R&B/hip-hop continued to reign as the format with the largest share, at 31.2 percent at mid-year 2018, up from 25.1 percent at mid-year 2017. Rock remained the No. 2 format (23.1 percent share), and pop remained the No. 3 format (15.1 percent share).
Share of Total Volume by Format and Genre. Source: Nielsen 2018 Mid-Year Report.
Jack White Is Top Vinyl Seller For First Half Of 2018
/by Lorie HollabaughJack White is the king of vinyl, at least according to the list of top-selling vinyl albums for the first half of 2018, according to Nielsen’s 2018 Mid-Year report. White’s latest studio effort, Boarding House Reach, has sold 37,000 copies on vinyl in the first six months of the year. White’s Third Man Records is a proponent of releasing projects on vinyl, even opening a vinyl production facility in Detroit’s historic Cass Corridor neighborhood in February.
Vinyl LP sales were up 19.2 percent in the first half of 2018, with 7.6 million units of vinyl sold in the first half of 2018, vs. 6.4 million in 2017. The resurgence seems to be in full swing, with vinyl LPs now comprising over 18 percent of all physical album sales, up from 13 percent last year through mid-year.
Another Nashville-based artist, Justin Timberlake, secures the No. 7 best-selling vinyl for the first half of 2018, with Man Of The Woods selling 26K.
1. Jack White, Boarding House Reach (37,000)
2. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN. (30,000)
3. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (28,000)
4. Michael Jackson, Thriller (28,000)
5. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (28,000)
6. Panic! at the Disco, Pray for the Wicked (26,000)
7. Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods (26,000)
8. Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain (Soundtrack) (25,000)
9. Amy Winehouse, Back to Black (25,000)
10. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (23,000)
Dustin Collins To Release New Album In August
/by Lorie HollabaughIt’s Been Awhile was produced and mixed by Bill McDermott and features Collins’ current single “The Barn.”
Collins has logged hundreds of thousands of miles on the road playing in honky tonks, fairs and festivals throughout the midwest and his home state of Kentucky, including a slot on Aaron Watson’s Vaquero Tour, as well as opening for Chris Janson, Granger Smith, Kane Brown, The Kentucky Headhunters and many more.
IT’S BEEN AWHILE TRACK LISTING:
1. The Barn – (Jack Williams, Troy Johnson)
2. Cold Dead Hands – (Dustin Collins)
3. Pieces – (Monty Russ Criswell, Lincoln Parish, Stephen Wilson)
4. Texas Was You – (Tony Martin, Wendell Lee Mobley, Neil Thrasher)
5. Bonfire Songs – (Dustin Collins)
6. It Always Starts With You – (Dustin Collins)
7. It’s Been Awhile – (Dustin Collins)
Grammy-Winning Engineer Jim Malloy Passes
/by Robert K OermannJim Malloy
Recording engineer, producer and song publisher Jim Malloy died Thursday, July 5, at age 87. Malloy worked with such superstars as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. He won a 1963 Grammy Award for his engineering work on Henry Manclini’s movie theme “Charade” and was nominated for Grammys five other times.
Born in Illinois in 1931, he moved to the West Coast for a career in the electronics industry in 1954. He began his career in Los Angeles in the early 1960s by engineering discs by Mahalia Jackson, Duane Eddy, Duke Ellington, Doris Day, Ike & Tina Turner, Miles Davis, Lee Hazelwood, Ann-Margret, Sam Cooke, Bob Wills, Bing Crosby and Mancini.
Chet Atkins enticed him to move to Nashville. Atkins ran the Music Row office of RCA Records, for whom Malloy worked in 1965-68. He engineered albums by RCA’s Eddy Arnold, Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Hank Snow, Connie Smith and John Hartford, as well as Atkins, Nelson, Parton and Presley.
Jim Malloy
His record-production career began in 1968-69 with the acclaimed Townes Van Zandt albums For the Sake of the Song, Our Mother the Mountain and Townes Van Zandt.
A stint at Monument Records led to work with Roy Orbison.
Ray Stevens was also a regular production client there. Malloy produced the star’s 1969 million-selling hit “Gitarzan” among other efforts. Jim Malloy was the recording engineer for Johnny Cash’s national TV series in 1969-71. It was filmed at the Ryman Auditorium and featured a who’s-who of the music world at the time, including Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt and Merle Haggard.
When former RCA executive Brad McEuen launched Mega Records, Malloy became that label’s regular producer.
With Malloy as her producer, Sammi Smith earned a Grammy Award for her 1971 pop-crossover million seller on Mega, “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” He also produced her hits “Today I Started Loving You Again” (1975), “City of New Orleans” (1973), “Never Been to Spain” (1974), “Long Black Veil” (1974), “My Window Faces the South” (1976) and “Then You Walk In” (1971).
The last-named was co-written by Jim Malloy’s son David Malloy. He became a staff songwriter at his father’s publishing company, DebDave Music. So did Even Stevens, and the two co-wrote with star Eddie Rabbitt. This resulted in giant hits for the firm such as “I Love a Rainy Night” and “Drivin’ My Life Away” in the early 1980s. The company also discovered such songwriters as Paul Overstreet, Dan Tyler, Frank Myers and Thom Schuyler.
Meanwhile, Jim Malloy continued to produce records. He guided four LPs by Stella Parton and continued to work with Elvis Presley and other artists. In recent years, Malloy reunited with Eddy Arnold for a series of albums. He published his memoir, Playback, in 2005.
Update [8/15/18]: A Celebration of Life will be held for Jim Malloy on Friday, Aug. 24, from 5-7 p.m. at Studio A (located at 30 Music Sq. W) in Nashville. In lieu of flowers, those wanting to make a contribution in Jim’s honor can do so to the Nashville Engineer Relief Fund.
Jim Malloy (second from left) celebrates BMI Million-Air awards with BMI’s Jody Williams, David Malloy, BMI’s David Preston and Phil Graham in January 2018. Photo: Steve Lowry
CMT Highlights World Of Music City Bachelorette Parties In New Series
/by Lorie HollabaughCreated from the producers of Jersey Shore and Party Down South, the series premieres Thursday, Aug. 2, and follows the employees of the Nashville-based party-planning company Bach Weekend as they work to create once-in-a-lifetime bachelor/bachelorette experiences for would-be brides and grooms celebrating their final fling before the ring.
Owner/Founder Robbie and his team, Nicole, Rosa, Liz, Rachal and Johnathan, work to ensure their high-maintenance (and often inebriated) clients have a fun-filled experience, and since every employee is given a financial stake in the company, the importance of the five-star reviews directly affects their bank accounts.
Weekly Chart Report (7/6/18)
/by Alex ParryClick here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.