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
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.
Chris Janson Plays Surprise Show At Ole Red Nashville
/by Jessica NicholsonChris Janson performs at Ole Red Nashville on July 4. Photo: Courtesy Ole Red
Grand Ole Opry member Chris Janson rocked a packed house at Ole Red Nashville’s inaugural Ole Red, White + Blue Bash with a surprise late-night pop-up show, following his performance at Nashville’s official July 4th celebration.
Janson most recently played Ole Red last month with labelmate Blake Shelton whose hit song “Ol’ Red,” inspired the Ole Red restaurant, live music and retail space located at 300 Broadway in downtown Nashville.
Chris Janson performs at Ole Red Nashville on July 4. Photo: Courtesy Ole Red
Survey Finds U.S. Musicians Experience Lower Incomes, Higher Rates Of Sexual Harassment
/by Jessica NicholsonA recently-released survey of more than 1,200 musicians in the United States, found that musicians in the U.S. often struggle with low incomes, discrimination, harassment and mental health issues. The study was conducted by the Music Industry Research Association (MIRA) and Princeton University Survey Research Center, in partnership with MusiCares.
According to the study, the median musician in the U.S. earns between $20,000 and $25,000 per year, and 61 percent of musicians in the study said their music-related income is not sufficient to meet their living expenses. The most common source of music-related income is live performance, followed by giving music lessons and performing in a church choir or other religious service.
Females made up nearly one-third of the musicians polled; 72 percent of the female musicians reported they have been discriminated against because of their gender, while 67 percent of the females polled reported they have been the victims of sexual harassment. These figures stand much higher than the corresponding figures for U.S. women in general, where 28 percent report they have been discriminated against on the basis of gender, while 42 percent of U.S. women in general report they have experienced sexual harassment.
Meanwhile, 63 percent of musicians of color say they faced racial discrimination, as compared to 36 percent of non-white, self-employed workers nationwide.
The study also found many musicians struggle with mental health issues, with half of musicians reporting they had been “feeling down, depressed or hopeless at least several days in the last two weeks,” as compared with less than a quarter of the adult population as a whole.
When compared to the general U.S. adult population, musicians are five times more likely to have used cocaine in the past month, 6.5 times more likely to have used ecstasy, 13.5 times more likely to have used LSD, 2.8 times more likely to have used heroin or opium, and 3.5 times more likely to have used meth. Musicians are about twice as likely to drink alcohol frequently (four or more times per
week) than the population as a whole: 31 percent versus 16 percent.
Project Admission Launches In Nashville
/by Lorie HollabaughStephen Glicken and Jordan Stone have launched a new Nashville-based company, Project Admission. Project Admission creates an improved, more connected experience for the management, distribution, and exchange of digital tickets.
“The ticketing and live event space is one of the most exciting places for innovation right now,” said Glicken of his new endeavor. “Nashville is home, and we value being part of the growth of the city. For us, that means bringing our experience to the growing tech community.”
Glicken was previously head of Business Development at Songkick, where he worked with artists such as Adele, Paul McCartney, and Kenny Chesney. Before Songkick, he was the co-founder of Green Owl, a sustainably minded record label under Warner Music Group. He started his career as an audio engineer working with artists like P. Diddy, Toni Braxton, and Ghostface Killah from the Wu Tang Clan.
Stone’s former experience includes a stint leading digital marketing for Taylor Swift’s management company, 13 Management, where he launched and managed Swift’s website and fan club, and led direct-to-fan ticket sales for Swift’s Fearless, Speak Now, and Red tours. Most recently, Stone founded Huckle, a live group chat app for Twitter, which was used by celebrities and national media publications to drive engagement and growth for their accounts.