Chad Carlson
By James Rea
Don’t miss 2-Time Grammy recipient Chad Carlson on The Producer’s Chair on Thursday, May 26 at Douglas Corner at 6 p.m.
Talking to Chad Carlson at his poolside Cabana home studio about his producing and engineering discography, his never-ending passion for female voices is reflected in his body of work.
Carlson’s credits include four albums with Taylor Swift and two with Trisha Yearwood, as well as work with Alison Krauss, Brandy Clark, Sugarland, Jewel, Lady Antebellum/Stevie Nicks, Janis Ian, Thompson Square, Jana Kramer, Maddie & Tae, Matraca Berg, Rachel Proctor, Mickey Guyton, Katie Armiger and Point Of Grace, as well as male artists like Chase Rice, Love & Theft, Blues Traveler, Randy Houser, and Cole Swindell.
The list gives you an idea of how busy Carlson has been since he arrived in Nashville in 2002.
Carlson hails from Orlando, Florida, where his mother was a choir director, and his (deacon) father played trombone. Carlson mastered the French horn in high school, which led to a scholarship at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, and a seat in the Chattanooga Symphony. He played guitar in rock bands on the side before attending and graduating from the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in Phoenix.
Admittedly, Carlson didn’t have his sights set on Nashville and certainly not on country music. His influences musically were artists like Prince, The Police and Madonna, so L.A. and New York seemed like the logical place to be. But country music had evolved and Chad’s wife Amanda wanted to be near her parents in Chattanooga, so he agreed that if she could land the interior design job she wanted, he’d give Nashville a shot.
His first intern job at Sound Stage Studios, after graduating from the conservatory in Phoenix, led to becoming Garth Fundis’ chief engineer at Sound Emporium. To this day, Carlson proudly calls Fundis a mentor. But every bird must leave the nest and as Carlson’s engineering and production skills became more in-demand, he opened his own Hippo Sound Studio, where his prosperity and his propensity for producing truly emerged over the next six to seven years before finally moving into his new Cabana Studio facility.
Being a double Grammy-winning engineer (for Swift’s Fearless) has also given Carlson the opportunity to work with some of the best producers in the business including Nathan Chapman, Russ Titelman, Norbert Putnam, Josh Leo, Stan Lynch, Mickey Jack Cones, Derek George, Dann Huff, Fred Mollin, Ross Copperman, Julian King, Sam Ellis, Chris Lindsey, T Bone Burnett, and Victoria Shaw.
Carlson signed his current co-publishing deal with Shaw and well-respected publisher Leslie DiPiero/Tom Leis Publishing, in 2012. Carlson has written songs for David Cook, The Scott Brothers (from TV’s Property Brothers), and Jana Kramer.
Being an engineer, a symphony-level musician, and a songwriter — and having a background in arranging and composition with one’s own studio and two Grammys already in hand — has postured Carlson perfectly for today’s new breed of artists and tight-budgeted projects.
The Producer’s Chair: Through the course of four albums, you’ve watched Taylor Swift develop and mature. What was the most outstanding thing you noticed about Taylor?
Carlson: Her professionalism was better than almost anybody I’ve ever worked with. She was dedicated. She wanted to get it right. She was appreciative. As a 14-year-old, she knew how to look you in the eye and be thankful, and be present and she was smart about the music. There’s a lot of artists that come in, sing their part, and let the producer tell you what they want to do and she wasn’t like that. She was really involved from the get-go. She’s a smart girl.
We were all young. I think part of the magic from the first record was, it was raw. It was honest, it wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t anything like Fearless. You could see kind of a graduation, for all of us, in every record. Every record became a little smarter or a little more well-thought-out. Her songwriting grew, and she quickly became a world class artist!
How did it feel to receive a Grammy?
We were in shock I think. And so proud for Taylor. She deserved it and I felt so lucky to be part of it all. It was so awkward walking up on stage though. I thought I was going to get gang-tackled — it was the Album of the Year so, it was the final Grammy of the night. I don’t know if you ever been to the Staples Center. We were way back in the engineer/producer section and Taylor is right up in the second row. So we’re all running and she’s already talking and we just sort of walked in behind her and started giving hugs, but yeah, it was one of the best moments of my life.
Knowing what’s out there, would you prefer to produce a male artist, a female artist or a group, at this point in time?
The struggle for me is my passion is always been female artists. I love Madonna. I love Fiona Apple and really great female artists. When I got here, I was so spoiled because one of the first things I worked on was Trisha Yearwood and she’s truly probably the best female singer I’ve ever heard. Me coming from a background of not country music, I think females at that time were getting away with really intellectual songs and singing about things that I could identify with.
When you are producing an artist, how involved do you get in the song selection process?
I try to be involved because it’s really important. It all depends if it’s an independent artist or a label demanding them to do certain songs. A lot of times, I’ll find them songs. I have lots of publisher friends now, and if I write them an email, I hope that they’ll assume that it’s quality enough for them to pitch me good songs.
As you produce more, are your engineering gigs diminishing?
I don’t want to be known as “Chad Carlson, only the producer,” because you know what? I love engineering. My successes over the past 13-14 years are in engineering and it will always be because I get to work with so many artists. Engineering nowadays is so close to producing.
What’s the best advice you can give new producers?
I think a lot of producing is learning how not to do things. I have seen a couple different producers that ruin their artist by not knowing how to lift them up and really make them second guess themselves as singers. It’s hard. I’ve also had some young producers that will get in the room, they’ll play the work tape for the band, and they’ll say, “Listen, guitar player, don’t do this. I’m thinking you should play this. Bass player, I want you to stay on the one. Drummer, four on the floor, don’t mess it up.” And they’ll ruin a track because they don’t let the band be themselves.
The best producers let the players try whatever they want and then bring them in and say, “OK, let’s go to halftime on the bridge, let’s not try this time thing here—let’s do this.” It’s like when I have a singer in my vocal booth. When they’ll sing, I’ll make a mark, like 10 things they do wrong in their verse. I’m sure as heck not going to tell them those 10 things they did wrong because all they’re going to do is think about those 10 things. I have to find a way to distract them to not do those things.
How difficult is it to keep up with the constant technological advances?
I think it all has to do with the digital audio work stations. If you know Pro Tools, it’s not that hard, but I have to constantly buy new software. You have to keep up. There’s so much more track-based music nowadays. Listen to Sam Hunt’s record. The records were mostly made in Pro Tools in a room like this. It’s a whole new kind of sub-genre of country music, which I love, but you definitely have to be aware of the technology. It’s not like it was when I started with Garth [Fundis]. We had a tape machine and radar. Luckily I came to town already knowing Pro Tools and I was already building tracks. You have to stay aware.
Do you have an A-team of musicians that you primarily call?
A lot of producers have a set of players and that’s their guys. I don’t do that. I want to be transparent. I want the right group of players for the project. I am so lucky because I have been engineering for so long and I’ve worked with pretty much all the players in Nashville. So I can tell you, if you need drums that are swampy, who to get — or if you want something with drums with a bunch of technology like loops and stuff, who the right guy is. Or something that’s really appropriate [if somebody wants] “a Miranda kind of thing.” That’s one of the benefits of being an engineer/producer. You learn who is really right because you see producers hire somebody and they may not be right. You learn from their mistakes.
What’s on the horizon for Chad Carlson?
I have three artists right now. The most ready to blow up in my opinion is a guy named Carter Winter. He’s booked by APA with Jim Butler and he has 50 shows this summer. Mark Bright produced five songs for him and I just produced five more. He has a really deep, amazing voice, but it’s kind of a more aggressive music that’s a little more technology-based. He’s killing it on the road so Carter’s doing great.
I’m working with Cody Belew, who was on The Voice a few years back. He’s an amazing singer. We just finished up his project. We did a record and he’s getting ready to start touring. And I’m finishing up a record right now with an artist named Kimberly Dunn. She’s a Texas artist. She’s killing it out there. She’s a functional touring artist. She’s a firecracker, man. We’re just finishing up an 11-song record.
Next I’m super excited about a Don Williams tribute record I’m doing with Garth Fundis right now coming out on Slate Creek Records. We are doing an album full of big artists. We’re still waiting on lawyers and signatures, but I can tell you it’s pretty much all of my favorite artists in Nashville.
Music Biz 2016 Explores Artist Management In Modern Era
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Cameo Carlson and James Blades. Photo: Music Biz.
Music Biz 2016 launched Monday, May 16, in Nashville with a solid lineup of speakers from the segments of publishing, artist management, touring, and more.
During a panel titled Artist Management Now: Today’s New Structures and Services, Borman Entertainment’s Cameo Carlson, Blades Entertainment’s James Blades, Mtheory’s Zack Gershen and Marbaloo Marketing’s Faithe Parker discussed the current state of artist management.
Like most sectors of the music industry, artist management is in a state of rapid change.
Carlson, the moderator for the panel, called artist managers “the global head of artist development,” emphasizing the manager’s central role to an artist’s overall career progression. Panelists agreed with the need for a constant overseer in an artist’s career, with “heavy emphasis on touring.”
According to the panelists, 75-80 percent of an artist’s income is now drawn from touring activities.
Pcitured (L-R): Zach Gershen and Faithe Parker. Photo: MusicBiz
“Labels have historically been good at financing, radio promotion and distribution,” said Gershen, “but in today’s business, that’s not always enough. There are more options now for financing and distribution. They are still the best in the business at radio promotion, though we took [Major Lazer’s] ‘Lean On’ to No. 1 with no major label. It all goes back artist marketing.”
That is where third-party services complement the central role of managers, integrating and filling the gaps between the artist’s career needs and the services that managers can provide.
Carlson summed up the changes, saying, “”Every job I’ve had in the past 15 years, the job didn’t exist before I came on. As other parts of the industry shrink, they can’t offer certain services, and the managers have to add services and yet they keep the same commission. No one person can do everything, or can be an expert in everything. This is why you can have [third-party] companies come in.”
“You have to decide what areas you are an expert in, and bring talented people alongside you to fill those gaps,” said Parker.
The changing role of managers’ services also changes the discussion of payment.
“There are discussions of social media, regarding when does management pay for it and when does the artist pay for it?” Carlson said. “For example, [Borman Entertainment client] Keith Urban has an employee who does social media, and more. They are in our office, but they are a Keith employee, and not a Borman employee. But not every artist can afford to do that.”
LifeNotes: Legendary Songwriter Guy Clark Passes
/by Robert K OermannGuy Clark, a Grammy-winning recording artist, songwriter’s songwriter and mentor to a generation of Nashville artists, died on Tuesday (May 17). He was 74.
A 2004 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Guy Clark’s standards include “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “Heartbroke,” “Texas 1947,” “She’s Crazy for Leavin,’” “L.A. Freeway,” “Oklahoma Borderline” and “Baby I’m Yours.”
In 2005, the Americana Music Association presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting. A star-studded tribute album titled This One’s for Him won the AMA’s Album of the Year honor in 2011. He earned a 2014 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album with his collection My Favorite Picture of You.
Guy Clark was born in 1941 in the West Texas town of Monahans and raised near the state’s Gulf Coast. He began his performing career on the Houston folk scene of the 1960s, singing traditional material alongside K.T. Oslin, Jerry Jeff Walker and Townes Van Zandt. Throughout his life, he identified himself as a folk singer.
By 1967, he was composing original material. He headed for San Francisco to sing in clubs and work as a guitar restorer. Back in Houston, he worked as the art director for a TV station. Next came a stint in L.A., again working as both a musician and a guitar maker.
His publishing company had an office in Nashville. Encouraged by that, he moved to Music City in 1971. Guy married painter Susanna Talley Wallis in 1972.
Inspired by her husband and his friends, Susanna Clark (1939-2012) began writing songs, too. In fact, she broke through before Guy with “I’ll Be Your San Antone Rose” (Dottsy, 1975), “Easy From Now On” (Emmylou Harris, 1978; Carlene Cater, 1990; Miranda Lambert, 2007) and “Come From the Heart” (Kathy Mattea, 1989).
The paintings on the jackets of such albums as Willie Nelson’s Stardust, Harris’s Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town, Nanci Griffith’s Dust Bowl Symphony and her husband’s Old No. 1 are Susanna’s.
She was also a great host. The Clarks’ Nashville home became a headquarters for other left-of-center tunesmiths. This scene was captured in the documentary film Heartworn Highways. Shot in 1975, it was released to acclaim in 1981.
Guy Clark was at the vanguard of such artists moving to Nashville. In his wake, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, David Olney, Richard Dobson, Dave Loggins, David Allan Coe, Mickey Newbury, Emmylou Harris, Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, Billy Joe Shaver, Nanci Griffith and many more made the pilgrimage to Music City. Clark released his debut LP, Old No. 1, on RCA in 1975.
It included “L.A. Freeway,” which was popularized by Jerry Jeff Walker, Spanky & Our Gang and others. The album’s “Texas 1947” became a hit single for Johnny Cash, and its “Desperados Waiting for a Train” was covered by many, including Rita Coolidge, Tom Rush and the country supergroup The Highwaymen. Cash later covered “Let Him Roll,” yet another classic song from this extraordinary debut disc.
Clark’s sophomore LP was 1976’s Texas Cookin.’ It included such fan favorites as “Broken Hearted People,” “The Last Gunfighter Ballad” and the title tune. Cash covered “The Last Gunfighter Ballad” in 1977.
Guy Clark’s tall, rangy good looks and tough/tender onstage manner added to the appeal of his striking songs. Boozy charm, a deadpan sense of humor and plain old charisma made him widely popular on the country/folk touring circuit.
He moved to Warner Bros. Records and issued the LP Guy Clark in 1978. It included the first version of “Fools For Each Other.” That song became a yet another hit for the widely respected tunesmith. Lynn Anderson and Ed Bruce sang a duet version of the song in 1986.
Clark issued The South Coast of Texas in 1981. This was his biggest breakthrough yet. Produced by Crowell, the collection included “New Cut Road,” which became a hit for Bobby Bare. Ricky Skaggs went to the top of the charts with “Heartbroke.” Clark had a minor hit with the LP’s “The Partner Nobody Chose.” Crowell later hit No. 1 with this album’s “She’s Crazy for Leavin.’”
Like his wife, Guy Clark was an accomplished visual artist. He was also a carpenter who could build anything with wood. In his youth, he had built boats in Texas. As an adult, he became a master craftsman of guitars.
This was reflected on his 1982 LP Better Days. John Conlee scored a major hit with its “The Carpenter.” Asleep at the Wheel issued “Blowin’ Like a Bandit” as a single. Clark got radio airplay with “Homegrown Tomatoes.” But his highest regarded song on the collection was his salute to fatherhood, “The Randall Knife.”
In 1986, Vince Gill had a hit with “Oklahoma Borderline,” which he co-wrote with Clark and Crowell. Two years later, Steve Wariner scored with “Baby I’m Yours.” Pirates of the Mississippi had a single with Clark’s “Too Much” in 1992.
Among the many who have recorded his songs are Harris, Earle, Dobson, Lovett, Griffith, Don Williams, George Strait, Lacy J. Dalton, Mark Chesnutt, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Everly Brothers, John Denver, Billy Dean, Hal Ketchum, Charley Pride, T. Graham Brown, Tammy Wynette, Patty Loveless, Crystal Gayle, Alan Jackson and Waylon Jennings.
Guy Clark was a meticulous song craftsman, choosing his phrases carefully. He seldom settled for the easy couple – instead he’d labor for weeks to paint the precise word portrait of a time, person or place.
This is why his albums appeared with less frequency in his later career. He issued the Grammy-nominated Old Friends in 1988. Boats to Build followed in 1992. Dublin Blues was a highlight in 1995. Then came Keepers in 1997, Cold Dog Soup in 1999 and The Dark in 2002.
Clark was honored with a residency at the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. At the time, Brad Paisley was singing Clark’s “Out in the Parking Lot” and Jimmy Buffett was performing “Boats to Build.”
Also by that time, Guy Clark was thought of as a songwriting mentor. The universally respected troubadour was considered to be a master wordsmith among his songwriting peers. The rich detail and expressive imagery of his creations were models for a generation of country/folk/Americana creators.
Guy Clark’s most recent CDs have been on Dualtone Records. They include Workbench Songs (2006), Some Days the Song Writes You (2009) and Songs and Stories (2011).
The title tune of Kenny Chesney’s 2010 album Hemingway’s Whiskey was co-written by Clark, as was the title tune of Ashley Monroe’s Like a Rose debut collection in 2012.
In late 2011, an all-star collection saluted his artistic prowess. The double-CD This One’s for Him tribute album featured Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash, Kevin Welch, Suzy Bogguss, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Radney Foster, Kris Kristofferson, Vince Gill and others singing his works.
The tribute album was organized by Tamara Saviano, who had become his publicist. She has also been working on a biography of the song poet for the past few years. It is due this fall.
Guy Clark’s next solo CD appeared two years later. His 2013 album was titled My Favorite Picture of You. It came out following the 2012 death of his wife, Susanna Clark, and won its creator a Grammy Award.
Since then, he had been in increasingly frail health. He went into nursing-home care in the spring of 2016. Guy Clark is survived by his son, guitarist Travis Clark and daughter-in-law Krista McMurtry Clark; grandchildren Dylan and Ellie Clark; sisters Caroline Clark Dugan and Jan Clark; manager and friend Keith Case; caretaker and sweetheart Joy Brogdon; nieces, nephews and many, many dear friends, colleagues and fans.
Bobby Bones Begins Book Tour, Earns Distinguished Alumni Award
/by Craig_ShelburneBobby Bones will release his memoir, Bare Bones: I’m Not Lonely If You’re Reading This Book, on Tuesday (May 17).
Bones is scheduled to sign copies of his book at Nashville Public Library downtown on Monday at 6:15 p.m.
National TV appearances include a live spot on NBC’s Today on Wednesday morning, followed by Kennedy on FOX Business Network that night. He will visit Fox & Friends on Thursday.
He will continue on to Austin, Texas, on Thursday for another book signing, then close out the week with stand-up comedy shows and book signings in New Orleans on Friday and Wichita, Kansas, on Saturday.
In addition to hosting The Bobby Bones Show on iHeartRadio, Bones and his band, The Raging Idiots, are signed to Black River Entertainment.
In related news, Bones delivered the commencement speech at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, on May 13. He graduated from the college with a degree in radio and television, and worked at the university’s radio station, KSWH. He was also presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor bestowed to an alumni. He was the first in his family to attend college.
Bobby Bones. Photo: Steve Fellers
The Producer’s Chair: Chad Carlson
/by contributorChad Carlson
By James Rea
Don’t miss 2-Time Grammy recipient Chad Carlson on The Producer’s Chair on Thursday, May 26 at Douglas Corner at 6 p.m.
Talking to Chad Carlson at his poolside Cabana home studio about his producing and engineering discography, his never-ending passion for female voices is reflected in his body of work.
Carlson’s credits include four albums with Taylor Swift and two with Trisha Yearwood, as well as work with Alison Krauss, Brandy Clark, Sugarland, Jewel, Lady Antebellum/Stevie Nicks, Janis Ian, Thompson Square, Jana Kramer, Maddie & Tae, Matraca Berg, Rachel Proctor, Mickey Guyton, Katie Armiger and Point Of Grace, as well as male artists like Chase Rice, Love & Theft, Blues Traveler, Randy Houser, and Cole Swindell.
The list gives you an idea of how busy Carlson has been since he arrived in Nashville in 2002.
Carlson hails from Orlando, Florida, where his mother was a choir director, and his (deacon) father played trombone. Carlson mastered the French horn in high school, which led to a scholarship at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, and a seat in the Chattanooga Symphony. He played guitar in rock bands on the side before attending and graduating from the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in Phoenix.
Admittedly, Carlson didn’t have his sights set on Nashville and certainly not on country music. His influences musically were artists like Prince, The Police and Madonna, so L.A. and New York seemed like the logical place to be. But country music had evolved and Chad’s wife Amanda wanted to be near her parents in Chattanooga, so he agreed that if she could land the interior design job she wanted, he’d give Nashville a shot.
His first intern job at Sound Stage Studios, after graduating from the conservatory in Phoenix, led to becoming Garth Fundis’ chief engineer at Sound Emporium. To this day, Carlson proudly calls Fundis a mentor. But every bird must leave the nest and as Carlson’s engineering and production skills became more in-demand, he opened his own Hippo Sound Studio, where his prosperity and his propensity for producing truly emerged over the next six to seven years before finally moving into his new Cabana Studio facility.
Being a double Grammy-winning engineer (for Swift’s Fearless) has also given Carlson the opportunity to work with some of the best producers in the business including Nathan Chapman, Russ Titelman, Norbert Putnam, Josh Leo, Stan Lynch, Mickey Jack Cones, Derek George, Dann Huff, Fred Mollin, Ross Copperman, Julian King, Sam Ellis, Chris Lindsey, T Bone Burnett, and Victoria Shaw.
Carlson signed his current co-publishing deal with Shaw and well-respected publisher Leslie DiPiero/Tom Leis Publishing, in 2012. Carlson has written songs for David Cook, The Scott Brothers (from TV’s Property Brothers), and Jana Kramer.
Being an engineer, a symphony-level musician, and a songwriter — and having a background in arranging and composition with one’s own studio and two Grammys already in hand — has postured Carlson perfectly for today’s new breed of artists and tight-budgeted projects.
The Producer’s Chair: Through the course of four albums, you’ve watched Taylor Swift develop and mature. What was the most outstanding thing you noticed about Taylor?
Carlson: Her professionalism was better than almost anybody I’ve ever worked with. She was dedicated. She wanted to get it right. She was appreciative. As a 14-year-old, she knew how to look you in the eye and be thankful, and be present and she was smart about the music. There’s a lot of artists that come in, sing their part, and let the producer tell you what they want to do and she wasn’t like that. She was really involved from the get-go. She’s a smart girl.
We were all young. I think part of the magic from the first record was, it was raw. It was honest, it wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t anything like Fearless. You could see kind of a graduation, for all of us, in every record. Every record became a little smarter or a little more well-thought-out. Her songwriting grew, and she quickly became a world class artist!
How did it feel to receive a Grammy?
We were in shock I think. And so proud for Taylor. She deserved it and I felt so lucky to be part of it all. It was so awkward walking up on stage though. I thought I was going to get gang-tackled — it was the Album of the Year so, it was the final Grammy of the night. I don’t know if you ever been to the Staples Center. We were way back in the engineer/producer section and Taylor is right up in the second row. So we’re all running and she’s already talking and we just sort of walked in behind her and started giving hugs, but yeah, it was one of the best moments of my life.
Knowing what’s out there, would you prefer to produce a male artist, a female artist or a group, at this point in time?
The struggle for me is my passion is always been female artists. I love Madonna. I love Fiona Apple and really great female artists. When I got here, I was so spoiled because one of the first things I worked on was Trisha Yearwood and she’s truly probably the best female singer I’ve ever heard. Me coming from a background of not country music, I think females at that time were getting away with really intellectual songs and singing about things that I could identify with.
When you are producing an artist, how involved do you get in the song selection process?
I try to be involved because it’s really important. It all depends if it’s an independent artist or a label demanding them to do certain songs. A lot of times, I’ll find them songs. I have lots of publisher friends now, and if I write them an email, I hope that they’ll assume that it’s quality enough for them to pitch me good songs.
As you produce more, are your engineering gigs diminishing?
I don’t want to be known as “Chad Carlson, only the producer,” because you know what? I love engineering. My successes over the past 13-14 years are in engineering and it will always be because I get to work with so many artists. Engineering nowadays is so close to producing.
What’s the best advice you can give new producers?
I think a lot of producing is learning how not to do things. I have seen a couple different producers that ruin their artist by not knowing how to lift them up and really make them second guess themselves as singers. It’s hard. I’ve also had some young producers that will get in the room, they’ll play the work tape for the band, and they’ll say, “Listen, guitar player, don’t do this. I’m thinking you should play this. Bass player, I want you to stay on the one. Drummer, four on the floor, don’t mess it up.” And they’ll ruin a track because they don’t let the band be themselves.
The best producers let the players try whatever they want and then bring them in and say, “OK, let’s go to halftime on the bridge, let’s not try this time thing here—let’s do this.” It’s like when I have a singer in my vocal booth. When they’ll sing, I’ll make a mark, like 10 things they do wrong in their verse. I’m sure as heck not going to tell them those 10 things they did wrong because all they’re going to do is think about those 10 things. I have to find a way to distract them to not do those things.
How difficult is it to keep up with the constant technological advances?
I think it all has to do with the digital audio work stations. If you know Pro Tools, it’s not that hard, but I have to constantly buy new software. You have to keep up. There’s so much more track-based music nowadays. Listen to Sam Hunt’s record. The records were mostly made in Pro Tools in a room like this. It’s a whole new kind of sub-genre of country music, which I love, but you definitely have to be aware of the technology. It’s not like it was when I started with Garth [Fundis]. We had a tape machine and radar. Luckily I came to town already knowing Pro Tools and I was already building tracks. You have to stay aware.
Do you have an A-team of musicians that you primarily call?
A lot of producers have a set of players and that’s their guys. I don’t do that. I want to be transparent. I want the right group of players for the project. I am so lucky because I have been engineering for so long and I’ve worked with pretty much all the players in Nashville. So I can tell you, if you need drums that are swampy, who to get — or if you want something with drums with a bunch of technology like loops and stuff, who the right guy is. Or something that’s really appropriate [if somebody wants] “a Miranda kind of thing.” That’s one of the benefits of being an engineer/producer. You learn who is really right because you see producers hire somebody and they may not be right. You learn from their mistakes.
What’s on the horizon for Chad Carlson?
I have three artists right now. The most ready to blow up in my opinion is a guy named Carter Winter. He’s booked by APA with Jim Butler and he has 50 shows this summer. Mark Bright produced five songs for him and I just produced five more. He has a really deep, amazing voice, but it’s kind of a more aggressive music that’s a little more technology-based. He’s killing it on the road so Carter’s doing great.
I’m working with Cody Belew, who was on The Voice a few years back. He’s an amazing singer. We just finished up his project. We did a record and he’s getting ready to start touring. And I’m finishing up a record right now with an artist named Kimberly Dunn. She’s a Texas artist. She’s killing it out there. She’s a functional touring artist. She’s a firecracker, man. We’re just finishing up an 11-song record.
Next I’m super excited about a Don Williams tribute record I’m doing with Garth Fundis right now coming out on Slate Creek Records. We are doing an album full of big artists. We’re still waiting on lawyers and signatures, but I can tell you it’s pretty much all of my favorite artists in Nashville.
Steve Wariner Marks 20th Year As Grand Ole Opry Member
/by Craig_ShelburnePictured (L-R): Pete Fisher and Steve Wariner. Photo: Chris Hollo/Hollo Photographics for the Grand Ole Opry
Steve Wariner celebrated his 20th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday (May 14). Pete Fisher, Grand Ole Opry Vice President and General Manager, presented Wariner with a special plaque during the singer/songwriter’s performance.
Country Music Hall of Fame member Bill Anderson, who inducted Wariner into the Grand Ole Opry 20 years ago, also was on hand to pay tribute to his longtime friend.
Pictured (L-R): Bill Anderson and Steve Wariner. Chris Hollo/Hollo Photographics for the Grand Ole Opry
“Wow! I can’t believe I’ve been an Opry member for 20 years,” said Wariner. “It’s still one of the greatest honors of my career. I remember my first time on the Opry in 1973 as a member of Dottie West’s band back at the Ryman as if it was just yesterday. It seemed like an impossible dream back then that I would be asked to join…but it happened a few years later! Dreams can come true. Glad to call the Grand Ole Opry my home!”
Earlier in the evening, the Opry threw a backstage party for Wariner, complete with a special cake decorated with an illustration of Wariner’s red telecaster guitar.
Wariner is in the studio working on a new album to be released later this year. His next concert performance will be at City Winery in Nashville on June 11 at 8 p.m. The show will be filmed for a future project.
Between 1981 and 2000, Wariner charted 33 Top 10 country singles. His 10 No. 1 hits include “All Roads Lead to You,” “Some Fools Never Learn” and “Holes in the Floor of Heaven.”
Preservationists Suggest Music Row Cultural Industry District
/by Jessica NicholsonThe National Trust For Historic Preservation has recommended the creation of a Music Row Cultural Industry District, according to a new report. The non-profit entity would be aimed at developing and promoting the music industry and associated businesses on Music Row. It would be Tennessee’s first established Cultural Industry District.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded nonprofit organization that works to save America’s historic places.
Part of the recommendation includes a loan program to aid smaller music businesses, so they can afford building rehabilitation, expansion and/or acquisition.
“I’m glad we’re pausing to try to look at the bigger picture and make the best decision about the future of our historic Music Row. We’re happy to assist the planning commission and are working with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and our partner organizations to survey the area’s historic resources and to write a history of Nashville’s Music Row,” said Tim Walker, Executive Director Metro Historical Commission, in February 2015.
Other recommendations include:
The recommendations also call for standardizing the zoning regulations proposed in the Music Row Design Plan, a separate document which addresses factors such building heights, setbacks, streetscape design, parking and transportation. The Music Row Design Plan is expected to be finalized in the summer of 2016.
A full report is available here, with an executive summary available here.
Downtown Music Publishing Acquires Interest In Charlie Black Catalog
/by Craig_ShelburneCharlie Black
Downtown Music Publishing has acquired an interest in country lyricist Charlie Black‘s music publishing catalogs.
Downtown Nashville’s Vice President Steve Markland said, “It is an honor to be a part of Charlie Black’s catalogue. He’s been one of the most gifted and celebrated songwriters in Nashville for most of his illustrious career.”
Black was named SESAC’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1979. He received ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year award in 1983 and 1984. He was elected to the NSAI Songwriter Hall Of Fame in 1991.
Black’s writing credits include Reba McEntire’s “You Lie,” Anne Murray’s “A Little Good News” and K.T. Oslin’s “Come Next Monday,” as well as BlackHawk’s “Goodbye Says It All,” Earl Thomas Conley’s “Honor Bound,” Alan Jackson’s “Right on the Money,” Gary Morris’ “100% Chance of Rain,” and Phil Vassar’s “Carlene” and “Six-Pack Summer.”
Black’s songs have also been recorded by Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Don Williams, Paul Anka, Crystal Gayle, Tanya Tucker, Faron Young, Marty Robbins, Suzy Bogguss, Kathy Mattea, and George Strait.
Kris Kristofferson 16-CD Box Set Due June 10
/by Craig_ShelburneLegacy Recordings will celebrate the 80th birthday of Kris Kristofferson with the June 10 release of The Complete Monument & Columbia Album Collection, a 16-CD deluxe box set.
The most comprehensive Kris Kristofferson musical library ever assembled, The Complete Monument & Columbia Album Collection brings together 11 essential studio albums, recorded by the artist from 1970 through 1981, individually packaged in a facsimile sleeve reproducing the original album artwork.
In addition, the box set includes five bonus discs of unreleased and hard-to-find live and studio material drawn from Kristofferson’s extraordinary golden era with the Monument and Columbia Records labels. Bonus material includes three highly-collectible concert recordings (two of them previously unreleased) from 1970-1972 and two full discs of rarities featuring non-LP singles, studio outtakes, rare appearances, previously unavailable demos and more.
Kris Kristofferson
The Complete Monument & Columbia Album Collection box set includes a deluxe booklet featuring essays and liner notes penned especially for this anthology: 1) an introduction to Kristofferson written by Fred Foster, the visionary founder of Monument Records who signed Kristofferson as a songwriter to Combine Music and a recording artist for Monument, the label that released his debut album in 1970; 2) an aesthetic appreciation of the artist—”Kris Kristofferson True American Hero”—by musician/producer Don Was; and 3) a revelatory and insightful portrait of Kristofferson and his music from American writer and journalist Mikal Gilmore.
Legacy Recordings is the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment. Kristofferson will turn 80 on June 22.
Albums included in Kris Kristofferson, The Complete Monument & Columbia Album Collection:
Kristofferson (Monument, 1970)
The Silver Tongued Devil and I (Monument, 1971)
Border Lord (Monument, 1972)
Jesus Was a Capricorn (Monument, 1972)
Spooky Lady’s Sideshow (Monument, 1974)
Breakaway—Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge (Monument, 1974)
Who’s To Bless…and Who’s To Blame (Monument, 1975)
Surreal Thing (Monument, 1976)
Easter Island (Monument/Columbia, 1978)
Shake Hands With the Devil (Monument/Columbia, 1979)
To the Bone (Monument/Columbia, 1981)
Bonus Discs
Live at the Big Sur Folk Festival (recorded 1970, previously unreleased)
The WPLJ-FM Broadcast (recorded 1972, previously unreleased)
Live At The Philharmonic (recorded 1972/released 1992)
Extras (previously released non-LP singles, outtakes and appearances)
Demos (previously unreleased)
Weekly Register: Keith Urban, Cole Swindell, Cyndi Lauper Make Top Country Debuts
/by Jessica NicholsonKeith Urban‘s Ripcord debuted atop this week’s country albums chart with 93K sold. It ranked No. 4 overall with 106K units including albums sales, streaming and song sales. The project features two No. 1 songs, including “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and “Break on Me,” as well as Urban’s current single, “Wasted Time.”
Cole Swindell‘s newest project, You Should Be Here, debuts at No. 2, selling 65K , and enters at No. 6 overall with 75.5K combined units.
Other notable country chart debuts include Cyndi Lauper‘s Detour, which lands at No. 4 selling 15.5K. Mary Chapin Carpenter‘s Things That We Are Made Of lands at No. 8 on the country albums chart, with 6.2K. Tony Brown produced Lauper’s project, while Dave Cobb took the helm of Carpenter’s set.
Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller lands at No. 3, with 24K sold, while Joey + Rory’s Hymns collection is at No. 5, with 13K sold.
On the overall sales chart, Drake and Beyoncé hold the top spots, with Drake’s Views at No. 1 (313K) and Beyoncé’s Lemonade at No. 2 (202K). Radiohead makes the top debut this week, with A Moon Shaped Pool landing at No. 3 with 181K (173K album only).
Overall, album sales are down 13.5 percent from this time last year, while overall country album sales are down 7.6 percent. Overall digital album sales are down 17.8 percent TYD, while country digital album sales are down 16.3 percent.
Florida Georgia Line
On the tracks charts, Florida Georgia Line‘s “H.O.L.Y.” retains the pinnacle of the country track sales chart, with 90K.
However, Blake Shelton takes two of the Top 5 spots on the country tracks charts. Shelton and Gwen Stefani debut at No. 2 with “Go Ahead and Break My Heart” with 58K. Shelton’s solo single, “Came Here To Forget,” lands at No. 4 with 31K.
Blake Shelton
Finishing out the Top 5 are Tim McGraw‘s “Humble and Kind” at No. 3 this week with 35.5K, and Maren Morris‘ “My Church” at No. 5 with 27.5K. Morris’ single officially surpassed the 500K mark this week.
Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood‘s “The Fighter” also debuts in the Top 10 on the country track sales chart, at No. 7, selling 25K. Urban promoted the song last week via a fun social media video featuring his wife Nicole Kidman.
Justin Timberlake‘s “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” from Dreamworks Animation’s Trolls, debuts at No. 1 on the overall track sales chart, with 379K.
Overall track sales are down 23.7 percent year to date, while country track sales are down 20.6 percent.
Information courtesy of Nielsen Soundscan.
Pandora Country Event Confirms Tyler Farr, Kip Moore, Cam
/by Jessica NicholsonPandora has announced the second annual Pandora Country event in Nashville. The free concert will feature performances from Tyler Farr, Kip Moore, Cam, and Brent Cobb.
The event will take place at Marathon Music Works on June 7.
Fans can RSVP now for free event admission at Marathon Music Works. Admission is on a first-come, first-serve basis with RSVP
“Pandora is deeply committed to country music and so is our audience,” said Lars Murray, SVP Music Makers Group, Pandora. “Today’s Country is the second most played station on Pandora. We’re happy to bring Pandora Country back to Nashville, and can’t wait to work with Tyler, Kip, Cam, and Brent, who combined have over a BILLION spins on Pandora. After the success of the first Pandora Country concert last year with Kelsea Ballerini, Dustin Lynch and Thompson Square, we knew we needed to do it again.”
Pandora Country attendees will be treated to custom activations from sponsors including: Astellas Pharma, Ram Trucks, White Castle and XFINITY.