Jimmy Bowen with Museum Writer-Editor Michael McCall. Photo: Donn Jones.
whisked onto the stage of the
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater Saturday, April 12, with a declarative, “What the hell happened to this town since I left?”
The museum’s
Michael McCall replied that much of the city’s change and growth is a result of Bowen’s legacy. Credited with boosting Nashville’s clout for label operations, recording technology, and executive positions for women, Bowen went on to charismatically chronicle his career which brought him from Los Angeles to Nashville at the turn of the ’70s.
Bowen recalled the
Garth Brooks era and how after seeing the performer’s live show, he instructed his staff to earmark 75 percent of their budget for “the biggest [artist] of them all.” “When something like that happens, it had to be like Elvis or The Beatles,” said Bowen, whose career also includes work with
Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Mel Tillis, Kenny Rogers, Dean Martin, Hank Jr., George Strait,
Reba McEntire and a few self-described “misses,” including passing on
The Eagles.
“When you look back, you say ‘I’ll be damned, I was working with Country music all along,'” reminisced Bowen of the relationships and experiences. (He absorbed
Phil Spector‘s work while writing and producing Campbell across the hall
in Los Angeles.) “I’ve always been aware of signs, and follow them,” he said.
Pres./CEO Warner Music Nashville, John Esposito visits with Jimmy Bowen after the program. Photo: Donn Jones.
Those types of friendships led to executive positions at Chancellor Records, Sinatra’s Reprise Records, and MGM Records before Bowen’s attention turned to Nashville in an effort to discover why records weren’t selling while singles were.
“I didn’t know how to record fiddle, but knew how to record twenty at a time,” recalled Bowen of adapting to the genre. “I had the best education.
Tompall Glaser taught me the history of the music and business – if it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have understood how to change anything here.
“I started to build the first label in Nashville with an accounting department, and marketing and sales, which had previously been done in Los Angeles or New York.
“I paid musicians double-scale and brought cartage to Nashville.” This gave musicians the freedom to create music rather than spend time hauling and loading equipment. Bowen also leveraged label contracts to justify millions in upgrades for a studio owner.
“When I worked with Dean and Sinatra, I learned it was their music, not mine,” noted Bowen, who holds the record for the most
MusicRow Producer of the Year wins with eight consecutive honors. “I wanted artists to co-produce so they would understand hit songs and figure out what they want to say. I explained to Reba that albums open like concerts, then they peak, valley and close. And she understood.”
During Bowen’s reign, he was quick to promote the advantages of music producers as label heads, which also included
Tony Brown and
James Stroud. “At that time, there had been a distrust from artists for labels,” said Bowen. “I mainly said [producers were better label heads] because the competition was otherwise.”
“I’ve been accused of using the press,” he reminisced. When Brooks’ “Thunder Rolls” music video was banned, Bowen hired PR representation for news programs, print outlets and more because “The best thing is to be banned! We changed it from music to a national topic about a woman standing up for herself.”
Of female executives, Bowen recalled, “Dollars weren’t huge when I arrived. I figured out what [staff] I needed, then projected sales to meet that. For some reason women bought the concept that if you ‘take care of the music, it will take care of you,’ and they worked their butts off.”
The label titan departed Nashville, when he was then helming Capitol Nashville, in the early ’90s after a cancer diagnosis.
The two hour discussion was part of the
Reba: All the Women I Am exhibition, which is slated to close June 8.
Artist Updates (4/14/14)
/by Jessica NicholsonThe band, signed with HitShop Records, is promoting their current single, “Baby Come On With It.”
• • •
George Jones
On Saturday, April 26 at Woodlawn Cemetery, friends and fans of the late George Jones are invited to celebrate his legacy as Nancy Jones will plant two dogwood trees at the “He Stopped Loving Her Today” monument. The event will begin at 1 p.m.; Woodlawn Cemetery is located at 660 Thompson Lane in Nashville.
“This day is going to be bittersweet,” says Nancy Jones. “I know how much people loved George, and the love has continued even a year later. I am so fortunate for the friends and fans that George and I made through the years. I want everyone to come celebrate with us, not because he is no longer with us, but to keep his legacy alive.”
• • •
According to House, “I’d been toying with the idea of putting together a Greatest Hits CD, but then I started getting calls from the editor of a magazine in England called Up Country, telling me that my music was having a resurgence over there. That’s all I needed to go back into the studio. I’d written some new songs I wanted to record, so I thought, why not?”
• • •
• • •
Dustin Lynch co-hosted a recent Nashville event launching jewelry and timepiece designer David Yurman‘s Frontier collection. Guests were treated to cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as they previewed Yurman’s latest collection. Part of the evening’s proceeds supported the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Dustin Lynch co-hosts David Yurman preview
Jimmy Bowen Chronicles Nashville Legacy
/by Eric T. ParkerJimmy Bowen with Museum Writer-Editor Michael McCall. Photo: Donn Jones.
Jimmy Bowen whisked onto the stage of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater Saturday, April 12, with a declarative, “What the hell happened to this town since I left?”
The museum’s Michael McCall replied that much of the city’s change and growth is a result of Bowen’s legacy. Credited with boosting Nashville’s clout for label operations, recording technology, and executive positions for women, Bowen went on to charismatically chronicle his career which brought him from Los Angeles to Nashville at the turn of the ’70s.
Bowen recalled the Garth Brooks era and how after seeing the performer’s live show, he instructed his staff to earmark 75 percent of their budget for “the biggest [artist] of them all.” “When something like that happens, it had to be like Elvis or The Beatles,” said Bowen, whose career also includes work with Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Mel Tillis, Kenny Rogers, Dean Martin, Hank Jr., George Strait, Reba McEntire and a few self-described “misses,” including passing on The Eagles.
“When you look back, you say ‘I’ll be damned, I was working with Country music all along,'” reminisced Bowen of the relationships and experiences. (He absorbed Phil Spector‘s work while writing and producing Campbell across the hall in Los Angeles.) “I’ve always been aware of signs, and follow them,” he said.
Pres./CEO Warner Music Nashville, John Esposito visits with Jimmy Bowen after the program. Photo: Donn Jones.
Those types of friendships led to executive positions at Chancellor Records, Sinatra’s Reprise Records, and MGM Records before Bowen’s attention turned to Nashville in an effort to discover why records weren’t selling while singles were.
“I didn’t know how to record fiddle, but knew how to record twenty at a time,” recalled Bowen of adapting to the genre. “I had the best education. Tompall Glaser taught me the history of the music and business – if it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have understood how to change anything here.
“I started to build the first label in Nashville with an accounting department, and marketing and sales, which had previously been done in Los Angeles or New York.
“I paid musicians double-scale and brought cartage to Nashville.” This gave musicians the freedom to create music rather than spend time hauling and loading equipment. Bowen also leveraged label contracts to justify millions in upgrades for a studio owner.
“When I worked with Dean and Sinatra, I learned it was their music, not mine,” noted Bowen, who holds the record for the most MusicRow Producer of the Year wins with eight consecutive honors. “I wanted artists to co-produce so they would understand hit songs and figure out what they want to say. I explained to Reba that albums open like concerts, then they peak, valley and close. And she understood.”
During Bowen’s reign, he was quick to promote the advantages of music producers as label heads, which also included Tony Brown and James Stroud. “At that time, there had been a distrust from artists for labels,” said Bowen. “I mainly said [producers were better label heads] because the competition was otherwise.”
“I’ve been accused of using the press,” he reminisced. When Brooks’ “Thunder Rolls” music video was banned, Bowen hired PR representation for news programs, print outlets and more because “The best thing is to be banned! We changed it from music to a national topic about a woman standing up for herself.”
Of female executives, Bowen recalled, “Dollars weren’t huge when I arrived. I figured out what [staff] I needed, then projected sales to meet that. For some reason women bought the concept that if you ‘take care of the music, it will take care of you,’ and they worked their butts off.”
The label titan departed Nashville, when he was then helming Capitol Nashville, in the early ’90s after a cancer diagnosis.
The two hour discussion was part of the Reba: All the Women I Am exhibition, which is slated to close June 8.
Exclusive: 'Rolling Stone Country' Adds Hudak As Sr. Editor
/by Jessica NicholsonJoseph Hudak
Rolling Stone Country has named Joseph Hudak as Sr. Editor.
Hudak will join Beville Dunkerley, also Sr. Editor at Rolling Stone Country, as a partner in the new venture.
“Joe is not only a terrific writer but is also a walking encyclopedia of Country music — with knowledge that goes way beyond what’s played on terrestrial radio,” says Dunkerley. “His enthusiasm for all things Country music is infectious, making him the perfect person to help start Rolling Stone Country from the ground up.”
Hudak was previously Managing Editor at Country Weekly, and spent time at TV Guide, where he ascended from copy editor to Sr. Editor.
Rolling Stone Country is slated to launch June 1 from the local office at 1510 16th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212.
All Signs Point To Yes For 'Nashville' Third Season
/by Jessica NicholsonWill we continue to follow the lives of new indie label boss Rayna Jaymes, scorned star Juliette Barnes, rising newcomer Scarlett O’Connor, guitarist-turned-father Deacon Claybourne, songwriter Gunnar Scott, and the string of love triangles, murders, backhanded business dealings and of course, enchanting music?
It’s likely.
ABC is certainly putting its promotional muscle behind the series with the recent Nashville: On The Record taping at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The show featured Charles Esten, Hayden Panettiere, Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen, Joshua Jackson, Chaley Rose, Will Chase, Chris Carmack and others, along with several of Nashville’s top singer-songwriters, including Jaida Dreyer, Ashley Monroe and Striking Matches. It is slated to air April 23 on ABC.
Additionally, a limited Nashville tour has sold out, and an additional date has already been added for May 5 in Philadelphia. Esten, Bowen, Jackson, Palladio and Carmack will perform in Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia and New York City (with Chase also appearing in NYC).
Sources in the know say they are confident the show will be picked up for a third season.
Songs from the show boast 3 million in track sales, according to Big Machine Label Group, which will release the series’ fourth soundtrack next month.
The show’s season 2 premiere ratings brought in 6.5 million viewers (with an additional 2.9 million DVR viewers), while 2012’s pilot episode garnered 8.93 million viewers, with an additional 3.52 million viewing via DVR.
Of course, the television show is one factor that has aided Music City’s turn in the tourism spotlight, landing Nashville on several ‘best of’ lists and garnering ink from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and other outlets. A recent study found that 43 percent of surveyed Nashville tourists were influenced to visit Music City after seeing episodes of Nashville. Of those surveyed, 55 percent had seen the show and 58 percent were first-time visitors. Many Nashville venues, most famously the Bluebird Cafe, have seen unprecedented numbers of visitors after being featured on the show.
An announcement about Nashville is expected very soon, and ABC execs are scheduled to officially reveal its fall lineup on May 13 in New York City.
Nashville’s season 2 finale airs May 14.
Spotify and Sprint To Offer Bundle Option
/by Sarah SkatesAccording to the article, some Sprint customers may qualify for discounts on Spotify’s premium on-demand service, which usually costs $9.99 per month.
Labels will have to license their music for the deal to work. An official announcement is expected at an event in New York City on April 29.
There are also rumors of the streaming service nearing an IPO.
Earlier this year, AT&T and Beats Music debuted a similar partnership. AT&T family plan customers receive a discount on Beats’ $9.99 monthly rate, because up to five people can share the service for $15 a month.
Free Country Music Hall of Fame Concert Heading Indoors
/by Jessica NicholsonAttendees will still get a great view during the concert, which will take place in the museum’s 6th floor event hall, complete with 40-foot-high windows. The concert will feature Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Lee Ann Womack and Buddy Miller.
The free concert will take place at 1:15 p.m. The Country Music Hall of Fame is located at 222 5th Ave. S. in Nashville.
LifeNotes: Jesse Winchester
/by Jessica NicholsonJesse Winchester
Singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester, known for the songs “Yankee Lady” (1970), “Say What” (1981) and “Isn’t That So” (1973), died Friday (April 11) after a fight with cancer. He was 69.
The Louisiana native’s songs, including “Mississippi You’re On My Mind,” “A Showman’s Life” and others, have been covered by Jimmy Buffett, Reba McEntire, The Everly Brothers, George Strait, Gary Allan, Buddy Miller and others. Winchester released more than a dozen albums between 1970 and 2009.
Winchester grew up in Mississippi and Tennessee, but spent most of his life in Canada, where he moved while still a teenager to avoid being drafted into war. He spent the last decade of his life a resident of Virginia. In 1990, he was nominated for Best Country Male Vocalist at the Juno Awards. He earned ASCAP’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
In 2011, he was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. As Winchester recovered from surgery, Jimmy Buffett led a team of artists in recording a collection of Winchester’s songs as a tribute album, titled Quiet About It. The project features performances from James Taylor, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Roseanne Cash, Lyle Lovett, and others.
Winchester’s cancer went into remission, and he returned to performing. He even recorded the project A Reasonable Amount of Trouble (with Mac McAnally as producer). His cancer returned in February 2014.
He is survived by wife Cindy Winchester.
Industry Ink (4/11/14)
/by Jessica Nicholson“Angel’s passion for country music and her work with up-and-coming artists make her a great asset to all of the artists we represent. From the moment I met Angel I knew she would be a perfect fit for the Edgehill Music Nashville family,” said Kevin Mason, GM/Edgehill Music Nashville.
Jennings can be reached at angel@edgehillmusic.com.
• • •
Tickets are $25 and available at stayclassy.org.
• • •
On Saturday, March 29, John McBride’s The Blackbird Academy handed out diplomas to its first graduating class of 18 students. Guest lecturers during their studies included Ken Scott, Nick Raskulinecz, Vance Powell, Tim McGraw and others. Their instructors included Mark Rubel and Kevin Becka.
The Blackbird Academy’s first graduating class.
MusicRowPics: Levi Riggs
/by Jessica NicholsonLevi Riggs visit
Singer-songwriter Levi Riggs, a Danville, Ind., native, has spent the better part of the past decade blending his interests in music and agriculture. This talented newcomer earned a degree in Agricultural sales from Purdue University. His strong Country voice began to garner notice while he performed in the school’s glee club.
While spending seven years working full-time in agriculture business (and pursuing his music career after hours), Riggs began touring and using social media to build a solid fanbase of followers. His tour schedule intensified, prompting Riggs to begin working as an independent seed dealer. “It gives me a more flexible schedule for songwriting, touring and performing,” says Riggs.
He formed his own label, Windridge Records and released projects including There’s Still A Place For That, Hillbilly Superstar, and his latest, I’m Good.
Riggs’ began his MusicRow office performance with “Down Home Boy,” written by Jon Henderson and Jason Matthews. The clever “My Best Friend’s A Girl,” was penned by Will Nance, Sherrie Austin and John Edwards.
Riggs’ latest project, I’m Good, was produced by Matt McClure (best known for his work with Lee Brice). Riggs recounted how a random connection resulted in McClure’s involvement with the album. “We were playing a gig in the middle of nowhere–we didn’t have a bass player for that show, and it was on a flatbed trailer–and this guy comes up and begins taking video of the show on his phone. I talked to him after the show, and he said he has a cousin who is a record producer in Nashville. He wanted to send along my information to his cousin. Later I get an email from Matt asking if he can come down to see a show. He liked what he heard, and invited me to Nashville to create this album.”
Riggs has been criss-crossing the country on a radio tour in the past several weeks, which has visited Arkansas, Tennessee, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri. He concluded his three-song performance with his current single, “I’m Good,” penned by Mark Nesler, Dean Dillon, Dale Dodson, Ashton Shepherd, and Marty Dodson.
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Ole's 'Write Where You Are Tour' Hits The Road
/by Jessica NicholsonThe ole Write Where You Are Tour launched in 2011, and allows artists to use down-time when they are on tour to write with ole’s roster of songwriters. The initiative found a successful launch when ole writer Ryan Tyndell co-wrote “Springsteen” with Eric Church; the song went on to become a chart-topper and a signature song for Church.
“We’re starting a little bit earlier this year and we already have all of April, half of May and half of June booked,” says ole GM, Nashville Creative John Ozier. “Right now, we have dates booked for ole writers Brett Jones, Josh Dorr, Bruce Wallace, Marty Dodson and Dave Turnbull. Of course, my goal is to make sure that all of our writers get a shot at being on the bus because it is such an intimate environment for creating hit songs. On the artist side, we’re starting out with a new duo by the name of Striking Matches as well as singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe; Bigger Picture artist Craig Campbell; Warner Bros. recording artist Jana Kramer; EMI Records Nashville artist Eric Paslay, who is coming off a #1 record; and Stoney Creek Records artists Randy Houser and Thompson Square. There are also dates on hold for Florida Georgia Line and Danielle Bradbery from The Voice.”