Ted Jarrett
As a recording artist, songwriter, producer, manager and record label executive, Ted Jarrett was one of the leading figures of the Nashville R&B community. He died Saturday, March 21, at age 83. Jarrett’s many contributions were highlighted by the award-winning 2004-2005 Night Train to Nashville exhibit and record albums by the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. He wrote “You Can Make it If You Try,” a 1958 r&b smash for Gene Allison that was later covered by The Rolling Stones. Jarrett also wrote Webb Pierce’s No. 1 country hit from 1955, “Love, Love, Love.” Ruth Brown, The Midnighters and Louis Brooks all had R&B hits with Jarrett’s “It’s Love, Baby (24 Hours a Day)” in 1955, and it went on to become a blues standard. Jarrett’s “Every Night in the Week” has been recorded by Lou Ann Barton, Christine Kittrell, Larry Birdsong, Earl Gaines, Marion James and several others. His songs were also recorded by Fats Domino, Roscoe Shelton, Solomon Burke, Freddie Waters, Pat Boone, Jerry Butler, Bobby Bland, Delbert McClinton, Carl Smith, Goldie Hill, Gail Davies, Johnnie Ray and many more. With the help of Ruth White, Jarrett authored his 2005 autobiography You Can Make it If You Try. Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
Ed Dye
Bluegrass headliner Ed Dye died of cancer on Wednesday, March 18, at home in Montgomery, Alabama, surrounded by his family. He was 72. Noted for his wildly entertaining, zany sense of humor, Dye was a regular presence at The Station Inn throughout the 1980s. He sang lead in The Nashville Jug Band, which recorded an album for Rounder Records in 1987. He was also a member of The Bluegrass Band with Alan O’Bryant and Blaine Sprouse. Born in Dothan, Alabama, Dye was a Navy veteran who worked in television production in Manhattan, San Francisco and Los Angeles. While in San Francisco, he joined Bob and Ingrid Fowler in forming the group The Styx River Ferry, said to be the Bay Area’s first hippie country band. While in Nashville, Dye was the ringleader of The Station Inn’s weekly, Tuesday-night, all-star jam sessions. He played Dobro and rattled bones on his signature tune “Alabama Jubilee.” This was captured on the 1994 CD The Sidemen: Almost Live at The Station Inn.
The Nashville Jug Band, Dye’s most famous group, also included Michael Henderson, David Olney, Tommy Goldsmith, Jill Klein, Sam Bush, the late Dean Crum, Fred LaBour, Tom Roady, Brent Truitt and the late Roy Huskey Jr. Dye returned to his native Alabama about 10 years ago. Since then, he has performed with The Kudzu Kings, The Taylor Grocery Band, The Sincere Ramblers and other regional groups. A celebration of his life is currently in the planning stages.
Oprah Hosts Country
/by bossrossMay 19 Chesney CD release.
All four acts will perform and chat with the America’s most popular afternoon host.
Fans who answer “Yes” to both questions can apply for seats to the taping set to take place in Chicago on March 26. As yet, no official date has been determined to air the show. To apply for seats click here.
New Zealand Govt Rejects Copyright Law
/by LB CantrellThe New Zealand government has rejected legislation that would have required Internet service providers to terminate accounts of chronic copyright offenders. In a defeat for content owners, the government announced that they would scrap a key section of the legislation, which was due to be implemented this Friday (3/27). Although both the copyright owners and the New Zealand industry body the Telecommunications Carriers Forum were reportedly close to an agreement on a voluntary code of practice, commerce minister Simon Power said that passing the legislation in its current form would not be appropriate given the level of uncertainty around its operation. The concept of a voluntary code was undermined when the country’s third largest ISP, TelstraClear, announced it would not sign on. Campbell Smith, chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, pledged to work with legislators on the revised law.
“The government acknowledges that New Zealand’s creative industries are suffering because of the impact of online piracy and it recognizes that ISPs should play a key role in helping to address the problem,” Smith said. “The delay required to implement the government’s decision is obviously disappointing, but that’s a price worth paying if the result is clear legislation that effectively addresses the problem.”
Vassar Joins Hallmark To Feed The Children
/by LB CantrellAARP Magazine Spotlights Dolly
/by LB CantrellThe ever-youthful Dolly Parton is no stranger to magazine covers, but the singer’s appearance on the cover of the May/June issue of AARP Magazine may turn a few grey heads. In the cover story, Parton, 63, is candid about growing up poor, never having children, and clearing up rumors about her closest relationships. She also touches on the current state of the music business and what she’s doing about it. While discussing how she created her own record label to produce her latest CD, the singer commented, “The music business is not what it used to be. After you reach a certain age, they think you’re over. Well, I will never be over. I’ll be making records if I have to sell them out of the trunk of my car. I’ve done that in my past, and I’d do it again.” The May/June issue of AARP Magazine hits newsstands March 24 and is available online at www.aarpmagazine.org.
Mechanical Royalties Suffer
/by LB Cantrell“2008 was another tough year for the music industry, and HFA was no exception,” said Gary Churgin, HFA President & CEO. “The decline in the market had slowed in 2007, but in 2008, as the overall economy suffered, we saw the effects on the music sector accelerate. The growth of digital sales, while still robust, is also slowing, so we do not expect digital to offset the losses of CD sales any time soon.”
EMI Digital Chief Merrill To Exit
/by LB CantrellLifenotes: Ted Jarrett and Ed Dye
/by Robert K OermannTed Jarrett
As a recording artist, songwriter, producer, manager and record label executive, Ted Jarrett was one of the leading figures of the Nashville R&B community. He died Saturday, March 21, at age 83. Jarrett’s many contributions were highlighted by the award-winning 2004-2005 Night Train to Nashville exhibit and record albums by the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. He wrote “You Can Make it If You Try,” a 1958 r&b smash for Gene Allison that was later covered by The Rolling Stones. Jarrett also wrote Webb Pierce’s No. 1 country hit from 1955, “Love, Love, Love.” Ruth Brown, The Midnighters and Louis Brooks all had R&B hits with Jarrett’s “It’s Love, Baby (24 Hours a Day)” in 1955, and it went on to become a blues standard. Jarrett’s “Every Night in the Week” has been recorded by Lou Ann Barton, Christine Kittrell, Larry Birdsong, Earl Gaines, Marion James and several others. His songs were also recorded by Fats Domino, Roscoe Shelton, Solomon Burke, Freddie Waters, Pat Boone, Jerry Butler, Bobby Bland, Delbert McClinton, Carl Smith, Goldie Hill, Gail Davies, Johnnie Ray and many more. With the help of Ruth White, Jarrett authored his 2005 autobiography You Can Make it If You Try. Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
Ed Dye
Bluegrass headliner Ed Dye died of cancer on Wednesday, March 18, at home in Montgomery, Alabama, surrounded by his family. He was 72. Noted for his wildly entertaining, zany sense of humor, Dye was a regular presence at The Station Inn throughout the 1980s. He sang lead in The Nashville Jug Band, which recorded an album for Rounder Records in 1987. He was also a member of The Bluegrass Band with Alan O’Bryant and Blaine Sprouse. Born in Dothan, Alabama, Dye was a Navy veteran who worked in television production in Manhattan, San Francisco and Los Angeles. While in San Francisco, he joined Bob and Ingrid Fowler in forming the group The Styx River Ferry, said to be the Bay Area’s first hippie country band. While in Nashville, Dye was the ringleader of The Station Inn’s weekly, Tuesday-night, all-star jam sessions. He played Dobro and rattled bones on his signature tune “Alabama Jubilee.” This was captured on the 1994 CD The Sidemen: Almost Live at The Station Inn.
The Nashville Jug Band, Dye’s most famous group, also included Michael Henderson, David Olney, Tommy Goldsmith, Jill Klein, Sam Bush, the late Dean Crum, Fred LaBour, Tom Roady, Brent Truitt and the late Roy Huskey Jr. Dye returned to his native Alabama about 10 years ago. Since then, he has performed with The Kudzu Kings, The Taylor Grocery Band, The Sincere Ramblers and other regional groups. A celebration of his life is currently in the planning stages.
Dolly Unveils Sha-Kon-O-Hey!
/by LB CantrellSony ATV Signs Stegall
/by LB CantrellStegall is also the co-producer of The Foundation from the Zac Brown Band. The band’s debut single, “Chicken Fried,” spent two weeks at the top of the charts, giving Stegall his third No. 1 for the year. Currently, Stegall is in the studio with a new group, The Harters, and working on the followup to Clay Walker’s 2007’s album, Fall.
Pedal Steel Guitarist Bill Johnson Dies
/by LB CantrellWilliam Donald “Bill” Johnson, acclaimed pedal steel guitarist for artists including Red Sovine, George Jones and Marty Robbins, died March 17 in Tallassee, Alabama. In addition to his steel playing, Johnson made his mark as a songwriter, most notably with “A Wound Time Can’t Erase,” which was recorded by over 150 artists, including Jack Greene, Johnny Cash, Stonewall Jackson and Ricky Skaggs. Funeral services were held Saturday (3/21), in Camp Hill, Alabama.