Tag Archive for: producer

Aubrey Mayhew Memorial; Babies On Way For LBT and Luke Bryan

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A memorial service for songwriter and producer Aubrey Mayhew will be held Sunday, March 14, 2 PM, at Montgomery Bell Academy’s Paschall Theater. Known as founder of Little Darlin’ records, Mayhew passed away March 21, 2009. He was 81. Over the course of his long and storied career Mayhew worked with a wide range of artists that ran from country outlaw Johnny Paycheck to Hollywood leading man Clint Eastwood all the way to jazz legend Charlie Parker. For details contact Parris Mayhew at [email protected].

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Congrats to these Capitol Nashville artists with babies on the way:

Little Big Town husband and wife Jimi Westbrook and Karen Fairchild are expecting a baby and in lieu of gifts, the band is hosting an online shower to benefit children recovering from the earthquake in Haiti. Details here.

Luke Bryan and wife Caroline are looking forward to the birth of their second child in August. The couple was married in December 2006.  The baby will join two-year-old brother Bo Bryan.

ASCAP Nashville Restructures Leadership

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Connie Bradley and Tim DuBois

It remains unofficial, but MusicRow has learned that ASCAP is restructuring its Nashville office to take on a more focused regional role for all genres. Under the new arrangement, Sr. VP Connie Bradley will step down from her longstanding position of leadership. Tim DuBois is expected to be named as ASCAP’s new Nashville head. The change reportedly happened this morning.

Bradley rose through the ASCAP ranks from her start as a Membership Representative. Always a strong advocate for creative rights, under her tenure she has acted as as cheerleader, advisor and confidant to ASCAP members such as Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, Reba McEntire, Sugarland and many more.

DuBois has recently been a faculty member at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management, but first established his career as a hit songwriter and producer. He started the Arista Nashville office around 1989 and went on to sign, develop and create superstars such as Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, and many others.

Lifenotes: Music Industry Entrepreneur Shelby Singleton

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Shelby Singleton (L) and Jerry Kennedy (R) in 2000.

Music Row entrepreneur Shelby Singleton died today, October 7, 2009, at age 77. The record executive, producer, and publisher is perhaps best known for purchasing the Sun Records catalog in 1969.

The Texas native was a Mercury regional sales rep when the label brought him to town as part of its Nashville team. He ended up heading the label’s Nashville and New York A&R departments a year later, working with all genres and even bringing r&b folks like Clyde McPhatter to Music City to record. During Singleton’s Mercury tenure, he worked with artists George Jones and Roger Miller, and hired a then unknown guitarist named Jerry Kennedy, who would eventually be his successor, running the Nashville office.

According to the Encyclopedia of Country Music, Singleton was a “tremendously successful and colorful country A&R man… and one of the Nashville industry’s true characters.” He wore many hats throughout his career. As a producer, Singleton recorded three No. 1 hits in one day at the Quonset Hut: “Walk On By” by Leroy Van Dyke, “Ahab the Arab” by Ray Stevens, and “Wooden Heart” by Joe Dowell.

In 1966 Singleton left Mercury and formed the Shelby Sigleton Corporation with headquarters on Belmont Boulevard. He also opened Plantation Records and released the major hit “Harper Valley P.T.A.” by Jeannie C. Riley, which he produced. After the success of “Harper Valley,” Singleton purchased the Sun masters in 1969 and re-released much of its product by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis, during the 1970s. In 1997 he merged Sun with the Brave Entertainment Corporation.