R E V I E W S : T H E S T E E L D R I V E R S • T Y L E R M I R E B I G B A N D • VA I L J O H N S O N • J O H N A N D J U D Y R O D M A N
invention Jesse Bluegrass Master of
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF AFM LOCAL 257 OCTOBER– DECEMBER 2015
McReynolds
LOCAL 257
OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 1
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2 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
CONTENTS Official Journal of the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257 | OCTOBER—DECEMBER 2015
4
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6
STATE OF THE LOCAL
7
NEW GROOVES
8
HEARD ON THE GRAPEVINE
Details on the next membership meeting scheduled for Monday, Nov. 3, 2015, which will include the 2016 annual membership dues proposal, as well as reports from the president and secretary-treasurer.
President Dave Pomeroy reports on his testimony before visiting members of Congress, the new AFM 257 booking agency, and the need for open and honest communication within the local and with the Nashville community.
Secretary-Treasurer Vince Santoro discusses our local’s rich diversity.
The notable comings and goings of Nashville Musicians Association members.
10
NEWS
12
GALLERY
Member milestones, gigs and events.
14
COVER STORY: THE NASHVILLE CATS
22
14
NASHVILLE CATS
The Walk of Fame gained two new Local 257 stars — Loretta Lynn and Trisha Yearwood — and awards shows honored the lifetime achievements of several Local 257 winners.
We profile the 16 musicians currently featured in a Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit who are part of the legendary session players known as the Nashville Cats.
JESSE MCREYNOLDS The iconic mandolinist reflects on his long career with his late brother Jim, sessions with The Doors, and offers encouragement to young musicians.
24 REVIEWS
llustration by Jon Langford Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
CDs from the SteelDrivers, Vail Johnson, Tyler Mire Big Band, and John and Judy Rodman.
22
JESSE MCREYNOLDS
28 JAZZ & BLUES BEAT
Cool shows, festivals, and other happenings in the jazz and blues community.
30 SYMPHONY NOTES
32
37 38
Laura Ross presents a roundup of events at this years ICSOM (International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians) convention.
FINAL NOTES We bid farewell to Buddy Emmons, Jim Ed Brown, Billy Sherrill, Johnny Gimble, Patsy Stoneman, Red Lane, Roy M. Harris, Bruce Prince-Joseph, and James Hawthorne.
MEMBER STATUS DO NOT WORK FOR LIST
24
THE STEELDRIVERS
OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 3
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Next General Membership Meeting Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015 OFFICIAL QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE NASHVILLE MUSICIANS ASSOCIATION AFM LOCAL 257
PUBLISHER EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Dave Pomeroy Vince Santoro Kathy Osborne Leslie Barr Austin Bealmear Warren Denney Roy Montana Kathy Osborne Laura Ross Steve Wayne
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Rick Diamond Steve Green Donn Jones Dave Pomeroy Laura Ross Vince Santoro ART DIRECTION Lisa Dunn Design WEB ADMINISTRATOR Kathy Osborne AD SALES Leslie Barr 615-244-9514 LOCAL 257 OFFICERS PRESIDENT Dave Pomeroy SECRETARY-TREASURER Vince Santoro EXECUTIVE BOARD Jim Brown Jimmy Capps Beth Gottlieb Andy Reiss Laura Ross Tom Wild Jonathan Yudkin HEARING BOARD Michelle Voan Capps Tiger Fitzhugh Teresa Hargrove Kent Goodson Dave Moody Kathy Shepard John Terrence TRUSTEES Bruce Radek Biff Watson SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Steve Tveit NASHVILLE SYMPHONY STEWARD Laura Ross OFFICE MANAGER Anita Winstead
ELECTRONIC MEDIA SERVICES DIRECTOR ASSISTANT DATA ENTRY RECORDING DEPT. ASSISTANT
Steve Tveit Teri Barnett Robert Sieben Ashley Worley
DIRECTOR, LIVE/TOURING DEPT. Leslie Barr AND PENSION ADMINISTRATOR MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR & Rachel Mowl LIVE ENGAGEMENT/MPTF COORDINATOR MEMBER SERVICES/RECEPTION Laura Birdwell @ 2015 Nashville Musicians Association P.O. Box 120399, Nashville TN 37212 All rights reserved. nashvillemusicians.org
4 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
The next Local 257 General Membership meeting will be Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015 at 6 p.m. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. The agenda will include a vote to approve the 2016 dues schedule, as well as Officer reports and discussion on a variety of topics. Please plan to attend and get involved in the business of your local. Regular Members 2016 Dues Breakdown (must be approved by membership at Nov. 3 meeting) $144.00………………Local Dues 66.00………………AFM Per Capita 15.00………………Funeral Benefit Fund Fee 46.00………………Funeral Benefit Assessment 3.00………………Emergency Relief Fund 3.00………………Emergency Relief Fund (voluntary) 2.00………………AFM Tempo Fund (voluntary) $279.00………………Total 2016 Dues Regular Members (including $5 voluntary) Life Members 2016 Dues Breakdown (must be approved by membership at Nov. 3 meeting) $36.00………………Local Dues 52.50………………AFM Life Member Per Capita 15.00………………Funeral Benefit Fund Fee 46.00………………Funeral Benefit Assessment 3.00………………Emergency Relief Fund 3.00………………Emergency Relief Fund (voluntary) 2.00………………AFM Tempo Fund (voluntary) $157.50………………Total 2016 Dues Life Members (including $5 voluntary) Respectfully submitted by Vince Santoro and Dave Pomeroy Executive Board recommendation: Favorable
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS Veterans Day Wednesday, Nov. 11 Thanksgiving at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 25 Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27 Christmas Holiday Wednesday, Dec. 23 through Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, Jan. 18, 2016
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Minutes of the Membership Meeting May 18, 2015
Minutes of the Executive Board Meeting July 7, 2015
PRESENT: Vail Johnson, James West, Jeffrey Lyle, Ronnie Brooks, Dave Webb, Mark Johnson, Steven Sheehan, Greer Thomison, Teresa Hargrove, Tiger Fitzhugh, Gary Miller, Steve Tveit, Vince Santoro, Ed Russell, John Terrence, Sam McClung, Bill Poe, Ron Keller, Mark T. Jordan, John Rodrigue, Jim Corrigan, Phil Arnold, Beth Gottlieb, Billy West, John Weaver, Dave Pomeroy, Nick Forchione, Eamon McLoughlin, Tom Wild, Danny Gottlieb.
PRESENT: Jimmy Capps(JC), Beth Gottlieb(BG), Laura Ross(LR),
OFFICERS PRESENT: Vince Santoro, Dave Pomeroy, Ron Keller, Steve Tveit. Meeting was called to order at 6:43 p.m. MINUTES: There were no minutes to approve from the previous membership meeting on Feb. 23, since there was no quorum. PRESIDENT’S REPORT: Dave reported on the following issues: 1. Tommy Sims and Jim Owens depositions. 2. Cable negotiations with CMT. 3. AFM approval of the new Limited Pressing DVD component, which includes an additional Image Fee of 25 percent of scale. 4. Discussion on non-union recording at Ocean Way by EA and other companies, contracted by Alan Umstead. TREASURER’S REPORT: Vince distributed copies of membership changes since the membership meeting of Feb. 23, which included fund balances as of May 18, 2015. MSC to approve Sec-Treas report. John Terrence, Tom Wild. AGENDA: Discussion centered on changes to the Funeral Benefit bylaw and a secret ballot was conducted to adopt the new language. Show of hands to approve voting on bylaw change was unanimous. Ballots were counted by Tom Wild. Vote was unanimous to pass bylaw language change. MSC to adjourn. John Terrence, Tom Wild. Meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m.
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Jonathan Yudkin(JY), Andre Reiss(AR), Vince Santoro(VS), Dave Pomeroy(DP) ABSENT: Tom Wild(TW), Jim Brown(JB). MINUTES: Minutes from June 17 EBM approved.
MSC to approve. LR, JC Unanimously approved. PRESIDENT’S REPORT:
1. We are continuing to use all legal means necessary to collect the more than $300K owed to our members by producer Tommy Sims. 2. We are no longer mailing checks to non-members who refuse to pay our modest administrative fees for the work we do for them. 3. The Southern Conference was a good opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from other locals in our region. TREASURER’S REPORT: Vince distributed financial reports with expense reports. 1. Roof repair has been done by Empire Roofing. 2. A/C repair was done by Accurate Air. 3. Skylight caulking was done by Empire and is still being adjusted.
MSC to approve Sec-Treas report. JY, LR. Unanimously approved. Agenda: Discussion of bylaw change proposal to lower the assessment threshold from $200K to $100K. MSC to approve Funeral Benefit Fund bylaw change. JY, BG. Unanimously approved. MSC to approve new member applications pending 2 signatures. JC, LR. Unanimously approved. Motion to adjourn. BG, JY. Meeting adjourned at 9:52 a.m.
TNM
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OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 5
STATE OF THE LOCAL
“We are always happy to celebrate the artistic achievements of our members, as we do often in this magazine, but the real purpose of the AFM is to help you navigate the less glamorous parts of the business, and learn how to proactively look out for yourself.” BY DAVE POMEROY It is never easy to balance making music with taking care of business, and at first glance, it seems that some musicians are better than others at pulling off that balancing act. But perhaps there is more to the equation than meets the eye.
We have your back As an AFM Local 257 member, you belong to an organization that exists to help you navigate the business side of things and show you how the power of working under an AFM contract can make a real difference in your financial future. We are always happy to celebrate the artistic achievements of our members, as we do often in this magazine, but the real purpose of the AFM is to help you navigate the less glamorous parts of the business, and learn how to proactively look out for yourself. In a business full of people who are more than ready to try and take advantage of both your love for playing music and your need to pay the bills for their own gain, you need backup on as many levels as possible. That’s what Local 257 has been doing for more than 112 years and we’re just getting started. Let us help you help yourself – that’s our job.
Copyright review comes to Music City Five members of Congress led by chairman Bob Goodlatte from Virginia, came to Nashville Sept. 22 to conduct a hearing regarding the ongoing review and reform of U.S. copyright law. I was one of 20 people from various areas of the music industry who were invited to testify before the panel at a public hearing held at Belmont College. It was almost immediately apparent to me that the focus of the hearings was on artists, songwriters, labels and radio much more than working musicians, so it was a perfect opportunity for me to express our point of view. I spoke a number of times in response to the questions asked by the panel and pointed out that despite the immeasurable contributions our members make to sound recordings, they are far too often the low men and women on the totem pole of fair compensation. The Digital Millennium 6 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
Copyright Act of 1998 created a musician royalty for non-interactive digital distribution such as satellite and Internet radio, but left a huge hole in its formula with the lack of coverage of any interactive media, i.e. Spotify, Pandora and the like. This must be addressed going forward. I also spoke about our work on behalf of AFM members in Beijing in 2012 at the United Nations Intellectual Property conference that resulted in a worldwide new audio/visual performance treaty. Because of our insistence that the phrase “no collection without distribution” be included in its language, this treaty has already allowed us to collect millions of dollars in overseas money for American players previously withheld because of the lack of reciprocal performance rights. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Congress needs to follow our example by acknowledging that performance rights is a balance of trade issue and finally close the loophole that has given AM/FM (aka terrestrial radio) a free ride on the backs of musicians, artists, and copyright owners for far too long. This is why the AFM fully supports the “Fair Play, Fair Pay” performance rights legislation and the protection of pre-1972 recordings. You can play a role in this process by contacting your Congressional representatives and asking them to support this important legislation.
New opportunities I am pleased to announce that we now have an in-house booking agency, AFM 257 Entertainment, and we have already booked over $10,000 worth of work for our members, with more to come. If you are a live performer and/ or have a band, please make sure we have your information so we can try to match you up with a potential job opportunity. AFM 257 musicians can cover virtually every music need with quality and professionalism, and we hope to book many more engagements. It is also good news that our monthly jam session has become a popular event, and has resulted in some of our members getting work they would not have found otherwise.
Phono negotiations and recording issues As I write this, I am on a plane to New York City for the opening round of SRLA Phono negotiations with the major record labels. Local 257 does about $9 million a year in wages for work under the SRLA, from Demos to Limited Pressing, Low Budget Master and Master recordings, in addition to the work we do in the areas of television, film, jingles and symphonic work. You can rest assured I will be doing all I can to protect the interests of our many members who work on sound recordings as we work towards a new Agreement with the recording industry. Additionally, we have recently begun a series of “open” meetings at the local to address subjects of major concern within our community, including the issue of non-union recording. Open and honest dialogue is essential if we are to fix the problems that threaten our livelihood, and I am committed to that process. Music City was built on the principle of respect for musicians, and by standing together as one we can make things better for each other and the next generation of musicians.
Looking back – and forward Lastly, I would like to publicly thank outgoing Nashville Mayor Karl Dean for all he has done for our city over the past eight years. He was the first mayor in our city’s history to fully embrace the concept of marketing Nashville as Music City, and the results of this branding created many economic opportunities for our members. We have had a very proactive and positive relationship with Metro Nashville during my time as president of AFM Local 257, and our new mayor, Megan Barry, has already demonstrated that she cares about musicians’ issues during her time on the Metro Council. Megan and I have worked together before, and I know she is willing to listen to our concerns and strive towards solutions that work for everyone. TNM Onward and upward!
NEW GROOVES
“We know the value of music to society, both locally and globally. As a union, we daily shout out who it is, was and ever will be that together make this town known around the world as Music City.”
Our union, AFM Local 257, is alive and well. We are signing up new members at a healthy rate — and those new members are from all age groups. I see our membership as being extremely diverse, in more ways than that word usually brings to mind.
Membership diversity If I were to look at our people as a Venn diagram with membership as the whole, there would be numerous sub-groupings that intersect across many areas. We have diversity in age, race, instruments, and musical styles. Our members are session players, live performers, touring musicians and professors. Of course there are a wide range of political leanings — although I’ve never quite understood how some union members support candidates who are against unions and all they stand for, but we support them as members, nonetheless. When I view our diverse membership I always look for a common denominator where all groups intersect, a thread that links us all, regardless of our disparate origins or how we fit into the music community here in Nashville. One thing we all share is that at one point or another, we made a decision to make music our life’s work. And also, by joining the union, we decided to bring our cumulative power to bear against the forces that want to diminish our importance. We know the value of music to society, both locally and globally. As a union, we daily shout out who it is, was and ever will be that together make this town known around the world as “Music City.”
Onward and upward on Lower Broadway On Aug. 27, I attended a merchants meeting downtown with representatives from Metro including Public Works, the Police Department as well as many of the merchants who do business in the Lower Broadway sector.
These are the folks who are directly affected by the recent changes to the traffic layout in the nightclub district. We have been involved with this trial initiative since its inception, and it was Local 257 that brought the idea of musician loading zones to Metro several years ago. The latest changes were made with an express interest in making that sector — Fifth to First Avenue on Broadway — safer for the multitude of tourists and club-goers on whom the merchants depend. That day, when I spoke on behalf of the musician members (and non-members) who make their living playing music for these very tourists, I made it clear that the current effort must aid everyone involved in their endeavors. I think that some of the assembled entities at the meeting got their first inkling that, yes, the musicians’ needs in this extremely representative area must be a part of the equation. While the early feedback has been mostly favorable, the situation bears watching.
BY VINCE SANTORO
Meet and greets I thoroughly enjoy meeting our members who drop by for one reason or another. I love learning more about just what a broad spectrum this local encompasses. I find out through the stories they tell me what it was that pushed them to move here, and often there was the element of “fear of failure” involved in that decision. Surely, they’ve ended up overcoming that fear, but not without plenty of soul-searching and bumps in the road. But I never get the feeling that they regret one bit following their dream of making a living doing what makes them happy. Every once in a while an out-of-towner will stop in and say they are checking out the town and thinking about moving here to make a go
“One thing we all share is that at one point or another, we made a decision to make music our life’s work.”
Paying dues All this diversity should make us feel good about our local, but we should not be diverse in how we view paying our work dues. Some members have circumstances that make it tough to keep their work dues at a manageable level. We have always lent an empathetic ear to these situations and will continue to do so. It is precisely these work dues that enable our office to operate, and I personally know many more members going through equally tough times who still make it their business to stay on top of what they owe the union. Whether this is because of their sense of duty, dignity, or what – I don’t know, but emulating this behavior would go a long way toward keeping union finances in the black.
of it. From my position I can answer questions and give feedback, but I don’t feel comfortable telling someone what I think they should or shouldn’t do – that kind of decision is just too personal. We have members who don’t live in Nashville and their vitality to membership goes unquestioned, so I can’t say that it’s imperative to live here to find success in music. Having been here for many years, I know from experience that it is the community – the music community – where most of the word about gigs and players is spread. So I generally convey the idea that “you will get out of this community what you put in,” knowing that if it is meant to be, they will find the strength to follow their heart. I also tell them that whatever instrument they play, their ethnic background, how old they are or what type of gig they are looking to land, they will inevitably add to the deep diversity that is the Nashville Musicians Association and the fabric of TNM our community. Right here in Music City. OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 7
HEARD ON THE GRAPEVINE
heard
grapevine ON THE
JEFF STEVENS Producer Jeff Stevens was honored Aug. 8 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s (CMHOF) Music Masters program, presented in connection with the museum’s Luke Bryan: Dirt Road exhibit. Stevens produced and co-wrote Bryan’s first hit, “All My Friends Say,” and has produced all of the artist’s records since. Stevens has also had success as a writer with hits for Tracy Byrd, Tim McGraw, and George Strait. In the ‘80s he led a band — Jeff Stevens and the Bullets — that recorded for Atlantic Records. He also worked as a solo artist before transitioning into songwriting and producing.
DICKEY LEE Local 257 life member Dickey Lee was honored in September at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Poets and Prophets series. His illustrious career includes success as both an artist and a songwriter. The Memphis native released some of his earliest singles on Sam Phillips’ Sun Records label in ‘57 and ’58. In the early ‘60s he moved to Beaumont, Texas, to work with Cowboy Jack Clement, who produced Lee’s Top Ten pop hit “Patches.” Clement also published Lee’s first hit as a songwriter, “She Thinks I Still Care,” a classic recorded by George Jones. In 1969 Lee came to Nashville and had a number of charting singles as an artist, while continuing to write for others, including George Strait, “Let’s Fall to Pieces Together,” Reba McEntire, “You’re the First Time I’ve Thought About Leaving,” and “The Keeper of the Stars” for Tracy Byrd. Lee entered the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1995.
8 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
Jeff Stevens DOLLY PARTON NBC is filming a new movie set in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee and based on the life of Local 257 life member Dolly Parton. Coat of Many Colors, after a 1971 Parton-penned hit of the same name, will focus on incidents in her life at the age of nine. Jennifer Nettles will play the star’s mother Avie Lee, and Alyvia Lind will play the young Parton. Her father, Lee Parton, will be portrayed by Ricky Schroder. “This little story just encompasses so many things,” Parton said. “It’s an attitude. It’s more than a song. It’s about so much that we’ve forgot so much of these days, just to bring families together.” NBC has reportedly made a deal to create a series of TV movies based on some of Parton’s hit records, with the second set to take the song “Jolene” to the small screen. Coat of Many Colors will premiere Dec. 10.
Dolly Parton
Dickey Lee
HEARD ON THE GRAPEVINE
Alfred H. Bartles
Sam Bush
ALFRED H. BARTLES Composer, arranger, cellist, jazz pianist, and pedagogue Alfred H. Bartles will be featured in a tribute concert Dec. 6 at 4:00 p.m. in Turner Recital Hall at the Blair School of Music. Bartles, a Local 257 life member who died in 2006, belonged to the first generation of cross-over musicians who felt themselves equally at home in both the classical and jazz disciplines. His daughter Isabel, also a Local 257 member, is a violinist with the Nashville Symphony. This concert will feature Blair faculty, students, and guests as well as celebrate the unveiling of the Wilson Music Library’s collection of Bartles’ papers and manuscripts on what would have been his 85th birthday. A reception will follow the concert in the Turner Recital Hall lobby. This event is sponsored by the Vanderbilt Heard Libraries and the Blair School of Music.
SAM BUSH
Earl Thomas Conley EARL THOMAS CONLEY Earl Thomas Conley made a special stop in August, when he performed at Marion Cultural and Civic Center in southern Illinois for Mentor 4 Kids, a community-based program that matches children with adult mentors. Conley has had over thirty top-charting singles and 18 No. 1 records, including “Angel in Disguise,” “Once in a Blue Moon,” and “Your Love’s on the Line.”
Sam Bush received the Kentucky Governor’s Award in the Arts in October, along with journalist Al Smith and television host Dave Shuffett, in a ceremony held in Frankfort, Ky. Bush, multiple Grammy Award winner and a longtime member of the Nashville Musicians Association, is often referred to as the Father of Newgrass in a nod to the significance of his innovative music and playing style. The Barren County native first achieved notoriety as a member of New Grass Revival, a band that helped move the bluegrass genre into new territory, and gathered a whole new generation of fans as well as other players who followed the band’s lead. Bush, who has performed widely as a solo artist for the last two decades, often integrates a variety of world music in his recordings. The award, presented by the Kentucky Arts Council, is given to individuals in recognition of TNM lifetime achievement in the arts.
OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 9
NEWS
news
Loretta Lynn and Jack White
MUSIC CITY WALK OF FAME
Local 257 members Loretta Lynn and Trisha Yearwood were both honored with stars on the Music City Walk of Fame this year. Lynn received her award along with fellow artist Jack White June 4, and Yearwood was honored with her husband Garth Brooks Sept. 10; both public ceremonies were held at the downtown Nashville Walk of Fame Park. Brooks waxed poetic on the location of the stars’ stars: “It’s pretty sweet that it’s right there, next to Miss Yearwood…and then to know that to the left of us is Loretta Lynn, the queen of country music. That’s a pretty good neighborhood to be in. I’m the luckiest guy on the planet, in between Trisha and Loretta.” The Music City Walk of Fame honors musicians of all genres who have made significant contributions to the music scene and have a connection to Nashville.
AMERICAN EAGLE AWARDS The National Music Council honored the lifelong musical contributions of AFM Local 257 member Jim Lauderdale and life member Kris Kristofferson and at the 32nd Annual American Eagle Awards held in July during Summer NAMM. The event also honored artist manager Jim Halsey and his son, producer and director Sherman Halsey, who died in 2013. Performers for the event included The Oak Ridge Boys, Jack Ingram and Rosanne Cash.
“It’s pretty sweet that it’s right there, next to Miss Yearwood…and then to know that to the left of us is Loretta Lynn, the queen of country music.”
AMA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Three Local 257 members received Lifetime Achievement Awards during a ceremony by the Americana Music Association (AMA) at its annual September event in Nashville. Ricky Skaggs was honored with the AMA award for instrumentalist, and duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings were given the songwriting award. Other Lifetime Achievement awards went to Don Henley, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Los Lobos. All the honorees performed at the ceremony, which TNM was held at the Ryman Auditorium. 10 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
David Rawlings and Gillian Welch Jim Halsey, Kris Kristofferson and Jim Lauderdale with Mayor Karl Dean
AMA Lifetime Achievement Award Winners Ry Cooder and Ricky Skaggs
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OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 11
GALLERY Multi-instrumentalist and Time Jumper Jeff Taylor displays his 25-year Local 257 pin.
CONCERTS, EVENTS AND PINS Drummer Ric McClure shows off his 25-year pin in Local 257's Cooper Hall.
Guitarist Bob Britt digs his 25-year pin with Roy Orbison looking on.
Shannon Williford (r) at Dragon Music Sundays with his Metro Parks Jam Band students. 12 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
GALLERY
The Les Paul 100th birthday tribute concert at Musicians Corner in Centennial Park was a big success. Enjoying the afterglow are Local 47's John Jorgenson, vocalist Beth Hooker and Local 257 members Charlie Morgan, Jimmy Wallace, Duane Eddy, Dave Pomeroy, Derek Wells, Guthrie Trapp and Jim Hoke. Guitarist, vocalist, and producer Bruce Dees shows off his life member pin at the local. TNM
Big Band to Bluegrass
all true, all real
(l-r) Wes Little, Pat Severs, Mike Waldron, Mark Allen and Brian Allen
Rock icon Jon Langford of the Mekons performs with (L-R) David Briggs, Norbert Putnam, Kenny Malone, Charlie McCoy, Wanda Vick, Mac Gayden, Wayne Moss and Lloyd Green at the Country Music Hall of Fame's Nashville Cats concert.
www.tom shed.com OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 13
LOCAL 257 MEMBERS DAVID BRIGGS CHARLIE DANIELS FRED CARTER PETE DRAKE MAC GAYDEN LLOYD GREEN GRADY MARTIN CHARLIE MCCOY WAYNE MOSS WELDON MYRICK NORBERT PUTNUM JERRY REED HARGUS “PIG” ROBBINS BEN KEITH BUDDY SPICHER KENNY BUTTREY
As the 1960s unfolded in America, people in search of spiritual and cultural awakening began to seek out like-minded souls in progressive cities like San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and others. They joined beatnik poets, musicians, writers, and philosophers who had been gathering for years, attracted to new literature, art, music, and politics — and hoping for change. Scenes evolved in places like the Haight and Greenwich Village that had no precedent. People found each other, and real change began to occur. Even in Nashville. Musicians began arriving from Muscle Shoals, Ala., Memphis, Tenn., and other assorted enclaves from across the country. Maybe such migration was just part of the times, but the attraction of Music City was strong. Songwriters and musicians found each other and the stage was set for creating something new. It was a time made for breaking down old boundaries, and for new exploration. SPECIAL THANKS TO THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM 1414THE THENASHVILLE NASHVILLEMUSICIAN MUSICIAN
llustration by Jon Langford / Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The session players who emerged in this environment became known as the Nashville Cats, a collection of consummate musicians from widely varying backgrounds. They had not just appeared, ready to shine, but had spent years dedicated to their craft. They were musicians immersed in the life, and possessing a love for great music, no matter the genre. The stage in Nashville was set. The Cats were natural team players, and they enjoyed their diverse recording scenarios — Mitch Miller at 10 a.m., Conway Twitty at 2 p.m., and Joan Baez at 5 p.m. They worked weekends, late sessions, double sessions that lasted all night, holidays, Saturdays and Sundays. They were all incredibly quick studies, creative players who impressed an increasingly broad spectrum of artists. Because of these traits, Nashville became a destination that attracted artists from all over the world. Local steel guitar player and AFM Local 257 member Pete Finney, on the basis of his own book research of Bob Dylan in Nashville, worked with the staff at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as guest curator on the exhibit Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City, which opened in the spring of this year. “My take on the story had been that while Dylan made some great albums here, the really interesting story was how his influence made some of his folk and rock peers take a second look at Nashville and decide to record here as well,” Finney said. “At that point the focus of the story naturally shifts to the amazing studio musicians here, who were the real reason so many seemingly unlikely people came here to record. And it just takes a few minutes in the exhibit to realize how central we’ve made them to the story; they are physically in the center of the space, and no matter where you are in the exhibit, from any angle, you can’t miss the giant photos of at least a few of our featured ‘Nashville Cats.’ “This has been an incredibly exciting experience for me; I’d never done anything but play music for a living, and suddenly I was working with some of the best writers, editors and music historians, as well as film, photo and audio curators in the world. The knowledge and experience I’ve gained from that is beyond measure, and a huge honor. At the same time, as a working musician helping tell the stories of other working musicians, I think I brought a useful perspective to the table and it’s felt like both a privilege and a responsibility to help our team do those stories justice. "I think it’s important to point out that everyone at the museum was well aware that many, many great musicians here made important contributions to the records we’re talking about. Dozens are represented in the exhibit -- through photos, recordings, videos, and text — and special listening pods were created for those players who were most central to the ‘outside’ rock and folk sessions that are the main part of the story we’re trying to tell."
PETE DRAKE
Pete Drake was born Roddis Franklin Drake in Augusta, Ga., the son of a Pentecostal preacher. His brothers Bill and Jack were known as the Drake Brothers and sang and played in the Atlanta area, mostly in churches. Jack later moved to Nashville and began playing bass with Ernest Tubb, a position he held for 24 years.
“The pressure of Nashville helped us all become better than we were. You could make good money and be home on the weekends — so sure, I wanted to be a Nashville session player.” — Norbert Putnam
On one of Pete’s trips to Nashville, he heard the playing of steel guitarist Jerry Byrd at the Grand Ole Opry and decided to build his own instrument, and taught himself to play. After building a pedal steel guitar, he became one of the first well-known players in Atlanta. A year later Drake formed the band Sons of the South, which included future luminaries such as Jerry Reed, Doug Kershaw, Roger Miller, Joe South, and Jack Greene. He moved to Nashville in 1959, and like many musicians, got his start on the road. Following a long tour with Marty Robbins, Drake decided to try his hand as a session player, and backed a wide range of artists at the Opry. One of them — Roy Drusky — invited Drake to a recording session which included Drusky’s 1960 hit “Any-
more,” launching Drake’s career. By the late ‘60s, the steel guitarist said he was playing “15 sessions per week, usually three a day.” Drake’s highly sought-after style led to work on countless hit records such as Lynn Anderson’s “Rose Garden,” Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors,” and Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay.” Charlie Daniels gave Drake’s telephone number to George Harrison, who brought him to London to play on All Things Must Pass. He also worked with Elvis Presley, Perry Como, and many others. Drake’s innovative nature led him to bring the talk box to Nashville, and he used the device on his 1964 album Forever, which included the international hit “Still.” Peter Frampton would make the talk box a global phenomenon. Drake’s broad career included the oversight of his own publishing company and record label, First Generation, and producing for artists such as Ernest Tubb and Ringo Starr. Drake died in 1988 in Nashville after a lengthy battle with emphysema.
NORBERT PUTNAM
Born and raised in Florence, Ala., bassist and record producer Norbert Putnam was taught to play guitar by his father as a teen in high school, and he began playing with a rockabilly band. He idolized artists like James Brown and Bobby Blue Bland, fell in love with R&B music, and joined a band with legendary songwriter Dan Penn. Putnam was a part of the scene that produced the original Muscle Shoals rhythm section, which opened for the Beatles in
Washington, D.C. in 1964. “We had clients down from Nashville and we decided we’d come up,” Putnam said. “One of the major reasons was because there was a musicians union here … we had doubts about our skill against the A-team. The pressure of Nashville helped us all become better than we were. You could make good money and be home on the weekends — so sure, I wanted to be a Nashville session player.” The number system was well in place when Putnam arrived in 1965. Artists could come to Nashville and chart music instantly, and play it back in any key. The competition was stiff for session players in Music City in the 1960s. “It was a tough school. Harold and Owen Bradley, Chet [Atkins], Frances Preston — they’d get together and talk about the Muscle Shoals guys and decided to take care of us and try to develop us into the next generation … what I got from Grady Martin, Harold Bradley, Buddy Harmon, Floyd Cramer. They were wonderful and took care of us. They were all helping each other.” Putnam played on Robert Knight’s “Everlasting Love,” and recorded often with Elvis, along with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Dottie West, Jimmy Buffett, Tony Joe White, Linda Ronstadt, and many others. He was a member of Area Code 615 and co-founded Quadrafonic studios, producing Joan Baez’s Blessed Are … in 1971, and records by Buffett, Dan Fogelberg, J.J. Cale, and others. continued on page 16
“People found each other, and real change began to occur.” OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 15
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WAYNE MOSS
Guitarist Wayne Moss played in bands as a teen in his hometown of Charleston, W. Va., and moved to Nashville in 1959 when he was 21 years old. He began playing with the Casuals, which became Brenda Lee’s backup band. He met Tommy Roe cutting demos for a dollar a song in a service located above Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. That meeting led to his recording on Roe’s “Sheila,” a million-seller. He was a founding member of the rock band, the Escorts, with Charlie
McCoy and Kenny Buttrey, and was an important member of groundbreaking bands Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry. He played on Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, and credited Dylan with opening the scene for Nashville session players. “That was the first time I saw my name in a liner note. Previous to that, people didn’t do it. Once Dylan did it, everyone pretty much had to do it. Peter, Paul and Mary. Joan Baez. They showed up and that was a big help when he did that. I got awards but my name hadn’t been in the liner notes. People would say ‘I want him.’ It became quite important to get credit for what the players had done. It did create business.” Moss’ list of credits include recordings with Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Joan Baez, the Steve Miller Band, Joe Simon, and many others. Moss owns Cinderella Sound, which opened in 1961, and has recorded artists as varied as Tracy Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, the James Gang, and Mickey Newbury. 16 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
“I figured if I had my own studio, I could cut what I wanted, pursue my own bands, and songwriting,” Moss said. “Steve Miller could come into town, cut a record, and people wouldn’t even know he was here.”
LLOYD GREEN
Steel guitarist Lloyd Green was born in Leaf, Miss., and moved with his family to Mobile, Ala., where he began to take music lessons by the age of four. By seven, he had learned to play a Hawaiian-
string guitar, soon followed by the steel, and was playing professionally in clubs by ten. After high school he studied psychology briefly at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., and moved to Nashville at 19 where he quickly became both a session player and a touring musician with Faron Young, Ferlin Huskey, George Jones, and others. With characteristic humility, Green said as an assistant to Roy Drusky on Music Row in the SESAC office, his recording work took off because he was “an available steel player.” “After playing on No. 1 records with Warner Mack (“The Bridge Washed Out”), Del Reeves, the Johnny Paycheck Little Darlin’ recordings, my career went into orbit and didn’t slow down for the next 15 years or more,” Green said. “15–20 sessions a week, sometimes more when our weekends were booked.” The demand for Green was based on far more than his proximity to Music Row. Known as an inventive and emotional player, he
has said that he considered playing to be an “endless adventure,” limited only by his imagination. In addition to his work with numerous country artists, he played for others in many genres, including records for Jimmy Buffet, the Byrds, and Paul McCartney — with whom he turned down an offer to tour so he wouldn’t lose work in Nashville. “Musicians created the music when the songs were presented to us on each session,” Green said, in explanation of the demand for the Cats. “We were hired for our talent,
and moreover, for our ideas. This creative environment drew singers and musicians from every corner of the world to our little mecca on Music Row.”
Jones on “White Lightning,” and his soulful, fluid playing soon graced Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors” and “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” and Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces.” In the years that followed, he would play piano and keyboards for scores of artists including Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller, Conway Twitty, Connie Smith, George Hamilton IV, and many more. Between 1963 and 1979, Robbins recorded eight studio albums. His 1959 rockabilly single “Save It,” recorded under the name Mel Robbins, was covered by The Cramps on their 1983 album Off the Bone and he toured as a member of Young’s International Harvesters band in the 1980s. Robbins was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012. “Pig Robbins is the best session man I’ve ever known — any time Pig’s on a session everyone else plays better,” fellow Hall of Famer Charlie McCoy said.
“We were hired for our talent, and moreover, for our ideas. This creative environment drew singers and musicians from every corner of the world to our little mecca on Music Row.” — Lloyd Green
PIG ROBBINS
Born in Spring City, Tenn., Hargus “Pig” Robbins lost his sight in a knife accident at the age of three years old, and later learned to play piano growing up and attending Nashville School for the Blind. He acquired his nickname at school after returning from numerous classroom escapes covered in dirt. In 1957, Robbins played his first recording session for George
BEN KEITH
Steel guitarist and dobro player Ben Keith was born Bennett Keith Schaeufele, in Fort Riley, Kan., and grew up in Bowling Green, Ky. His first big recording was Patsy Cline’s 1961 hit “I Fall to Pieces,” and Keith quickly became a fixture in the Nashville music community. During the 1950s and 1960s,
the legendary rocker. He also produced recordings for Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Willie Nelson, and Jewel. Keith died in 2010 at Young’s La Honda, Calif., ranch, of a heart attack.
CHARLIE DANIELS
Keith compiled a stellar resumé as a sideman, which included work with Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson, The Band, Todd Rundgren, Ferlin Husky, Linda
Charlie Daniels was born in Wilmington, N.C., and moved to Nashville from California in 1967 at the urging of producer Bob Johnston. Though Daniels was not the quintessential session player, Johnston introduced him to Bob Dylan, who kept the multi-instrumentalist around for Nashville Skyline. Daniels played electric guitar, bass, and acoustic guitar. Daniels produced recordings for the Youngbloods and was signed by Epic before charting the big hit “Uneasy Rider” in 1973. “The producers would turn it loose and let it go here in Nashville,” Daniels said. “There were so many great musicians who worked
Ronstadt, Warren Zevon, Graham Nash and Billy Joe Shaver, among others. In 1971, Keith met Neil Young at Quadrafonic Studios in Nashville during Young’s historic Harvest sessions. Bassist Tim Drummond recommended him to Young, who needed a steel player, which eventually led to his inclusion in the Stray Gators and began a musical relationship that lasted the rest of Keith’s life. Keith appeared on 18 of Young’s records, including Time Fades Away, Harvest, Comes a Time, and Tonight’s the Night, and worked countless tours with
well together. I never felt a lot of ego. Everyone did their parts and played what was there. Leonard Cohen. Al Kooper. It was the creativity of the guys. Take a raw song and make something of it. I think it could happen again. I could go in the studio with Charlie McCoy and something could happen. “The way recording is now isn’t very creative. It sounds the same — not a lot of room to get off the beaten track. Dylan loved what we were doing and there was a lot of room for creativity.” Daniels played on Leonard Cohen’s Songs from a Room, Songs of Love and Hate, and Live
“The producers would turn it loose and let it go here in Nashville. There were so many great musicians who worked well together. I never felt a lot of ego.” — Charlie Daniels
Songs, and toured with the Canadian poet and songwriter. He also played on Dylan’s Self-Portrait and New Morning, and Ringo Starr’s Beaucoups of Blues. Of course, Daniels focused on his own career as a performer and recording artist, and gradually withdrew from the scene as a session player. “That type of scene in Nashville could happen again with certain people,” Daniels said. “A lot of the guys playing right now could do it, but they’re not allowed to do it. They have more to say, but there’s not as much leeway. The producers back then would say ‘Go make some music, and we believe in you.’ It’s not that way now.”
KENNY BUTTREY
Drummer Kenny Buttrey became a professional musician at 11 years old, and was touring with Hall of Famer Chet Atkins at 14. The Nashville native was a co-founder of rock & roll groups the Escorts,
Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry along with Charlie McCoy, Wayne Moss, David Briggs, Buddy Spicher and others. Known as one of the most influential session musicians in Nashville history, he was in great demand for his drumming and his skills as an arranger on sessions with a host of artists, ranging from Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay,” to Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold,” to Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville.” The first-call musician can also be heard on hits by Waylon Jennings, Ronnie Milsap, Larry Gatlin and the Oak Ridge Boys. continued on page 18 OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 17
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He died in Nashville in 2008 of complications from emphysema.
FRED CARTER, JR.
“Saginaw, Michigan,” Brenda Lee’s “I’m Sorry,” Marty Robbins’ “El Paso,” Ray Price’s “For the Good Times,” and Jeanne Pruett’s “Satin Sheets,” among others. He was credited for accidentally stumbling onto the “fuzz” effect during a recording session with Robbins when his guitar was run through a faulty channel. “Grady Martin demanded attention. You just respected him so much…Grady is the most un-
Fellow Nashville Cat Mac Gayden said of Buttrey: “He could play any kind of music and he could take things to a level that is transcendental. He was born to play drums.” Buttrey died of cancer at age 59 in 2004.
GRADY MARTIN
Grady Martin was born on a farm outside of Lewisburg, Tenn. Encouraged by his mother to play music, he began with the fiddle and picked up guitar from an older brother. By the age of 15, he was a regular on Nashville radio station WLAC, and two years later in 1946 he played in Chicago on his first recording session with Curly Fox and Texas Ruby. He also played the Grand Ole Opry with the Western swing band the Arkansas Cotton Pickers, before joining Little Jimmy Dickens’ seminal Country Boys band. Later, he would play fiddle with Big Jeff and the Radio Playboys. By 1950, Martin was making a name for himself in Nashville studios as both a guitarist and a fiddle player, and in 1951 signed with Decca Records with his own country-jazz band, Grady Martin and the Slew Foot Five. Martin and the band backed artists ranging from Bing Crosby to Burl Ives, in addition to cutting their own records. He introduced his twinneck Bigsby guitar, and by the mid-1950s, he and his band were making regular appearances on television’s Ozark Jubilee. Martin’s session work included many keynote performances — he played on Lefty Frizzell’s 18 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
Mr. Guitar himself — Chet Atkins — who collaborated with him on two records. Additionally, he enjoyed great success as a writer, artist and actor. At 28, Reed’s song “Crazy Legs,” was covered by Gene Vincent, and his career began to take off. He signed with the National Recording Corporation, where he was both an artist and a member of the staff band. After a stint in the Army and another cover — this time by
Fred Carter, Jr. was a wellestablished musician long before he came to Nashville. He started his career as a rock & roll guitarist in northeastern Louisiana, playing on the Dale Hawkins hit “Suzy Q.,” and also worked the Louisiana Hayride before moving to Los Angeles where he appeared on the television show Town Hall Party. After his arrival in Music City, Carter became the first top session guitarist to specialize on the Fender Telecaster, although he also excelled on the acoustic and twelve-string guitar. After initially touring with Roy Orbison and Conway Twitty, he eventually settled into session work, where his
“I’m gonna go to Nashville and be a star.” — Jerry Reed derrated giant this town has ever known,” said Buddy Spicher. Martin’s unique style led to backing work with an enormously varied list of artists including Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Buffy SainteMarie, and Johnny Burnette. He is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and was posthumously named to the Country Music Hall of Fame in March 2015. Martin died in 2001 after a heart attack in Lewisburg.
JERRY REED
Jerry Reed was born in Atlanta, Ga., and said that as a small child he ran around the house, strumming guitar, and saying “I’m gonna go to Nashville and be a star.” By high school he was already writing and singing music, and cut his first record, “If the Good Lord’s Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise” when he was 18 years old. Reed was an exceptional guitarist whose fingerstyle techniques influenced
Brenda Lee and “All You Got to Do,” — Reed became a popular session and tour guitarist. In 1967, his single “Guitar Man” caught the attention of Elvis Presley, who wanted to record it. Reed said in an interview that producer Felton Jarvis called him. According to Reed, Jarvis said “We’ve been trying to cut ‘Guitar Man’ all day long. He wants it to sound like it did on your album. I finally told him, ‘If you want it to sound like that, you’re going to have to get me in there, because these guys you’re using are straight pickers. I pick with my fingers and tune that guitar up all weird kind of ways.’” Jarvis hired Reed to play on the session, which led to more work with Presley. Reed, who helped Atkins work out the fingering on one of Atkins’ biggest hits, “Yakety Axe,” can also be heard on hits by John Hartford, Waylon Jennings, Porter Wagoner, Joan Baez, Ringo Starr, and many other artists.
multi-instrumental ability was heard on records as diverse as Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer,” in which he played bass, as well as on lead guitar on records for Joan Baez, Neil Young, Muddy Waters, Waylon Jennings, and The Band. “He had an idea about the overall picture that a song paints,” his son Jeff Carter said. “Not just on his instrument but all the instruments together, the song itself, the artists and the sound of a particular studio. He really had an overall awareness of what it took to make a hit.” Later in his career, Carter produced Levon Helm’s American Son album, and also had songs recorded by Dean Martin and Chet Atkins. Additionally, he appeared in several films including The Adventures of Huck Finn. His daughter is singer Deana Carter. Carter died in 2010 in Nashville, following a stroke.
“The best advice I got was from Grady Martin who said, ‘If you don’t hear and understand every word the singer is singing, you’re playing too much.’”— Charlie McCoy
IF YOU GO Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City runs through December 2016 Tickets: $24.95 Adults, 6-12 $14.95, 5 and under, free Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, 222 Fifth Avenue S., Nashville, Tenn.
CHARLIE MCCOY
Charlie McCoy was born in West Virginia, and moved to Florida as a young boy. He ordered a harmonica by mail when he was eight years old, and also started playing guitar. As a teenager, McCoy added bass and trumpet to his skill set, but initially focused on the guitar, and was in a band by the time he was 16. At 18, Mel Tillis invited him to Nashville, but he returned to Florida and started college after failing to break into the business. However, McCoy never stopped performing and eventually returned to Music City, where he worked with several artists and was ultimately signed to Cadence Records. His first single, “Cherri Berri Wine” broke the Top 100 on the Billboard chart. A local booking agent advised him to do sessions and concentrate on
harmonica, and one of those demos was heard by Chet Atkins, who hired him in 1961. In a recent interview, McCoy talked about the development of his exceptional harmonica style. “I was working with amazing musicians like Grady Martin and Floyd Cramer, and I started listening to them and thinking, ‘I need to learn to play melodies like they do, rather than just riffs and fills,’” he said. “The best advice I got was from Grady Martin who said, ‘If you don’t hear and understand every word the singer is singing, you’re playing too much.’ So, less is more. I was taught by the A-Team guys to play to the song.” McCoy’s session work grew — he played guitar and bass for Bob Dylan, harmonica on tracks for
sion player came when he worked with James Joiner, whose Tune Records was part of the foundation of the Muscle Shoals recording scene. There he met Jerry Carrigan and Norbert Putnam, and together they formed the rhythm section of Rick Hall’s Fame Studio. He moved to Nashville in 1964 and was working with Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley on records for many top artists by the following year. Briggs worked a session in 1966 for Elvis Presley, which led to a lifelong association that included tours as well as numerous recordings. Along with many country sessions, Briggs played on albums for artists ranging from Ann-Margret to the Monkees, to Simon & Garfunkel. “I would do Flatt & Scruggs one morning, with producer Bob
Elvis Presley, Perry Como, Ringo Starr, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, and a host of other artists. A true multi-instrumentalist, McCoy has been recorded on percussion, sax, tuba and keyboards, along with his legendary harmonica work. His quickness and creativity is said to have been a reason Dylan traveled to Nashville, who was told by producer Bob Johnston those traits were part of the package with the local Cats. McCoy was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009, and is also a member of the Musicians Hall of Fame, and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
Johnston, just playing the rhythm,” Briggs said. “I’d do that at 10:00 a.m., then at 2:00 p.m. I played with Al Hirt and 60-piece strings, brass and all that. Then I had Dean Martin at 6:00 p.m., and Cal Smith at 10:00 p.m. I worked four sessions all the time, and sometimes on Saturday or even Sunday.” Briggs and Putnam opened Quadrafonic Sound Studios in 1969, which became a favorite destination for artists from New York, Los Angeles, and other music centers. He also had great success as a producer, songwriter and publisher.
DAVID BRIGGS
Mac Gayden was five years old, playing his grandmother’s piano, when he came up with the melody that would become part of the hit
Alabama native David Briggs started playing piano on hit records in Muscle Shoals while he was still in his teens. His first break as a ses-
MAC GAYDEN
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song “Everlasting Love.” “I’d always known I’d use that melody somewhere along the line!” Gayden said. The huge success of the R&B tune, originally co-written with Gayden’s friend Buzz Cason for Robert Knight, is a perfect illustration of the genre-mixing influences for which the guitarist is known. The song has been recorded by artists as varied as German singer Sandra, Gloria Estefan, U2, and has also been featured in many films. The Nashville scene of the 1950s and early 1960s was flush with a variety of bands, including many R&B acts that drew Gayden’s attention and flavored his distinctive playing and writing style. In the early 1970s, Gayden helped establish the bands Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry, produced records for Dianne Davidson (Baby) and Steve Young (To Satisfy You), and formed his own band, Skyboat. In the studio Gayden was renowned for his wah-wah slide guitar technique, as showcased on J.J. Cale’s “Crazy Mama.” After his work on Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, producer Bob Johnston asked to make a record with him
age of eight years old. He learned pedal steel on a guitar his older brother left behind when he joined the Air Force. In his online autobiography, Myrick recalled playing with other local musicians in his teens, even making records, as his career began. “We’d sit for hours and make those little plastic records. The machine was a Rek-O-Kut,” he said. Through an acquaintance with a Lubbock, Texas, disc jockey, Myrick began to rub elbows with Buddy Holly, Sonny Curtis and Johnny Duncan, and had the chance to play on Grand Ole Opry traveling shows that came through town. He first came to Nashville in the early 1950s, and worked with Waylon Jennings and singer Hope Griffith on a demo, then returned to Texas, graduated from high school and played on a local television show in Big Spring. Soon, he returned to Nashville to record for Capitol Records. He first worked with comedian Pap Wilson, and later with Bill Anderson — which led to work with Connie Smith.
Dan Fogelberg, Kris Kristofferson, Joan Baez, Elvis Presley and Ray Stevens, and was venerated by iconic musicians such as Keith Richards and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones. Guitarist Moss met Myrick on a Connie Smith session, and said “Nashville has never been the same since. He was a true Nashville Cat if there ever was one.” Myrick died in 2014 in Nashville, following a stroke.
BUDDY SPICHER
Buddy Spicher, born in DuBois, Penn., first learned to play from his older brother, a guitarist who started out on fiddle. Spicher transposed the two, quickly gravitating to the fiddle, and by the age of 13, he was performing on local radio
“People who don’t have that much feeling but can read like crazy, think they can just go in there and create what we did, but it isn’t that easy.” — Buddy Spicher — McGavock Gayden. He’s also recorded with Tracy Nelson, Loudon Wainwright III, Bobby Bare, Kris Kristofferson and Jerry Jeff Walker. Gayden, who practices Transcendental Meditation, has performed many times at Maharishi University and in support of the David Lynch Foundation, dedicated to bringing the practice of meditation to under-performing public schools.
WELDON MYRICK
Weldon Myrick, of Jayton, Texas, played on countless hit records in a number of genres, and taught himself to play lap steel guitar at the 20 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
Smith’s record “Once A Day,” written by Anderson, featured Myrick’s soulful playing. Smith, a Country Music Hall of Fame member, has credited Myrick with “creating the Connie Smith sound.” In 1966, he became a staff steel guitarist for the Grand Ole Opry, a position he held until 1998. Myrick recorded with numerous artists including Linda Ronstadt, Moe Bandy, Donna Fargo, Delbert McClinton, and the genre-twisting band Area Code 615 with Norbert Putnam, Mac Gayden and Wayne Moss. He also backed a wide variety of musicians like Cat Stevens,
stations with local bands. By 16, he was playing professionally with Dusty Owens on the Wheeling Jamboree. By the late 1950s he was working in Nashville with Hank Williams’ widow, Audrey. Later, he played with Hank Snow, and also worked for several years with Ray Price’s Cherokee Cowboys. After extensive work with Snow and the occasional recording session, Spicher was hired as a regular on the Wilburn Brothers television show. By 1967 he was a first-call fiddle player, booking bluegrass, gospel, jazz, and western swing sessions. A few of the notable
artists Spicher has recorded with include Waylon Jennings, Bob Wills, George Jones, Gary Burton, Rosemary Clooney, J.J. Cale and Henry Mancini. “The thing that makes the whole thing work and tick is finding that hit song and that great singer who’s gonna pull it off,” Spicher said. “We do all the things to get set up and then if we’re real lucky, and everybody’s feelin’ good, it just has a certain magical feel. And people who don’t have that much feeling but can read like crazy, think they can just go in there and create what we did, but it isn’t that easy.” In addition to his session work, Spicher toured and performed live with many stars including Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle. He was part of Area Code 615, playing violin and cello, and in later years had a Western swing band that played weekly at Wolfy’s, a wellknown Nashville club. In the 1980s, Spicher played with the countryjazz band Superpickers. TNM
NOW
OPEN
Bob Dylan bucked executives at his record label and surprised his fans when he came to Nashville in 1966 to record his classic album Blonde on Blonde, using some of Music City’s incredible studio musicians. Dylan’s embrace of Nashville inspired many other artists to follow him to Music City. By 1969, Johnny Cash was recruiting folk and rock musicians—including Dylan—to appear on his groundbreaking network television show, The Johnny Cash Show, shot at the Ryman Auditorium. This exhibit looks at the Nashville music scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a time of great cultural vitality for Music City.
@CountryMusicHOF
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#DylanCashExhibit
STEP INSIDE This House
Downtown Nashville • 615.416.2001 Visit CountryMusicHallofFame.org OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 21
JESSE McReynolds
an innovative musician
Jesse McReynolds has been an innovative musician for nearly 70 years. Born and raised in rural Carfax, Va., he and his brother Jim were the longest-running brother duo in the history of country music, playing together for 55 years before Jim’s passing in 2002. McReynolds has always been a trailblazer in mixing genres, and made albums featuring the songs of Chuck Berry, the Grateful Dead, and John Prine long before it was hip to do so, creating his own unique style of mandolin playing using cross picking and split-string picking techniques. His grandfather played fiddle on the 1927 Bristol sessions and Jesse was featured playing that same fiddle on the recent Orthophonic Joy CD, a tribute to those sessions. [Orthophonic Joy was reviewed in the July-September 2015 Nashville Musician}. Jesse celebrated his 50th year of performing on the Grand Ole Opry in 2014, and he continues to be a passionate and vital artist.
NM: What were your earliest musical memories? JM: My granddad was a fiddle player, and my father played a little, too. He never played in public, but he showed me a few tunes. Music was our only entertainment growing up. We had one radio in the community, and it belonged to my brother-in-law. All of the neighbors would go to his house every Saturday night to listen to the Grand Ole Opry, and the music just stuck with me. I was in a car wreck when I was 14 and broke my leg, and when I got home from the hospital, I just sat on the side of the bed and tried to learn how to play fiddle. I don’t know how my mom put up with it, but she did! 22 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
NM: How did you and your brother become professional musicians? JM: The two of us played around home and we’d go out on Saturday night and play in the churchyard and disturb the services. They’d invite us in, but we said, “We’re not good enough to play inside!” We had a cousin who played pretty good, and we’d get four or five guys together and just started playing and singing up and down the road wherever they’d have us. While Jim went into the Army for a couple of years, I got on my first radio show, Norton, Virginia on WMVA in 1946. It was me and a neighbor whose dad had a motel, restaurant, and beer joint down the road, and he bought
“McReynolds has always been a trailblazer in mixing genres ... creating his own unique style of mandolin playing using cross picking and split-string picking techniques.” 15 minutes of time for us to play on WMVA. Jim was driving a truck before he went in the service, and when he came home I asked him if he wanted to try to play music for a living. He said, “Well, we can give it a try,” and we stayed with it. That was 1947. We were the only ones from our area who were able to make a living playing music. NM: How did you end up playing the mandolin instead of guitar? JM: When my brother Jim came home from the Army he bought a mandolin. He played it and I was playing guitar. Somehow, I got to borrowing his mandolin a lot, and I loved playing it.
Jesse and Jim McReynolds
Paul Warren, Roland White, Jesse McReynolds, Lester Flatt, Clarence "Tater" Tate, Jim McReynolds
Jesse McReynolds and Dave Pomeroy After we got our first little band together, he said, “Why don’t you just play mandolin,” so we switched. First we called ourselves “Jesse and James and The Cumberland Mountain Boys,” but it was too long and complicated, so we switched it to Jim and Jesse. There was another group called the Virginia Boys, and when they quit playing, we started using that name so it became Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys. NM: When did you start making records? JM: We got signed to Capitol Records in 1952, and our first record, “Are You Missing Me,” came out in September, but then I got drafted three months later. I was out of the business for two years, so when I came back in 1954, we had to just about start over again, but “Are You Missing Me” was still our biggest hit.
with Flatt & Scruggs on the Bristol radio station WCYB, but I never saw him live until later. I thought maybe I could adapt what he was doing on the banjo to the mandolin. I didn’t know he was using three fingers, so based on what I was hearing, I came up with my own version of what he was doing, but with a straight pick. I widened the space between the strings of my mandolin so I could pick each string individually and get a sound kind of like an autoharp. After I got it going, I worked in some of Bill Keith’s chromatic style of banjo playing, which I really liked, as well as what some steel players were doing. Someone in New York heard me and started calling it “McReynolds Crosspicking.” NM: How did you come to do a recording session in Los Angeles with The Doors? JM: We used to always joke around that when the phone rang, it was “Hollywood calling.” One day in 1968, I was visiting at my parents’ house and the phone rang and I answered it. The operator said, “Hollywood calling for Jesse McReynolds” and I thought it was somebody making a joke, but it was a producer named Paul Rothchild. He didn’t say who he was working with, but he said he had a session out in L.A. and needed a mandolin player. He said we’ll fly you out, put you up and pay you double union scale, and he also needed a fiddle so I got Jim Buchanan, who was playing with us at the time, and we went out there. When I got there, I found out it was for The Doors. I had heard of them but really hadn’t listened to them that much. It was a song called “Runnin’ Blue.” They put on the recording, and it had horns squealing and electric guitars, and I thought “Where do you hear mandolin on this?” Then right in the middle of the tune they stopped the rock and roll music and went into a hoedowntype thing. Me and Jimmy overdubbed for a whole session, and it turned out pretty good.
Make your mind up what you want to do, and stick to it. Nothing’s going to be easy, you’re going to have ups and downs no matter what you do.
NM: What was that first Opry performance like for you? JM: Cohen Williams, president of Martha White, really helped us to finally make it to Nashville in 1964 to play on the Grand Ole Opry. That’s not something you ever forget. Ernest Tubb brought us on the first time, and I will always remember that night. It’s a very humbling feeling to be on that stage where so many superstars have been standing for so many years. NM: Can you talk about the development of your cross picking and split-string style of mandolin playing? JM: I always heard other musicians talk about players who were unique, and I thought I should try to do something like that. I heard Earl Scruggs playing on the Opry with Bill Monroe and then
NM: What advice would you give a young musician starting out today? JM: Make your mind up what you want to do, and stick to it. Nothing’s going to be easy, you’re going to have ups and downs no matter what you do. I’ve had my share of that, and I still will, and it doesn’t fall in your lap like some people want to make it appear. If I could do it, you can do it. Read an expanded version of this story on www.nashvillemusicians.org
TNM
OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 23
REVIEWS
the
MUSCLE SHOALS recordings
THE STEELDRIVERS ROUNDER
Through 10 years and four albums, the SteelDrivers have managed to stay on the cutting edge of bluegrass while staying true to their deep roots in the sonic and thematic traditions of this uniquely American genre of music. Founded in 2005, original members Richard Bailey (banjo), Tammy Rogers-King (fiddle and vocals), and Mike Fleming (acoustic bass and vocals), have thrived and flourished with the addition of Brent Truitt (mandolin), and Gary Nichols (acoustic guitar and lead vocals), five years ago. This is their second album with Truitt and Nichols, who hails from the Muscle Shoals, Ala., area, where this album was recorded. The band’s latest project extends its legacy as one of the finest roots music bands to be found anywhere. Dark lyrical themes, bluesy lead vocals, bracing three-part harmony and superb playing are the hallmarks of the SteelDrivers’ sound, and this record features all of these elements in spades. Nichols has created his own take on the “soul-meets-bluegrass” vocal style that has always set the SteelDrivers apart from the pack, and the band has no problem keeping up with the intensity of his vocal performances. Tammy Rogers-King has really stepped up her songwriting over the past few albums, and her fiddle playing only gets better with time. The harmony vocals of Rogers-King and Fleming are right on the money, and they swoop in and out in perfect contrast to Nichols’ R&B inspired rasp. Bailey’s banjo and Truitt’s mandolin are the secret weapons that keep everything moving forward and stepping out when the time comes, and Fleming’s bass is the glue that ties it all together. 24 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
The album works so well as a whole that it is hard to pick favorite songs among the 11 gems presented here. Highlights include the opener “Long Way Down,” which sets up the album’s overall tone perfectly with its sad tale of love and betrayal. “Ashes of Yesterday,” written by Rogers-King and former ‘Driver Mike Henderson, feels like a bluegrass standard in the making. “California Chainsaw” is a hard-driving instrumental penned by Bailey with unpredictable changes that give each player a chance to shine, and “Six Feet Away” is a stark reminder of how life can change drastically in a moment. “Too Much” is an ode to the information overload we face every day. Bailey’s rolling banjo, Truitt’s mando chop, and Fleming’s ultra-solid bass playing create the engine that lets Nichols’ fervent testimony and Rogers-King’s edgy fiddle float on the top of the steamrolling groove. Americana star Jason Isbell, who grew up with Nichols, plays slide
guitar on “Here She Goes” and “Brother John,” bringing in a bluesy factor that suits the band perfectly. “Hangin’ Around” is dedicated to Ann Soyars, the late great lover of all things bluegrass, who helped make the Station Inn the comfort zone for lovers of “real” music that it is today. The SteelDrivers are a band in the truest sense of the word, and this album has all the power, subtlety and passion of their live performances. Recorded at Jimmy Nutt’s Nutthouse Studio, a relatively new facility in Sheffield, Ala., that has the vibe of the classic Shoals studios of days gone by, the album feels timeless and vital all at once. Soul music comes in all flavors, and this record is a great example of that fact. – Roy Montana
REVIEWS
Tyler Mire Big Band Movin’ Day Armored Records
Trumpeter, composer and arranger Tyler Mire is a graduate of North Texas State who moved to Nashville, joined Local 257 in 2014, and made an immediate and significant impact on the Music City jazz scene. Movin’ Day is his second album as a leader, but the first one recorded in Nashville, and the results are impressive on many levels. The album was recorded by Local 257 member Brendan Harkin at his Wildwood Studio, which over the years has become a “go-to” studio for jazz projects. Movin’ Day runs the gamut from traditional “in your face” hard-swinging horn-driven tunes, to subtle and soft modern chamber jazz, and with a very wide stylistic range in between.
The quality of the musicians involved in this album, including composer-arranger Chris McDonald as musical supervisor, speaks to the high regard in which Mire’s music is held by his Music City colleagues, and the playing is top notch. The opening track, “New Nashville,” is a lush Steely Dan-esque shuffle with a surprise ending. “Swing, Dammit” does exactly that, with Evan Cobb playing an inspired extended tenor sax solo over a punchy, dynamic arrangement. The title track features the always entertaining Roy Agee stirring the pot on trombone in a cookin‘ big band stew, and “Action Jackson and the Magical Disappearing Sock” features Steve Patrick’s screech trumpet and a magical clarinet ensemble section. “Yellow” is slightly reminiscent of the classic ECM records of the ‘70s and ‘80s, with its light classical overtones and delicate sonic palette building up to the track’s dramatic climax. “Spy Eyes” is the CD’s most ambitious track and takes many unexpected turns, conjuring up elements of ‘60s free jazz, ‘70s fusion, and spy movie film scores. Mire lets the music breathe by breaking
the group down into smaller elements, which creates an excellent sense of flow and dynamics throughout the project. His wide range of influences, sense of humor, and positive energy are apparent in the song titles and the players obviously share in the freewheeling spirit that permeates the project. Many of Nashville’s finest jazz musicians appear on the CD, including Jeff Bailey, Mike Haynes, and NJO leader Jim Williamson on trumpet, saxophonists Jimmy Bowland, Jeff Coffin, Doug Moffet, and Robbie
The title track features the always entertaining Roy Agee stirring the pot on trombone in a cookin‘ big band stew. Shankle, and trombonists Roger Bissell, Oscar Utterstrom and Barry Green. This album is yet another example of the vibrant Music City jazz scene, and a reminder that as a community, we can never support our jazz musicians enough. (Hint — get out there and support live jazz!) – Roy Montana continued on page 26
REVIEWS
OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 25
REVIEWS continued from page 25
(steel), Mike Severs (guitar), Pat Bergeson (guitar, harp), Rich Redmond (drums), George Marinelli (guitar), Danny Parks (guitar) and others to help flesh out the aural landscape. There’s also a crafty level of humor that peeks in and out of his original songs, as Johnson deftly dips into a balance between resurrection and creative contribution, which is artfully displayed on The Seventh Son. It’s no leap to say that I expect Johnson will bring us this kind of dexterity and passion again and again. Don’t just take my word — check it out for yourself. – Hank Moka
on electric and Catherine Styron-Marx on second keyboards. Special mention goes to bassist and session leader Mike Chapman, whose excellent playing ties the whole project together and serves as a perfect melodic and
It is a real treat to hear the Rodman’s mutual musical vision realized on this recording project
Vail Johnson
The Seventh Son Swede Song Music I am not a fan of hearing remakes of songs I love done exactly like the original. Why wouldn’t I just crank up the tried-and-true? If you feel the same way then I recommend listening to Vail Johnson’s latest CD, The Seventh Son. His four originals fit nicely with the covers both sonically and stylistically, but most of all, Johnson’s vision of the country genre as it relates to some of the most diverse and evocative songs ever written should allow you to hear them all in a new light. The opener, “Wichita Lineman,” sets the stage for what is to come throughout the entire disc and “Amarillo by Morning” with it’s bubbly world-type beat is intoxicating in the best sense of the word. Johnson’s vocal is smooth and distinct, and all the songs illustrate how the microphone loves the timbre he is blessed with. He plays bass on all tracks and drums on all but one, and it’s evident that Vail has no problem grooving with Vail. Fretted or fretless, he is a master of the low end and an inherent funkiness permeates the record in nothing but good measure. An impressive Who’s Who list of AFM Local 257 members lends its talent to the mix, as Johnson has chosen Bruce Bouton
26 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
John & Judy Rodman Here We Are Rivermoon
This album has been a long time coming. John and Judy Rodman have been husband and wife for many years, but this is their first joint recording project and was definitely worth the wait. Judy has been a recording artist and songwriter in her own right, has sung background vocals on countless projects, and is a much sought-after vocal coach and career consultant, and John has played drums with many artists over the years. The top-notch studio band includes Chris Leuzinger on acoustic guitar, Kerry Marx
rhythmic counterpoint to John Rodman’s solid drumming. The opening track, “Something Like That,” kicks things off with a swampy 2/4 groove built around a fingerstyle acoustic guitar riff and Judy’s soulful vocal. “Still Breathing” is a keyboard-driven song a la Bruce Hornsby, and Judy’s passionate vocal and piano performance combines with the band’s sense of dynamics to mirror the intensity of the lyric, a sudden revelation of gratitude for surviving life’s challenges and facing the future unafraid. “There We Are” tells the story of John and Judy’s journey together and Sam Levine’s sweet flute enhances this stately ballad of true love. “You Want It Back” features a funky unison riff and a syncopated drum groove, with Judy’s sassy, powerful singing and Levine’s sax adding spice to the mix. The closing instrumental, “Sweet Dreams,” — not the Patsy Cline tune! — features John’s tasty brushwork and Leuzinger’s melodic acoustic figures and Marx’s atmospheric electric guitar. This wraps up the project with a peaceful, reflective coda. It is a real treat to hear the Rodman’s mutual musical vision realized on this recording project, and it’s a very rewarding project all the way around. www.johnandjudyrodman.com TNM – Roy Montana
OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 27
JAZZ & BLUES BEAT
Nashville Jazz Workshop fundraiser
BY AUSTIN BEALMEAR So, you've put away the coolers and fold-up chairs from another festival season, and you're ready to find some new indoor venues for jazz and blues. As Dana Carvey's version of ole George Bush might say, "Not gonna be easy." It's always been tough to promote music that commands only a small segment of the market to traditional media. Years ago I was told by a Tennessean editor they were "in the news business, not the music promotion business." You remember The Tennessean? That's the paper that has stories about country music stars on the front or second page several times a week. Digital and social media should change all that, right? Surfing the Net to find jazz and blues in Nashville reveals that most information is wrong, sadly out of date, or nonexistent. Many venues listed are closed or no longer offer the music. The same technology that can flood the world with news about your gig or CD — and even help you fund them — seems to homogenize the process of discovery. Pre-packaged formats. Self-programmed play lists. Sirius radio has umpteen channels across many genres, but how does your CD get noticed?
The Internet — helpful but imperfect promotion tool Two groups trying to improve the situation are the Nashville Jazz Workshop and Tennessee Jazz & Blues Society. NJW has Nashvillejazz Radio — streaming broadcasts of its Jazz Cave performances at www.nashvillejazz.org You get a playlist of single tracks by a variety of artists and at 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. a full hour of a featured artist for the week. It’s also available as a podcast. TJBS has podcasts of interviews and music by local jazz artists from their live "Sessions at Steinway" series at www.jazzblues.org. Interviews with other artists are transcribed on their site for reading. Any thoughts on the information puzzle mentioned above? Send them to austinbel@earthlink.net
28 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
Jazzmania 2015, this year's annual jazz party and fundraiser for the Nashville Jazz Workshop will be in Liberty Hall at The Factory in Franklin, Saturday, Oct. 24, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. A 10-piece all-star ensemble of NJW faculty and performing artists directed by Denis Solee supplies the jazz. The catered event will include a live and silent auction, with items from vacation and dinner packages to in-home concerts, and artwork by the city’s top artists, like "Small Works,” a collection of small canvases painted especially for this event. Honorary Event Chairperson for Jazzmania this year is Beegie Adair, longtime member of Local 257, and one of the best-known figures on the city's jazz scene for over 40 years. All proceeds from Jazzmania go to support the operation of NJW, including classes, performances, and community outreach activities for youth, seniors, and the entire community.
Oct. 30 at 8:00 p.m. Based on his 2008 CD of the same name, this might seem like just another Sinatra knock-off, but Feinstein knows his history and delivers it in straight-forward fashion. Swing from more of a world-pop perspective is offered by the band Pink Martini at the Schermerhorn for a 3-day run on Nov. 12-14. In 1965 no one could know that a low budget animated TV show called A Charlie Brown Christmas and its jazz score by the Vince Guaraldi Trio
The same technology that can flood the world with news about your gig or CD — and even help you fund them — seems to homogenize the process of discovery.
Schermerhorn Center and Franklin Theater feature swing If you like your jazz on the nostalgic side, you're in luck this fall. Singer-pianist Michael Feinstein has made a career of preserving the Great American Songbook, especially Gershwin. This time he brings The Sinatra Project to the Schermerhorn, appearing with the symphony on Friday,
would become a holiday tradition. Pianist David Benoit, a Guaraldi fan since the ‘80s, played piano for later Charlie Brown shows and brings the music to the Schermerhorn, complete with children's choir and vocalist Jane Monheit on December 6 at 7:00 p.m. Over at the Franklin Theater, a band called Big Bad Voodoo Daddy steps out of the retro swing craze of the ‘90s for a Halloween show on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. The band puts on a high-energy show, from Dixieland to R&B, and should have the crowd jitterbugging in the aisles. It will be a great night to wear something from the ‘40s into downtown Franklin. TNM
Michael Feinstein David Benoit
Beegie Adair
PHOTO: JOSHUA TIMMERMANS
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SYMPHONY NOTES
BY LAURA ROSS
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the name of a current television show. Not only did we have incredible weather in Philadelphia, but Local 77 and Joe Parente, the local’s president and AFM International Executive Board member, engaged a double-deck tour bus following an afternoon session that took us right by the TV show’s house!
ICSOM in Philadelphia The Philadelphia Orchestra, having just returned from a three-week residency in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and Local 77 hosted a wonderful and varied ICSOM conference. This beautiful city is home to one of the most prestigious music schools in the country – The Curtis Institute of Music – and it has also preserved much of our country’s early artifacts and buildings, which makes it a wonderful place to explore. There are spectacular theater complexes, beautiful fountains, amazing art collections, stunning architecture, and Benjamin Franklin is everywhere. The city also has some amazing restaurants though I am a little puzzled about the notion of eating scrapple. Think fried haggis and you’re close. ICSOM’s governing board is responsible for the planning and execution of the conference; the host orchestra and local are responsible for the mixer and this year, they had an additional responsibility. The governing board had been discussing performing some type of educational, union-oriented, or other advocacy service event in host cities. Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Gloria DePasquale looked at various options and chose something close to home – across the street from the Philadelphia Orchestra’s home at the Kimmel Center. ICSOM’s volunteer service event was to feed and perform for the patrons of Broad Street Ministry. 30 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
Musicians flew with their instruments or borrowed musicians’ instruments, while others agreed to greet and serve food to Philadelphia’s homeless population. Nashville’s ICSOM Delegate Brad Mansell, whose experiences and observations are included in this column, and I joined musicians from Atlanta, Chicago Lyric, Dallas, Fort Worth, Kansas City, the Kennedy Center, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to form a brass quintet, double string quartet and “cello” quartet consisting of two cellos, tuba and trombone, that performed during dinner to appreciative diners. Musicians from Minnesota, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Utah as well as family members, two Philadelphia Orchestra board members and ICSOM Counsel were greeters and servers. The conference began with stirring 1. addresses by Chairman Bruce Ridge and outgoing President Brian Rood. And then, for the first time in ICSOM’s 63-year history, the chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) addressed the conference. Jane Chu shared her background as a child of two diverse cultures – she was born in Oklahoma and her parents were from China. Music gave her the ability to deal with that diversity; it helped her cope with the death of her father at a young age, and provided her with a social life and enabled her to honor different perspectives and ideas. Chu 2. reminded delegates that the NEA turns 50; in celebration, people are invited to share how the arts have impacted their lives at www.arts.gov. Weston Sprott, second trombonist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (MET), followed Chu’s inspiring address. Sprott is a teacher in Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program (MAP) which offers lessons to talented kids that are under-represented in American performing arts, between ages 8 to 14. He and a student are featured in a new documentary titled Some Kind of Spark. In his address, 3. said music education teaches us who Sprott we are and what we want. He spoke about music’s power, relating it to his understanding of the civil rights movement that was informed more by listening to Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” than from reading, or his mother’s story as a member of her high school’s first integrated class. Randy Whatley’s third appearance at ICSOM covered public relations and internal organizing. Brad Mansell said, “Randy’s extensive background in both PR and his
work on various political campaigns gives us [musicians] guidance in organizing ourselves when we are going into negotiations and, God forbid, work stoppages. He was a great help to the musicians of the Nashville Symphony two years ago when we were facing one of the most challenging negotiations in our history. He used his experience and contacts with both print and television media as well as social media to help guide us in creating and getting our message out to the public about who we are as musicians, not only as performers, but as members of the community
Bradley Mansell is joined by Fort Worth cellist Debbie Brooks at Broad Street Ministry (photo by Philadelphia Orchestra cellist John Koen)
Leslie, Marcella & Dennis Dreith (AFM & SAG-AFTRA ICRD Fund exec. dir), Shari Hoffman (AFM & SAG-AFTRA ICRD Fund dir), Laura Ross, Michael Moore (ICSOM treasurer & Atlanta Sym principal tuba)
SYMPHONY NOTES where we work and live. You can see some of these results by visiting us on Facebook at Musicians of the Nashville Symphony and our website, www.musiciansofthenashvillesymphony.org. You can also sign up to receive our periodic online newsletter.” Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service’s (FMCS) newly-appointed first woman director Allison Beck, titled her address “Back to the Future at FMCS – A 20th Century Solution for the 21st Century Workplace.” In her comments, she likened the current treatment of musicians to factory workers of the past, and said orchestras are no longer immune to the “financialization” of our culture as managers, at the direction of investment bankers on their boards, have become very aggressive by threatening to put the very musicians who depend upon them out on the street. She pointed specifically to the MET negotiations, the Atlanta Symphony’s back-to-back lockouts, and the historic 16-month lockout of the Minnesota Orchestra musicians that, thankfully, did not end the way PATCO (air traffic controllers) did, because Minnesota’s musicians were not replaced. There was levity as well, as Beck pointed out faces in the audience that were now smiling at her, rather than scowling, because they had been involved in these aforementioned negotiations. “Susan Martin’s Delegate Duel,” according to Mansell, “is always a fun way to learn about specific issues that can arise in any orchestra. She gives real case examples involving legal issues that are followed by questions on how the issue would be resolved. The delegates, who are broken up into teams, are given a brief amount of time to choose the correct answer and the results are tabulated electronically. It usually results in being surprised at how much we do and don’t know about labor law.” It also offers the opportunity to learn from our misunderstandings so
musicians can deal with ongoing issues with management during their concert seasons. Mansell added, “Another fun and informative breakout session was a mock arbitration workshop. Delegates are assigned a real case that has occurred in a symphony orchestra and participants decide if they want to represent management or the musicians and union. Each side is given time to prepare their case, and specific roles are designated, including attorneys, witnesses and the defendant. I was the attorney defending a musician placed on suspension without pay. Although it was a simulation of what would actually happen, it drove home the importance of understanding your rights under collective bargaining and the daunting task of preparing for an arbitration.” Attorney Mel Schwarzwald, who has represented the MET, Cleveland, Houston, Boston, and currently Philadelphia, gave an informative presentation on the preparation and use of comparison charts for negotiations. Mansell observed that Schwarzwald “used examples from recent negotiations with the Philadelphia Orchestra showing their salary increases over time, and how they
compare to that of peer orchestras. Preparing for a negotiation can be rather daunting and I found his presentation quite helpful in demonstrating how to use information — mostly obtained from AFM wage charts — that could be turned into PowerPoint presentations and used as a tool in negotiations.” ICSOM conferences also include town meetings that are private discussions between the delegates and governing board. These discussions make us realize that issues we deal with are also issues for other orchestras. One of the top issues discussed was decibel levels onstage; it’s a huge problem for all musicians, including those in the top orchestras, who are trying to find solutions before we all lose our hearing. ICSOM conferences are for delegates, local officers, AFM staff and officers to meet, talk and share important information and ideas. It is held in different cities each year so all members of the host orchestras can attend and participate. A little information is a wonderful thing; a lot is even better! Special thanks to Brad Mansell, ICSOM Delegate TNM
N A S H V I L L E SY M P H O N Y & YO U
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SAINT-SAËNS’ “EGYPTIAN” PIANO CONCERTO
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
BEETHOVEN’S EMPEROR CONCERTO WITH GARRICK OHLSSON
November 6 & 7, 2015
November 20 & 21, 2015
HANDEL’S MESSIAH
December 17 to 20, 2015 – 3 pm Sunday Matinee Added
MOZART’S REQUIEM
January 29 & 30, 2016
February 18 to 20, 2016
STRAUSS’ DON QUIXOTE March 4 & 5, 2016
GUERRERO CONDUCTS RAVEL’S LA VALSE
March 25 & 26, 2016
January 7 to 9, 2016
April 7 to 9, 2016
April 29 & 30, 2016
TCHAIKOVSKY’S VIOLIN CONCERTO WITH GIL SHAHAM
May 5 to 7, 2016
MAHLER’S THIRD SYMPHONY May 26 to 28, 2016
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FINAL NOTES
“He’s like Picasso or Michelangelo. He was the first modern great steel player and nobody’s surpassed him yet. Emmons just, by God, came along and sounded like a 1977 steel player when he came here in 1955.” – Lloyd Green
BUDDY EMMONS 1937 – 2015
I
conic steel guitarist Buddy Emmons, 78, died July 21, 2015. A life member of the Nashville Musicians Association, he joined the local in July 1955. He was considered the world’s foremost steel guitarist, and known for his innovative design changes, as well as his genre-spanning, completely original playing style, which was admired by musicians worldwide. Emmons, known in Nashville as “The Big E,” was a master of flashy instrumentals, but also had a rich, lyrical style, which made him sought after as a recording musician. In addition to his solo work he backed an amazing list of artists, which include not only a multitude of country artists, but also Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt, Rosemary Clooney and the Henry Mancini Orchestra. He was born Jan. 27, 1937 in Mishawaka, Ind., to Donald and Mary Emmons and began to play six-string lap steel when he was 11. After about a year of instruction he started to learn the songs he heard on the radio, with Jerry Byrd and Herb Remington his first musical influences. When he was 15 his parents bought him a Fender “Stringmaster” steel guitar, and he started playing with local bands. At the age of 16 he was hired by Stony Calhoun, and a year later moved to Detroit to play with Casey Clark. It was during his time with Clark that Emmons purchased a Bigsby steel guitar with pedals. In 1955 Emmons moved to Nashville to begin 32 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
working with Little Jimmy Dickens as a member of The Country Boys. Dickens’ next record included three of Emmons’ instrumentals, which quickly became steel guitar standards. When Dickens began performing as a solo act in 1956, Emmons, along with Shot Jackson, formed Sho-Bud to design and build pedal steel guitars. At the same time, he began his career as a session player. The Sho-Bud steel guitars contained a major innovation — splitting the function of the two pedals that change the pitch from a tonic chord to a sub-dominant chord, a configuration that is now standard. In 1957 Emmons made another change, and became a member of The Texas Troubadours — Ernest Tubb’s band. His first recording with Tubb, “Half A Mind (to Leave You),” was the first in which he used the new pedal arrangement. In 1963 he started his own company, Emmons Guitar Company, and continued creating new designs for the instrument. He achieved another milestone that year, when he released Steel Guitar Jazz, a record he made with jazz session players in New York City. In a 2012 review of the record’s reissue, critic Kevin Whitehead said “When Buddy Emmons plays something like a hip modern jazz lick, he can lean on it like a joke — as if it’s hard to take seriously. It’s an odd case of the ironic outsider clashing with earnest New Yorkers. He was ready for them.” He played bass on the road for Roger Miller and also played steel on sessions in Los Angeles in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, but in the mid ‘70s he returned to Nashville and quickly
resumed studio work with artists like Mel Tillis, Duane Eddy and Charlie Walker. Emmons recorded a critically acclaimed tribute to Bob Wills in 1976, and continued to do session work into the ‘90s with artists like John Hartford, George Strait and Ricky Skaggs. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1981. Renowned steel player Lloyd Green remarked in 1977 on Emmons’ visionary skill: “He’s not an ordinary guy…[Emmons] is probably the most intelligent and talented musician who’s ever played an instrument. He’s like Picasso or Michelangelo. He was the first modern great steel player and nobody’s surpassed him yet. Emmons just, by God, came along and sounded like a 1977 steel player when he came here in 1955.” Emmons was known for more than just his stellar playing, his reinvention of the instrument itself, and his ability to bring flawless playing to any genre. Performance videos of “The Big E” show him with a nearly ubiquitous smile, and clearly evident joy. Friend and fellow producer Buddy Cannon commented on Emmons’ passing. “I met Buddy Emmons on my first publishing demo session when Mel Tillis signed me to a songwriting contract in 1976. I’ll never forget his big welcoming smile when we were introduced and I’ll never forget that classic sound when he played the kickoff to my first song on my first professional demo session. I had the opportunity to work with Buddy many times after that and it was always a great time. Buddy was a real artist and a first class guy and we will all miss him forever. There’ll never be another Big E.” Emmons was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Peggy, and one grandchild. Survivors include two sons, Buddie Gene II and Larry; one daughter, Tami; and four grandchildren. There was no funeral service or memorial.
FINAL NOTES
“Billy Sherrill was a true pioneer in music. Creator of great sounds as a producer. Writer of timeless songs. Legendary A&R man. Who’s gonna fill those shoes?” — Paul Worley
Billy Sherrill 1936 – 2015 Producer, songwriter, and musician Billy Norris Sherrill, 78, died Aug. 4, 2015 at his home in Nashville. His lush studio sound innovated the country music of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and created more than two decades of hit records for George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Charlie Rich, and a staggering list of other artists including David Houston, Tanya Tucker, Barbara Mandrell, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, and many more. Born Nov. 5, 1936 in Phil Campell, Ala., Sherrill was the son of an evangelist. He played saxophone and piano in area rock & roll and R&B bands before moving to Nashville in 1962, where he was hired by Sam Phillips to run the Sun Records Music City office. By the following year he had joined the A&R department of Epic Records, and in 1965 Sherrill produced a breakthrough album for The Staple Singers, recorded live at a church in Chicago just weeks after civil rights-related violence in Selma. “I was already working for Epic when I got a call to record them in Chicago,” Sherrill said. “I was a huge fan. Pops, Mavis and all the kids were so kind and caring to us.” The record — Freedom Highway — was re-released earlier this year. Sherrill co-wrote David Houston’s “Almost Persuaded” in 1966, and followed up that initial success with 22 more hits for the singer. His work with Tammy Wynette produced another string of great records including “Stand By Your Man,” and “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad.” He also produced the iconic Jones standard “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” which is often referred to as the greatest country record of all time, plus yet another long streak of Jones hits. In 1980 Sherrill became the Vice President-Executive Producer at Columbia-Epic’s Nashville office; five years later he left to work as an independent producer. In 1984 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. After his retirement in 1990 he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame (2008), and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010. Producer Paul Worley commented on Sherrill’s passing: “Billy Sherrill was a true pioneer in music. Creator of great sounds as a producer. Writer of timeless songs. Legendary A&R man. Who’s gonna fill those shoes?” Survivors include Sherrill’s wife, Charlene; one daughter, Catherine Lale; and two grandchildren. Funeral services were held Aug. 7 at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville. Donations may be made to the Nashville Humane Association or Nashville Alive Hospice.
Maxine and Bonnie grew up singing together; in 1954 Brown and Maxine signed a deal with Fabor Records. Their first single went to No. 8, and they became regulars on The Louisiana Hayride and Ozark Jubilee. Their younger sister Bonnie joined the group in 1955, and The Browns had another hit with “I Take the Chance.” After his military service, Brown rejoined the family band, which had another success with “The Three Bells” in August 1959 — the record spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the country charts, four weeks at the top of the pop charts, and even made the top ten on R&B charts. The Browns were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1963. Brown began to make solo records in 1965 for RCA, and in 1967 released “Pop a Top,” written by Nat Stuckey. The tune spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on the charts. Other successful singles followed, and in the mid-‘70s Brown began to record duets with Helen Cornelius. The pair won the 1977 CMA Vocal Duo Award for “I Don’t Want to Have to Marry You.” Brown hosted three shows on the Nashville Network in the ‘80s: Nashville on the Road, You Can Be A Star, and Going Our Way, which featured Brown and his wife Becky traveling the U.S. He also hosted two nationally syndicated continued on page 34
Jim Ed Brown 1934 – 2015 Grand Ole Opry member Jim Ed Brown, 81, died June 11, 2015 in Franklin, Tenn. The singer and guitarist was a life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined the local in 1963. A 2015 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, he and his sisters Maxine and Bonnie were known as The Browns. James Edward Brown was born April 1, 1934 in Sparkman, Ark. He and his sisters OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 33
FINAL NOTES continued from page 33
country music radio programs, Country Music Greats Radio Show and Country Music Greats Radio Minute. Brown performed on the Grand Ole Opry regularly through mid-2015. In March it was announced that he and The Browns would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Due to his declining health, Brown was inducted in June. Survivors include Brown’s wife Becky; one daughter, Kim Brown; and one son, James Edward Brown, Jr. Funeral services were held June 15 at the Ryman Auditorium with interment following at Woodlawn Cemetery.
James Hawthorne 1938 – 2015 Guitarist James Hawthorne, 76, died May 13, 2015. He was a life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined the local in October 1969. Survivors include three sons, Nick, Tom, and Phillip Hawthorne; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; three nieces and five nephews; and a host of other extended family members and friends. A graveside service was conducted May 19 at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville, Mo. Online condolences may be left for the family at heartlandcremation.com.
Patsy Stoneman 1925 – 2015 Pattie Inez Stoneman (aka Patsy Stoneman), 90, died July 23, 2015. A life member of the Nashville Musicians Association, she was one of the last remaining members of the pioneering country music band The Stoneman Family. She played several instruments but was best known for auto-harp; she was also a singer in the band. Until recently, she had continued to perform with her sisters Donna and Roni as The Stoneman Sisters. One of 23 children, Stoneman was born May 27, 1925 in Galax, Va., to Ernest V. “Pop” and Hattie Frost Stoneman, the same year that her father released “The Titanic,” one of country music’s first million-selling records. Her biographer Barry Mazor said that Stoneman had “10,000 vaudeville jokes and song lyrics in her head, and they’d come bubbling up. She was witty, she was funny, and she was sometimes more straight-talking than people wanted to hear.” After her father passed in 1968, Stoneman took his position in the band, and made sure his songs remained in the set list. In the ‘80s she hosted a radio program called “Down Home 34 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
with the Stonemans” on WSVT in Smyrna. She also provided the voice for the character “Teddi Barra” in the Disney World attraction The Country Bear Jamboree, which opened in the ‘70s. In 2012 she and her two siblings Donna and Roni released a final album, The Stoneman Tradition. When Pop Stoneman was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame they performed “The Titanic” at the ceremony in his memory. Stoneman was preceded in death by her husband of 39 years, John Joseph Murphy; and 21 of her siblings. Survivors include two sisters, Donna and Roni Stoneman. Funeral services were held July 28 at the Mount Olivet Funeral Home and Cemetery with interment immediately following.
Bruce Prince-Joseph 1925 – 2015 Famed pipe-organist Dr. Bruce Prince-Joseph, 89, died April 25, 2015 in Kansas City, Mo. The Fulbright Fellow was a life member of the AFM who joined Local 257 in July 1976. Born in Beaver Falls, Penn., he was the son of Adele Prince Joseph and Hanna John. He moved to Kansas City as a child, and became interested in the pipe organ soon after. After high school graduation he moved to New York City to follow his musical passion, and by 17 he was chancel organist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Prince-Joseph studied in Europe after undergraduate work at Yale and post-graduate work at the University of Southern California, where he befriended Roger Wagner and helped to found the Roger Wagner Chorale. While overseas he worked at the Sorbonne, and performed for Pope Pius XII and at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. After returning to the U.S. he became a faculty member of Hunter College in New York, and also was lead organist, harpsichordist and pianist for more than two decades as part of the Leonard Bernstein-led New York Philharmonic. Prince-Joseph recorded several solo albums for organ and harpsichord, and in 1965 was nominated for a Grammy for a recording with Erick Friedman of Bach’s Six Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord. After leaving New York he moved to Nashville, where he performed master restoration work on pianos. Among his projects were the square grand pianos at the Belle Meade Mansion Museum and the Travellers Rest Museum. Later he returned home to Kansas City, where he took on more restoration projects. Among his many awards and citations over the years, he was most honored was the Bishop’s Shield for service to the Episcopal Diocese of Western Missouri, and the Kansas Citian of the Year in 1999. A Solemn Requiem Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church in Kansas City on July 11. Memorial contributions can be made to the American Guild of Organists, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1260, New York NY, 10115, or online at agohq.org/contribute.
FINAL NOTES
Roy M. Harris 1949 – 2015 Roy M. Harris, 66, of Lebanon, Tenn., died June 18, 2015. He was a guitarist and life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 in May 1976. Harris was an Eagle Scout who graduated from Dickson High School in 1967. He was also a member of the Reunion of Professional Entertainers International (R.O.P.E.) Harris was preceded in death by his parents Maurice and Mildred Harris. Survivors include two sisters, Vivian Lovvorn and Linda Rucker; one niece and one nephew. Graveside services were held June 20 in the Union Cemetery in Dickson, Tenn.
Johnny Gimble 1926 – 2015 Nashville Musicians Association life member Johnny Gimble, 88, died May 9, 2015. The renowned fiddler worked with Bob Wills, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Carrie Underwood, among others. He joined Local 257 in February 1969. Gimble was born May 30, 1926 in Tyler, Texas and raised on a nearby farm in Bascom. He was the son of a railroad telegrapher and his wife. By the age of 12 he was playing music with his brothers in a group called Rose City Swingers that performed on a flour company’s flatbed truck for $2 a day. After serving in the U.S. Army, where he was stationed in Austria — and said he acquired a taste for walzes — he returned to Texas and made his first recording with Robert Bro’s Rhythmairs. A year later he joined Wills’ Texas Playboys, where he played both fiddle and electric mandolin. He moved to Nashville in 1968 where he recorded with Marty Robbins, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Chet Atkins and others. He also appeared on Hee Haw as a member of the Million Dollar Band. From 1979-81 Gimble toured worldwide with Willie Nelson, and in 1983 he assembled a Texas swing group featuring Ray Price on vocals that charted a country radio hit, “One Fiddle, Two Fiddle.” Over the course of his career Gimble won two Grammys for his work with Asleep at the Wheel; and six CMA awards for Best Instrumentalist. He also was awarded nine times as Best Fiddle Player by the Academy of Country Music. In 1994 Gimble was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts with the National Heritage Fellowship, for his lifelong contributions to traditional American arts. Gimble, known for his humor, told Prairie Home Companion host Garrison Keillor that when he and his wife returned home, she said “she had never slept with a national relic before.” Gimble, who was also a gifted mandolinist, recorded 10 solo records. He appeared over several decades on Austin City Limits, and played Bob Wills in the film Honkytonk Man. He kept playing well into his 80s, touring from his home in Dripping Springs, Texas. Dave Pomeroy, president of AFM Local 257, said “Johnny Gimble was not only a very innovative and influential fiddle player, he was also a humorous, kind, and humble man who brought a
“Johnny Gimble was not only a very innovative and influential fiddle player, he was also a humorous, kind, and humble man who brought a palpable sense of joy to everything he did.” – Dave Pomeroy
continued on page 36
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FINAL NOTES continued from page 35
LOCAL 257 MEMBERS: Please check to see that your
FUNERAL FUND BENEFICIARY is listed correctly, and up to date. We can't stress the importance of this enough. Your loved ones are counting on you.
palpable sense of joy to everything he did.” Gimble was survived by his wife, Barbara; one brother, Gene; one sister, Josephine Parker; two daughters, Cyndy Gimble and Paula Gay Bulluck; one son, Dick Gimble; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A celebration of life and music was held June 7 in Luckenbach, Texas. Those wishing to make a memorial may do so to either the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians or the Johnny Gimble Scholarship Fund at McLennan Community College.
Red Lane 1939 –2015 Singer-songwriter Red Lane, 76, died July 2, 2015. Lane was also a touring and session guitarist, and a life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined the local in November 1964. Born Hollis Rudolph DeLaughter Feb. 2, 1939, he was given his first guitar by his father, who sold his .22 caliber rifle to buy it. After high school and a stint in the U.S. Air Force — where he played in country bands, along with growing to love aircraft — he launched his music career. A meeting with Justin Tubb led to his move to Nashville, where he was signed with Tree International as a staff writer in 1964. Soon after his arrival, he had a No. 11 hit with “My Friend on the Right,” which he cowrote with Faron Young. Later he signed as an artist with RCA, and had a Top 40 hit, “The World Needs a Melody.” His biggest success, however, was as a songwriter. Lane penned the Tammy Wynette hit “Til I Get it Right,” as well as “Come See Me and Come Lonely,” and many more for Dottie West; also “Miss Emily’s Picture,” by John Conlee. Lane was a well-regarded guitarist; he played on records and toured with Merle Haggard, as well as playing on albums for Bobby Bare, Gatemouth Brown, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson, among other artists. He was well known for his love of flying. He held an amateur pilot’s license, and wrote a song Roger Miller recorded inspired by his experience sky diving. (“The Day I Jumped”) In later years Lane lived in a converted 1958 DC-8 passenger jet outside of Nashville. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1993. Funeral services were held July 9 at Bogue Chitto Heights Baptist Church in Franklinton, La. TNM
IN MEMORIAM
The officers, staff and members of Local 257 extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of our members who have recently passed away. You are in our thoughts, hearts and prayers. Name
Born
Joined
Died
William Matthew Buck, Jr.
08/07/1935
01/31/2000
08/07/2015
Y
Take a moment and ask the front desk to verify your funeral benefit beneficiary information.
Boomer O. Castleman
07/18/1945
09/22/1977
09/01/2015
Y
Buddy Gene Emmons
01/27/1937
07/02/1955
07/21/2015
Y
Johnny T. Montgomery
07/22/1928
06/16/1962
09/04/2015
Y
Please also check to see that we have your correct email address.
Pattie Soneman Murphy
05/27/1925
07/23/2015
05/13/2015
Y
Billy Norris Sherrill
11/05/1936
04/06/1960
08/04/2015
Y
36 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
Life Member
MEMBER STATUS NEW MEMBERS Kelsea N Ballerini VOC GTR 2300 Charlotte Ave, Ste. 103 Nashville, TN 37203 Tucker Russell Beathard GTR DRM VOC 1749 Lavender Road Thompsons Station, TN 37179 Hm (615) 329-9902 Kevin Joshua Black BAS 809 South 12th Street Nashville, TN 37206 Cell (615) 478-9680 Lael S Eccard DRM VOC PRC 104 Riverwood Drive Lavergne, TN 37086 Cell (505) 660-1425 Katherine A Farnham (Kool Kat) VOC PIA GTR FLT PRC PO Box 646 Clarion, PA 16214 Cell (615)715-3221 Hm (814) 226-6775 Jesse Barnard Franklin, III (Jess Franklin) GTR ORG BJO VOC DBR PIA MDN 175 Longview Dr Athens, GA 30605 Cell (706) 224-2695 Mac D Gayden (Mac Gayden) GTR BAS PO Box 128469 Nashville, TN 37212 Cell (615) 260-3433 Johannes Augustus Greer DRM PRC 4712 Kalamath Dr Old Hickory, TN 37138 Cell (615) 500-2221 Houston Michael Gunn (Houston Gunn) GTR BAS MDN FDL PRC P.O. Box 9126 Gallatin, TN 37066 Cell (615) 300-3022
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Philip Chandler Towns KEY PIA ORG 295 Williams Rd Wetumpka, AL 36092 Cell (334) 424-9294
Joshua P Hickman TMP 3510 Hillsboro Pike #45 Nashville, TN 37215 Cell (740) 361-6573
Robby O Turner (Robert O Turner) BAS DBR GTR KEY PIA STL 604 Oak Harbor Cove Hermitage, TN 37076 Hm (615) 480-6439
Laur Joamets GTR 1026 a Mansfield St Nashville, TN 37206 Cell (615) 626-9658 James Kendall Lester (Jimmy Lester) DRM PRC VOC 38 Vaughns Gap Rd Nashville, TN 37205 Cell (615) 300-4888 Alison Marie McKelvey (Previously Alison Marie Davis) VLN 4880 Brick Church Pk Goodlettsville, TN 37072 Hm (931) 206-0534 Andrew C Most (Andy Most) GTR 1437 Stoner Ridge Hermitage, TN 37076 Cell (615) 554-5496 Lauren Elizabeth Saks VLN 1900 Richard Jones Rd Apt B107 Nashville, TN 37215 Cell (847) 370-4731 Barbara Santoro PIA 1440 Otter Creek Rd. Nashville, TN 37215 Cell (615) 243-5931 Hm (615) 331-3312 Benjamin Ira Schultz (Ben Schultz) GTR DBR BAS KEY DRP LPS 2593 Duplex Rd Apt C1 Spring Hill, TN 37174 Cell (615) 429-5554
Derrick Ryan Whiteside BAS GTR 4852 Aster Dr Nashville, TN 37211 Cell (847) 721-9474 Joshua Andrew Zarbo BAS GTR DRM KEY VOC 2817 West End Ave Ste 126-441 Nashville, TN 37203 Cell (512) 751-5081 REINSTATED Alice Rothenbusch Lloyd Guthrie Trapp Erich William Wigdahl RESIGNED Joseph Glen Caploe Terry Ray Ishmael Robert C Kelly
NEXT LOCAL 257 MEMBERSHIP MEETING Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015 George Cooper Rehearsal Hall Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m.
James Danny Stiltner GTR MDN BJO BAS 1089 Hunts Fork Rd Hurley, VA 24620 Hm (276) 566-4824 OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2015 37
DO NOT WORK FOR The “Do Not Work For” list exists to warn our members, other musicians and the general public about employers who, according to our records, owe players money and/or pension, have failed to sign the appropriate AFM signatory documents required to make the appropriate pension contribution, or are soliciting union members to do non-union work. Alan Umstead/Nashville Music Scoring.com - This former Local 257 member is soliciting and contracting non-union orchestral scoring recording sessions at Ocean Way and denying musicians the protections of AFM contracts, including Pension, H&W and New Use payments. Do not work for them under any circumstances without an AFM contract. TOP OFFENDERS LIST Positive Movement/Tommy Sims (multiple unpaid contracts – 2007 CeCe Winans CD) We have a legal judgement against him for $354K but he has thus far only paid $23K of what he owes to musicians. Terry K. Johnson/ 1720 Entertainment (unpaid contracts/unauthorized sales - Jamie O’Neal project) Beautiful Monkey/JAB Country/Josh Gracin Eric Legg & Tracey Legg (multiple unpaid contracts) Ray Vega/Casa Vega Quarterback/G Force/Doug Anderson Rust Records/Ken Cooper (unpaid contracts and pension) Revelator/Gregg Brown (multiple bounced checks/unpaid contracts) UNPAID CONTRACTS AND PENSION Beautiful Monkey/JAB Country Bull Rush, Inc/Cowboy Troy (unpaid demo upgrade – making payments) Daddio Prod./Jim Pierce (was making payments) Goldenvine Prod./Harrison Freeman/Darrell Freeman HonkyTone Records – Debbie Randal/Elbert West Knight Brothers/Harold, Dean, Danny & Curtis Knight Katana Productions/Duwayne “Dada” Mills Steve Nickell Quarterback/G Force Music/Doug Anderson RLS Records-Nashville/Ronald Stone Region One Records RichDor Music/Keith Brown River County Band/SVC Entertainment (unpaid demo conversion/pension) Robbins Nashville Round Robin/Jim Pierce (unpaid contract – making payments) Shauna Lynn Shy Blakeman Singing Honey Tree Sleepy Town/David Lowe Tough Records/Greg Pearce (making payments) Adam D. Tucker UNPAID PENSION ONLY Conchita Leeflang/Chris Sevier Ricky D. Cook FJH Enterprises First Tribe Media Matthew Flinchum dba Resilient Jimmy Fohn Music Rebecca Frederick Goofy Footed Gospocentric Tony Graham Jeffrey Green/Cahernzcole House Randy Hatchett Highland Music Publishing In Light Records/Rick Lloyd Little Red Hen Records/Arjana Olson 38 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
Maverick Management Group Mike Ward Music (pension/demo signature) Joseph McClelland Tim McDonald Joe Meyers Missionary Music Jason Morales (pension/demo signature) O Street Mansion OTB Publishing (pension/demo signature) Tebey Ottoh Ride N High Records Ronnie Palmer Barry Preston Smith Jason Sturgeon Music
AFM NON-SIGNATORY PHONO LIST We do not have signatory paperwork from the following employers — pension may have been paid in some cases, but cannot be credited to the proper musicians without a signatory agreement in place. If you can provide us with current contact info for these people, we will make sure you get your proper pension contribution for your work. 604 Records Heaven Productions Stonebridge Station Entertainment Straight Shooter Music Ryder Media Donica Knight Busy At Play Trent Wilmon The Collective
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