The Nashville Musician — October - December 2021

REVIEWS : TRACE ADKINS • OLD DOMINION

OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF AFM LOCAL 257 OCT – DEC 20 21

RAY

STEVENS at CabaRay everything is beautiful

Membership meeting Nov. 4 on Zoom OCT– DEC 2021 1

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CONTENTS Official Journal of the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257 | OCT — DEC 2021

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ANNOUNCEMENTS Details on the upcoming member meeting Nov. 4 on Zoom, minutes and more.

STATE OF THE LOCAL Dave Pomeroy discusses negotiations, back-end payments, and the new Monarch TV series.

IN THE POCKET Secretary-Treasurer Vince Santoro talks about how Local 257 can help musicians who may be struggling.

NEWS Details on how musicians are dealing with performing and playing studio sessions safely during the pandemic.

HEARD ON THE GRAPEVINE The comings and goings of Local 257 members.

GALLERY We recognize member milestones as well as other events and honors.

LABOR DAY PARADE IN DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE

COVER STORY: RAY STEVENS Warren Denney interviews the legendary Ray Stevens about his early entry into the music business through his celebrated career, to his latest endeavors.

22 REVIEWS A long-awaited new album from Trace Adkins, and

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a new release from Old Dominion.

24 SYMPHONY NOTES Bassist Kevin Jablonski previews

the new season and discusses some of the details of the new contractual agreement.

25 JAZZ & BLUES Austin Belmear offers an update on local jazz and blues and continues his deep dive into rare vinyl.

26 FINAL NOTES We bid farewell to Nanci Griffith, Kenny

Malone, Tim Akers, Clarence “Frog” Greene, Charles Wyatt, Don Jackson, and Gene Hughey.

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33 MEMBER STATUS 34 DO NOT WORK FOR LIST COVER PHOTO: ANGELA TALLEY

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TRACE ADKINS OCT– DEC 2021 3

ANNOUNCEMENTS

OFFICIAL QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE NASHVILLE MUSICIANS ASSOCIATION AFM LOCAL 257

PUBLISHER EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

ART DIRECTION WEB ADMINISTRATOR AD SALES LOCAL 257 OFFICERS PRESIDENT SECRETARY-TREASURER EXECUTIVE BOARD

EXECUTIVE BOARD ALTERNATES HEARING BOARD

TRUSTEES SERGEANT AT ARMS NASHVILLE SYMPHONY STEWARD OFFICE MANAGER ELECTRONIC MEDIA SERVICES DIRECTOR ASSISTANT RECORDING/ELECTRONIC MEDIA

DIRECTOR, LIVE/TOURING DEPT. PENSION ADMINISTRATOR AND MPTF COORDINATOR MEMBERSHIP ADMINISTRATIVE AND RECORDING ASSISTANT

Dave Pomeroy Vince Santoro Kathy Osborne Leslie Barr Austin Bealmear Warren Denney Kevin Jablonski Olson Johnson Kathy Osborne Dave Pomeroy Vince Santoro Rick Diamond Tripp Dockerson Donn Jones Dave Pomeroy Vince Santoro Lisa Dunn Design Kathy Osborne Leslie Barr 615-244-9514 Dave Pomeroy Vince Santoro Jerry Kimbrough Alison Prestwood Biff Watson Laura Ross Steven Sheehan Tom Wild Jonathan Yudkin Rich Eckhardt Casey Brefka Michele Voan Capps Tiger Fitzhugh Teresa Hargrove Kent Goodson Sarah Martin McConnell Dave Moody Paul Ossola Bruce Radek Biff Watson Steve Tveit Kevin Jablonski Laura Birdwell Steve Tveit Heather Smalley Paige Conners Teri Barnett Cassandra Tormes Leslie Barr

Sarah Weiss Savannah Ritchie

@ 2021 Nashville Musicians Association P.O. Box 120399, Nashville TN 37212 All rights reserved. nashvillemusicians.org

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The next Local 257 General Membership Meeting will be held virtually Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021, by Zoom teleconference at 5:30 p.m. 2022 annual dues will be $281 for regular members and $170 for life members. As the dues are not increasing, no approval vote is required. If you need instructions on how to join the virtual meeting with Zoom or by phone, please call the local at 615-244-9514.

Nashville Musicians Association | AFM Local 257, AFL-CIO Minutes of the 3rd Quarter Zoom Membership Meeting Aug. 5, 2021 PRESENT: Jeff Dayton, Josh Morrison, Rhonda Vincent, Ryan Link, Deborah Loach, Tom Shed, Lee Wineland, Richard Wineland, Dana Williams, Gregg Stocki, Scott Saunders, Danny Strimer, Barbara Santoro, Mike Loudermilk, Ben Isaacs.

EXECUTIVE BOARD PRESENT: Jonathan Yudkin, Tom Wild, Steven Sheehan, Rich Eckhardt(alt), Casey Brefka(alt).

HEARING BOARD PRESENT: Kent Goodson, Tiger Fitzhugh, John Root, Paul Ossola.

PARLIAMENTARIAN: Sergeant at arms Steve Tveit also served as parliamentarian in the absence of Bill Wiggins.

OFFICERS PRESENT: Dave Pomeroy, Vince Santoro, Steve Tveit (sergeant at arms) President Pomeroy called meeting to order at 6:01 p.m.

MINUTES: Minutes from May 13, 2021 membership meeting were displayed and discussed.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT: 1. At the request of Local 257, the Federation has now established protocols regarding beneficiary status criteria.

2. RFD lawsuit is proceeding and we have presented substantial evidence of its liability.

3. Opry negotiations are ongoing and are positive thus far.

4. Rehearsal hall is now open for booking.

5. MPTF is doing great work for AFM Local 257 musicians, paying out nearly $60,000 in recent months.

6. Local 257 has sent a pre-15 day letter to 19 members who have high overdue work dues balances.

7. The Crisis Assistance Fund board meeting is scheduled to begin distribution of aid.

8. MSC to approve President’s Report after quorum was met. Tom Shed, Paul Ossola.

SECRETARY-TREASURER REPORT: 1. COVID-19 numbers are rising and our office will monitor them for decisions to be made for protection of our employees and members.

2. We have cancelled our AT&T internet and Windstream phone service. We bundled Comcast internet and phone service to access both better internet and better phone service and maintenance.

3. Stanley Security tells us fire monitoring communication lines must be upgraded to the 4/5G level by the end of 2021. We currently have no problems with their monitoring.

4. Estimates are being considered for building and grounds maintenance.

5. Our local has sent a letter to 19 members with overdue work dues balances over $500.

The letter lays out how we’d like them to take care of it via a reply to us. If they do not reply and/or do not offer a resolution we will then submit those names to our hearing board.

This was not done to target anyone but to follow our bylaws. Members know that we are reasonable in this regard and that they can explain any mitigating circumstances that may preclude their compliance.

MSC to approve Secretary-Treasurer report. Tiger Fitzhugh, Rich Eckhardt.

Discussion on several topics included Broadway forum (Scott Saunders), MPTF (Deborah Loach), parking pass etiquette (Gregg Stocki), Billy Robinson’s 90th birthday party.

MSC to adjourn. Jeff Dayton, Paul Ossola.

Meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nashville Musicians Association | AFM Local 257, AFL-CIO Minutes of the Executive Board Zoom Meeting Sept. 2, 2021 PRESENT: Vince Santoro(VS), Dave Pomeroy(DP), Laura Ross(LR), Tom Wild(TW), Jonathan Yudkin(JY), Casey Brefka(CB)alt, Alison Prestwood(AP), Biff Watson(BW), Jerry Kimbrough(JK), Rich Eckhardt(RE)alt.

ABSENT: Steven Sheehan(SS).

Reinstatement fee extension, remote meeting variances granted by Local 257 Executive Board

President Pomeroy called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m.

MINUTES: Minutes from May 6, 2021 Special Meeting and Apr. 12, 2021 were distributed in advance.

MSC to approve May 6 Special Meeting minutes. LR, BW Unanimously approved.

MSC to approve April 12 meeting minutes as amended. LR, RE. Unanimously approved.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT: The following issues were briefly discussed and approved: 1. There have been changes in employee status.

2. Symphony negotiations are complete. In two years, salaries will be almost caught up with where they would have been this coming season.

3. General Jackson negotiations have netted a 6 percent raise.

4. We are awaiting funds for distribution from the Time/Life CMA DVD set.

5. RFD has been notified to cease and desist use of shows twice but has refused.

6. Grand Ole Opry contract has resulted in more than $120,000 back-end payments to be distributed.

7. Local 257 will meet with organizations who can help raise awareness and provide additional funding for both our Crisis Assistance Fund and our Emergency Relief Fund.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Secretary-Treasurer Santoro distributed financial reports and fund balances.

MSC to approve Secretary-Treasurer report. CB, AP. Unanimously approved.

In July, and again in October, the AFM International Executive Board (IEB) voted to extend several variances granted to locals to address issues related to COVID-19. Included in the variances Local 257 has chosen to implement are an extension of the ability for the locals to hold quarterly membership meetings by teleconference, and a waiver of reinstatement fees through 2021.

The $25 reinstatement fee is usually charged to members who have been expelled from the local in order to rejoin in good standing. This year, all members expelled in July will be able to rejoin with only a $10 late fee and no reinstatement fee, if they do so before the end of 2021.

AGENDA: 3Q21 Pandemic Waiver Form, New Member Applications.

3Q 2021 Pandemic Waiver Form was discussed, filled and MSC to approve. AP, RE. Unanimously approved.

MSC to approve new member applications. TW, LR. Unanimously approved.

If you have questions about reinstatement or other issues, please call the local at 615-244-9514.

MSC to adjourn. LR, CB. Meeting adjourned at 11:20 a.m.

Be on the lookout for your 2022 Annual Dues postcard.

HOLIDAYS VETERANS DAY | THURSDAY, NOV. 11 THANKSGIVING | WEDNESDAY, NOV. 24 AT NOON — FRIDAY, NOV. 26 HOLIDAY BREAK | MONDAY, DEC. 20, 2021 – JAN. 2, 20222 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY | MONDAY, JAN. 17, 2022 TNM

OCT– DEC 2021 5

STATE OF THE LOCAL

BY DAVE POMEROY

T

he past few months have been challenging for many of us, but also rewarding in various ways.

There is no doubt that we are not yet back to whatever used to be called “normal,” a word that now seems almost meaningless. All things considered, our respect-based Music City business model is functioning pretty well under the strain. Among the many lessons we have learned are that nothing should be taken for granted, and that every day presents new opportunities to explain, listen, and when needed, adjust and/or reinvent what we do and how we do it.

More money in musician pockets

Thankfully, we have been able to help keep musicians working, and the recording business has picked back up, albeit in several new ways. The legalization of home studios in 2020 made home recording more of a viable business model than ever before.

Pay-per-view concerts and other streaming engagements have allowed musicians and artists to reach a much wider audience and still get paid. Since May 1, the AFM Music Performance Trust Fund has paid more than $60,000 to AFM 257 members who are playing shows in senior centers, schools, parks, and other communityoriented venues. We also got 50 percent late-fee payments for musicians who worked for the Outdoor Channel after waiting more than five months for the original payment. We have worked closely with the CMA, ACM, and the Americana Music Association to make sure that their recent and upcoming awards show and tv tapings are handled correctly from a safety standpoint, as well as making sure everyone is compensated properly for their work.

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2022 will be our 120th year of serving Nashville musicians. I have never been prouder of our organization, our mission, and our accomplishments.

Fox signs Monarch AFM contract

I am also very glad to report that Fox has signed the AFM Television Film Agreement to cover their new series Monarch.

This will ensure fair wages, pension payments, residuals, and New Use payments when soundtrack songs are released as audio recordings. The initial response was “We are not working with the AFM for this show,” but I was able to change their mind. I simply explained to them how we do things here in Nashville, and that it would be very disrespectful to the musicians to do a show based in Nashville and ignore Local 257’s role in creating the Nashville music business model. This is one of the first times Fox has signed an AFM agreement. This demonstrates once again that the Nashville Way —mutual respect between employers and musicians — is more powerful than we realize.

Protecting your intellectual property

Several of our previously-negotiated agreements have manifested in some very positive ways. The “back-end” revenue sharing for TV and YouTube exhibition of the Grand Ole Opry we negotiated in 2017 have resulted in the first ever distribution of the 3.6 percent residuals we now receive, totaling more than $170K in payments to Opry musicians. These ongoing payments will be distributed twice a year once we complete our ongoing negotiations with Opry management. We are also about to distribute more than $25,000 in payments for the CMA Time/Life DVD set, and another round of payments for the Ryman Auditorium’s “Soul of Nashville” archival film as well. These back-end residual and royalty payments illustrate the power of the AFM contracts under which you work.

When you agree to work nonunion, what you make that day is all you will ever make, and employers get to keep the money that should be going to YOU. It may be legal in a right-to-work state to work without a contract and give away your intellectual property, but that doesn’t make it right. This is a huge issue for Nashville musicians, and as long as there are companies like Electronic Arts and others who choose to ignore the intellectual property rights of the Nashville musicians they hire for substandard wages while making billions in profits, we will continue to stand up for the rights of those who are being taken advantage of.

In addition to all the other challenges we face, we have lost numerous iconic and influential musicians over the past few months. The legendary drummer Kenny Malone was a great friend, musical hero and bandmate of mine whose positive influence on me and many other musicians will live on, as does the memory of fiddler Byron Berline, a longtime member of Local 47 who also inspired many Nashville musicians over the years. It is so hard to say goodbye to our musical friends, but we can try to take comfort in knowing they are no longer suffering and appreciate and enjoy their legacies of great music that will live on. At the same time, we have had many great musicians of all descriptions become AFM 257 members over the past several months, and we welcome you with open arms as we look to the future. Next year, 2022, will be our 120th year of serving Nashville musicians. I have never been prouder of our organization, our mission, and our accomplishments, which we ALL create together, by standing up for what’s right — respect for musicians and their intellectual property. That’s our job, and I am proud to represent you. TNM

IN THE POCKET

Local 257 is helping musicians with MPTF gigs and our Crisis Assistance Fund.

IN

our daily struggle to grasp a way forward during a long and frustrating pandemic, it can be hard to see positive elements regarding the immediate future. Yes, it’s scary to know that after 19 months we are not only still battling the virus, but we seem divided across the country on exactly how to continue that battle. Mask/no mask — vaccinated/unvaccinated. Economic concerns and health concerns would not seem to cancel each other out but that’s exactly how some narratives are based. School openings bring that division to the forefront and we are paralyzed to inaction because of it. If we are focused on division it’s easy to become concerned, and even depressed. But in viewing the bigger picture and how some efforts are not only surviving, but flourishing, there is actual hope.

On Labor Day our local had a good turnout downtown for the annual Labor Day parade. What was different was that we had a very cool band with us playing wonderfully, and stirring bravado and spirit as we marched up and down Broadway to support the working folks of our community.

What was unknown by most people at the parade was that MartyGras, a strolling traditional jazz band which included Local 257 members Marty Crum, Joe Getsi, G.R. Davis, Bill Huber, Walter Hartman and Bernie Walker, was paid live scale wages in full by the Music Performance Trust Fund or MPTF. The fact that MPTF can and does offer its support gives musicians a leg up during such troubled times, and they can be counted on to continue on that path.

Nashville nonprofit Music for Seniors teamed up with Local 257 and MPTF to present a concert at Plaza Mariachi Sept. 7 featuring crowd favorite John England & the Western Swingers. The event was part of the organization’s monthly free daytime concert series. On Nov. 2, that partnership will continue with another free Music for Seniors con-

BY VINCE SANTORO cert by Casey Brefka and his Music City Big Band, also at Plaza Mariachi.

The Music Performance Trust Fund was created in 1948 during the birth of music recording, which scared the live music industry into thinking records would be the death knell for live music. To mitigate possible musician loss of income from live gigs, a contribution to the Fund was negotiated with record labels to be paid as a percentage of record sales. Originally, it was thought that this fund could support those musicians who had until then relied on live performance.

Obviously, records did not kill live music and have actually been a driving force behind concerts taking a huge leap forward.

The concept of a record release is now what fans gobble up and enhances fan interest for that very concert where they could experience the performance of that record’s content. Recording now is the lifeblood of touring and goes hand in hand with the success of artists worldwide.

MPTF’s establishment led to a wellfunded organization that continues its calling as aid to community events for folks who otherwise may not be able to afford the entire bill of putting on a show. It helps BOTH the promoter and the musicians. It’s not going away anytime soon, thanks to a successful renegotiation between labels and the AFM which added a contribution to the Fund from digital sales and streaming, to make up for the slowdown of physical product sales.

Live gigs slowed in early 2020 to nearly a standstill, and we decided it would be a good idea to change the name of our Flood Relief Fund, which was created to bring aid to victims of the 2010 flood, to the Crisis Assistance Fund. This way the 501c(3) could be used for ANY crisis going forward. The pandemic made this fund a necessity and there will most likely be more crises in the future, not to mention a possible resurgence of COVID-19. Donations to this fund are tax-

deductible and folks from all over have been generously giving to the cause. In August we were able to send $1000 checks to 19 applicants for aid. Applications for assistance have been closed for the time being, and will reopen when we have received enough additional funding.

Knowing that we could be in crisis mode at anytime, we are keeping a modest balance in that fund. Our latest round of donations has brought us to the point where we will be reopening applications soon.

Some folks are reluctant to ask for help, but that’s what these funds are for.

We know many of you are still struggling with lack of work, and this affects us too. Depending on your circumstances and your needs, other funds may also be available to help you, including our Emergency Relief Fund, the Opry Trust Fund, and MusiCares. We really appreciate all of you who have continued to keep paying your work dues for checks received. That really helps us help you.

We may still be in crisis mode due to the pandemic and its economic impact, but in the bigger picture Local 257 sees ways to get through this, and even to prosper. TNM

Next General Membership Meeting Thursday, Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom

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NEWS

Local 257 musicians cope with making music during a pandemic COVID-19 continues to be an ongoing issue for society and business as a whole, and the music industry is no exception. Working musicians, along with many major venues, schools, employers, and other entities are trying to determine a safe path forward that will allow for the live performances the public has clearly missed, as Nashville begins to return to a “new normal.”

When it comes to sessions, Local 257 helped to set studio protocols in place in 2020 that are being followed by some, but not universally. Session players have had widely varying experiences. According to many, health safety rules have generally been lax to nonexistent in many studios.

Several players, including keyboardist Dave Cohen, said they believe many of their fellow session musicians are fully vaccinated.

The return to live performances that involve both musicians and audiences has been even more complicated.

The Nashville Symphony’s new contract, negotiated by Local 257 with management, includes safe work condition stipulations for the orchestra members, and vaccine/negative COVID-19 test requirements for admission to the Schermerhorn, as the new season began in September. For more details see NSO steward Kevin Jablonski’s column on page 24.

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Other venues are also moving to require vaccination or negative test results, along with masking for those too young to be able to get the shot.

The Nashville Jazz Workshop requires that all persons inside the venue be fully vaccinated, and that everyone in attendance wear a mask, in accordance with CDC guidelines. The Ryman Auditorium is also following strict guidelines for admission.

Many large venues are restricting ticket holders to standards similar to new protocols at Bridgestone Arena. The new policy began Oct. 2. All ticket holders at Bridgestone Arena age 12 and older are required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test administered within 72 hours in order to attend events. The new policy is scheduled to remain in place through at least Nov. 15. Guests under the age of 12 will be required to wear a mask at all times while inside the venue or must present a printed or digital negative COVID-19 test administered within 72 hours prior to the event.

Sean Henry, president and CEO of Bridgestone Arena and the Nashville Predators, talked about the evolving situation. “We are united with health care professionals in our belief that the only way to end this pandemic is to get more people vaccinated,” Henry said.

However, stricter protocols are not always the rule. For example, the clubs and bars on Lower Broadway have generally returned to “business as usual” according to drummer John Root, who plays in the district regularly. “I haven’t seen any club on Broadway requiring masks,” Root said. He added that most musicians he knows have been vaccinated and that among his close friends, “luckily, none have been ill.”

As an aside, it appears that downtown taxis too have returned to business as usual, and are up to their regular practice of illegally parking in loading zones and making life even harder for musicians. Dave Pomeroy and others continue to monitor this ongoing problem, and are reaching out to various Metro entities to address musician concerns.

INFORMATION ON PROTOCOLS FOR WORKING SAFELY IS AVAILABLE ON THE COVID-19 PAGE AT THE NASHVILLE MUSICIANS ASSOCIATION WEBSITE

At other popular local club venues like 3rd & Lindsley and Rudy’s Jazz Room, some performers said efforts were diligent in the beginning, but now have been largely discontinued.

Another aspect of the music business that has once again been stymied by continuing pandemic problems concerns tours and festivals. Many artists who had hoped to return to touring this summer and fall have put off tours again until 2022, including Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks. A multitude of festivals and tours have been rescheduled for 2022, although some like Merlefest have gone forward with vaccine or negative test requirements. Violinist Andrea Zonn, who performed at Merlefest with John Cowan, said she felt relatively safe at the outdoor venue. Zonn also tours with James Taylor, and said the organization enacted strict protocols for musicians and crew in mid-July, well before most venues and festivals were instituting audience vaccination and testing requirements. Concert venues have in some cases added vaccine/testing for attendees as well as masking, but this isn’t always the case.

Guitarist Kenny Vaughan has been on tour in the U.S. with Marty Stuart. He talked about how requirements can be depending on where you are in the country.

“It’s different everywhere you go. In Colorado, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, and California, they are efficiently taking every precaution, both backstage and in the audience. In Texas, it was shoulder to shoulder, and not one mask in sight. Touring now is like playing Russian roulette,” Vaughan said.

Life member Charlie McCoy has played studio dates and done some international touring. He said he hasn’t seen studio vaccination requirements, but that there were some venue stipulations when he performed overseas. “I haven’t been out to play since February of 2020 in this country. I did play six concerts in Sweden in August, where they were social

NEWS distancing the seating of the people who came,” McCoy said.

Bassist Dave Roe said COVID-19 protocols were in place for two film production companies he worked for recently. Roe said proof of vaccination and two negative tests one day apart were required for the Georgia filming of the movie Neon Highway in which he plays a touring musician, and for shooting for the new drama Monarch where he will play a bandleader. TNM

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HEARD ON THE GRAPEVINE

Roy Acuff

ACUFF FIDDLE DEBUTS AT CMHOF

Vince Gill has donated Roy Acuff’s cherished fiddle to Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s collection. The beloved instrument went on view to the public July 1 and debuted in a Spotlight exhibit in the museum’s upper-level galleries.

The instrument was built in Germany around 1890 and is a copy of the highlyprized violins constructed by Austrian luthier Jacobus Stainer in the 1600s. Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 348th Engineer Combat Battalion discovered the fiddle in a bombedout music store in Frankfurt, Germany, in the

Vince Gill

waning days of World War II. They made arrangements to send the instrument to Acuff — their favorite country performer — as a

show of appreciation. Acuff liked the tone and made it his primary fiddle for many years. The violin was acquired this year by Gill, who became friends with Acuff when Gill began appearing on the Grand Ole Opry in the late 1980s.

“It felt important to me that the great Roy Acuff’s fiddle join the ranks of other revered instruments in the museum’s permanent collection—including Maybelle Carter’s 1928 Gibson L-5 guitar and Bill Monroe’s 1923 Gibson F-5 mandolin. The fiddle was given to Acuff by soldiers during a time of war because of how much he meant to them. He meant a lot to me, too,” Gill said.

BRANNAN PUBLISHES SECOND NOVEL

Spady Brannan 10 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

Bassist, guitarist and award-winning songwriter Spady Brannan is also an author.

He has just published his latest novel, Starman, in which an encounter between a doctor and his patient at a mental health facility lead the physician to a new understanding of the universe and ensuing spiritual growth.

Brannan’s newest accomplishments are in addition to a decades-long musical career that includes international touring, studio recording, and the composition of hit songs recorded by Roy Orbison, Trisha Yearwood, Don Williams and Engelbert Humperdinck. His new novel as well as his first, The Touch, are both available on Amazon and at his website spadybrannan.com

HEARD ON THE GRAPEVINE

AWARD AND A NEW GIG FOR MATTEA

Kathy Mattea was honored with the second annual Foundation for Love and Acceptance R.A.L.Y. (Rescue A Life, Y’all) Award at Ty Herndon’s Concert for Love and Acceptance on June 30. The award was given to Mattea in recognition of her early advocacy for the LGBTQ community and HIV/AIDS awareness.

The event was presented virtually with performances from an assortment of artists and songwriters including Terri Clark, Gretchen Peters, Tenille Townes and Gavin DeGraw.

“Kathy Mattea was standing up for LGBTQ people in country music long before it was cool,” said Herndon. “I’m so proud that we could honor her tonight for her heroism and activism. Her voice made a difference when it really mattered.”

"Kathy Mattea was standing up for LGBTQ people in country music long before it was cool."

– Ty Herndon

Mattea has also just stepped into a new role as host of the popular long-running show Mountain Stage. She will take over for Larry Groce, who was the host of the radio program for over 30 years. He will stay on as artistic director.

Mountain Stage is produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed by NPR Music. Each two-hour episode can be heard every week on more than 280 stations across America, and around the world via NPR Music.

David Spicher and Kathy Mattea at Mountain Stage

BROWN RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Producer and pianist Tony Brown will be honored Oct. 21 with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Kannapolis. The organization will recognize Brown and co-honoree Roberta Flack for their achievements in the music industry and their contributions to American music over several decades.

Brown began his career in music as a piano player, and worked with gospel groups for 13 years. A gig with JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet led to a Las Vegas meeting with Elvis Presley in 1969.

Brown eventually joined a band Presley created called Voice. While attending a Presley master session in Hollywood in case the singer needed Voice background vocals, Brown was prompted

by David Briggs to add a piano part to the song “Bringing It Back,” because Brown had played on the demo. Eventually Brown recorded on other Presley records, and became a member of the TCB band during the last three years of Presley's career. In 1979, he joined Emmylou

Harris' Hot Band, and then later toured with Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash before becoming an in-demand session musician.

By the late ‘80s Brown was mainly producing records, although he continued to play some sessions as well. He was the president of MCA Records Nashville for more than 10 years beginning in the '90s, and cofounded Universal South Records in 2002. Over his career he produced numerous hits by George Strait, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, and many other artists. He’s won seven Academy of Country Music awards (including Producer of the Year), multiple CMA awards, and has numerous gold, platinum, and multi-platinum album credits.

“It’s always such an honor to receive acknowledgement from your peers in the music industry, but it’s completely overwhelming to receive that acknowledgement from the Music Hall of Fame in the place you were born,” Brown said. continued on page 12 OCT– DEC 2021 11

HEARD ON THE GRAPEVINE

continued from page 11

Pictured (L-R): Sarah Cates, chair of NaSHOF’s board of directors, with inductees John Scott Sherrill, Amy Grant, Buddy Cannon, and Rhett Akins; Mark Ford, NaSHOF’s executive director. Photo: Bev Moser

RHETT AKINS, BUDDY CANNON JOIN NSAI HALL OF FAME

Local 257 members Rhett Akins and Buddy Cannon are among the inductees for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

Cannon began his diverse music business career in the early 1970s as bass player in Bob Luman’s band, later making the jump to play in Mel Tillis’ band and write for his publishing company. During their 11 years together, Tillis recorded several of Cannon's songs, including the charttopping “I Believe in You.” Cannon’s keen song sense has served him well in the stu-

dio, helping select and record hit songs for artists ranging from Shania Twain to Kenny Chesney to Willie Nelson, with whom he has written regularly since 2008. Cannon's credits as a songwriter include “She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore” by Billy Ray Cyrus, “Look at Us” by Craig Morgan, “I’ve Come To Expect It From You” by George Strait, the Vern Gosdin hits “I’m Still Crazy,” “Set ’Em Up Joe” and “Dream Of Me,” as well as the Sammy Kershaw hits “Anywhere But Here” and “If You’re Gonna Walk, I’m Gonna Crawl.” “Give It Away” by George Strait was named the 2007 ACM Song and Single of the Year and also the 2007 CMA Song of the Year.

Akins began his professional music career as a performer at San Antonio’s Fiesta Texas theme park. In 1992, he made the move to Nashville. Initially a performer at Opryland theme park, he also worked as a demo singer, later signing a recording contract with Decca Records. As an artist, Akins topped the charts in the mid-1990s with “Don’t Get Me Started” and his signature song, “That Ain’t My Truck.” By the later 2000s, he was writing songs for other artists, including “Put A Girl In It” by Brooks & Dunn, “What’s Your Country Song” by his son Thomas Rhett, “All About Tonight” by Blake Shelton and “Boys ’Round Here” by Blake Shelton w/ Pistol Annies & Friends.

Akins also wrote “All Over Me” by Josh Turner (the 2011 BMI Country Song of the Year), “Honey Bee” by Blake Shelton (the 2012 ASCAP Country Song of the Year), “Take A Back Road” by Rodney Atkins (the 2012 BMI Country Song of the Year) and “It Goes Like This” by Thomas Rhett, (the 2014 ASCAP Country Song of the Year).

Akins was named BMI Country Songwriter of the Year in 2011 and 2014. He was the 2017 ACM Songwriter of the Year and the 2019 ACM Songwriter of the Decade.

Cannon and Akins, along with Amy Grant, Toby Keith, and John Scott Sherrill will be inducted into the Hall Nov. 1 at an event planned for Music City Center.

JACKSON FUNDRAISES FOR TORNADO RELIEF

Alan Jackson returned to his hometown of Newnan, Georgia, June 26 to headline a day-long concert to raise money for residents whose lives were upended by an EF-4 tornado earlier this year. The event raised an estimated $2 million for tornado relief.

“It’s good to be back down here in my hometown of Newnan, Georgia,” Jackson told the crowd of over 20,000. “I’m from Newnan and my wife, Denise, is from Newnan. We were both born and raised here... When we saw what that tornado did coming through here a few months ago, it broke my heart. It broke Denise’s heart.

We had relatives affected by it and friends. The high school that we went to got hit. I was hoping we’d be able to do something to try to help down here and it’s just been amazing how this community came together to make this happen.”

Jackson’s headlining performance was livestreamed and reached nearly a million fans worldwide, allowing them to contribute to the fundraising efforts. Donations can still be made via Facebook, by phone (text “Give” to 844-737-4859), via Venmo (@CowetaFoundation), or online at CowetaFoundation.org/concert. TNM 12 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

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OCT– DEC 2021 13

GALLERY

Labor Day

Local 257 officers and members marched with the “MartyGras” band at the Nashville Labor Day Parade. — L to R, CLIFFORD KOUFMAN, WALTER HARTMAN, JOE GETSI, BILL HUBER, MARTY CRUM, G.R. DAVIS, DAVE POMEROY, NELL LEVIN, MICHAEL AUGUST, LESLIE BARR and BERNIE WALTERS.

1.

LI

R FE M EMBE

2.

3.

1. Arranger and multi-instrumentalist CHRIS CARMICHAEL displays his

25-year pin.

2. New life member RANDY JONES

sharing the stage with his pin and his mandolin.

3. Fiddler/mandolinist/guitarist and Time Jumper JOE SPIVEY digs his

new life member pin.

14 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

Around Town

1.

GALLERY

1. Life member BILLY ROBINSON

celebrated his 90th birthday party at Music City Bar & Grill on August 6.

2. Life member LYNN OWSLEY on

steel at Billy Robinson’s party.

3.

3. Life member GENE “PAPPY” MERRITTS and

his sweetheart Ann Morris attended a Music for Seniors concert Sept. 7 at Plaza Mariachi co-funded by the Music Performance Trust Fund and featuring John England & the Western Swingers. TNM

EDITOR'S NOTE: At press time we learned Billy Robinson passed away Oct. 15.

2. obituary will be included in the 2022 first quarter magazine.

His

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OCT– DEC 2021 15

RAYSTEVENS Life Is a CabaRay

BY WARREN DENNEY Photo: Angela Talley

Ray Stevens moved behind his desk and settled in for conversation. He was at home, in his office at the CabaRay Showroom complex on River Road in Nashville, contemplating the reopening of the venue in September, still weeks away at the time. He was “home” primarily because he was doing what he does every day — tending to his career and to the responsibility of being Ray. 16 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

done it now for well into eight decades, come hell or high water, pestilence or pandemic. He does what he does, and at age 82, can look back on a life unimaginable to the child that grew up in Albany, Georgia.

Stevens, born Harold Ray Ragsdale in 1939, is a singer, a songwriter, an arranger, producer, publisher, multi-instrumentalist, and TV star — in no particular order, but all of a high order. In spite of his well-crafted persona as a comedian, and writer and performer of monstrously popular novelty songs, Stevens is considered one of the most gifted, multi-talented artists of his generation.

He is a two-time Grammy winner, most notably as Male Vocalist of the Year in 1970 for the timeless “Everything Is Beautiful,” a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, the Christian Music Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019. He has had six Top Ten hits on the U.S. country or pop charts, including two No. 1’s with “Everything Is Beautiful” and “The Streak.”

These are the fruits of his labor, the things he holds, as he goes about his daily business. He is proud of what he has accomplished, and the showroom at CabaRay honors that life. And, Stevens is all that because he frames his world clearly — there is humor certainly, there is love and beauty, there is sadness — but above all, there is music.

“I liked all kinds of music [growing up],” Stevens said. “I liked country music.

My dad was raised on a farm, and he loved country music. I was influenced by him. His favorite singer was Lefty Frizzell. And I liked Eddy Arnold. I liked all kinds of people. And of course, pop artists like Patti Page used to cross over a little bit with ‘Tennessee Waltz’ and things like that.

“But, the more I learned about music, the more of a musician I became, and the more I appreciated the nuances in all styles of music. And country music is no different.

I mean, show me a good steel guitar player, and I’ll show you a hell of a musician.”

He could appreciate those nuances because he was an advanced musician by the time he reached his teens. He was ripe for discovery, and following his family’s move from Albany to Atlanta, Stevens met publisher Bill Lowery, and took a first, small step into his musical career. He was introduced to Lowery while still attending Druid Hills High School.

“I was in high school,” Stevens said.

“And, I went to Clairmont Hills Baptist Church. My Sunday school teacher owned a radio station in Decatur — WEAS. I must have gotten up in church and played the piano, and sang or something. Anyway, he told me one morning in a Sunday school class, I needed to meet Bill Lowery. Lowery had just started his publishing company and was looking for songs. I met him, and he said ‘Lad, write me a song.’

“So I went home that night all pumped up, and I wrote a song and took it to him. It was a good song and he liked it.”

Lowery called his friend and producer, Ken Nelson, at Capitol, who liked what he heard, and signed Stevens to Prep Records, a subsidiary label. Lowery suggested he change his name, and Nelson brought him to Nashville to record “Silver Bracelet,” a regional hit out of Atlanta for the young 17 year old. That was 1957.

“I had come to Nashville to make a record,” Stevens said. “Bill knew the studios in Atlanta weren’t up to par at the time. He moved his office out of his basement, which was the first place I met him, into an old grammar-school house in Brookhaven, Georgia, which is out West Peachtree. And it had a lunchroom, and we turned that into a studio.

Photo: Angela Talley

The more I learned about music, the more of a musician I became, and the more I appreciated the nuances in all styles of music. And country music is no different. I mean, show me a good steel guitar player, and I’ll show you a hell of a musician.

continued on page 18 OCT– DEC 2021 17

continued from page 17

He had dreams of being an architect and attending Georgia Tech but wound up at Georgia State, studying music.

18 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

“There was a big septic tank out in the yard, which was behind the school, we pumped it out and put a mic and a speaker in there and made that into an echo chamber...I loved that place. I was a big fan of WOAK in Atlanta. I used to listen to it all the time, because it was the Black station, and they played the Drifters and the Clovers, and the Midnighters and all that old R&B. ‘Work with Me Annie.’ High school kids loved that stuff.”

STEVENS always had a band, or was in a band, in those formative days, but was unsure of which path to really follow. He had dreams of being an architect and attending Georgia Tech, where Lowery was the football play-by-play broadcaster, but wound up at Georgia State, studying music. It was Lowery who believed Stevens would be a big success.

“Well, I always had a little band, ever since I was 15, in high school,” Stevens said. “But I always thought of it as a sideline. And Bill encouraged me.

He said ‘Lad, you don’t want to be an architect. Stay in the music business. You’ll be very successful.’”

Of course, Lowery was right, though Stevens still designs and concepts some building projects on his own today and is a veteran real estate developer.

He’s a builder, no matter how you cut it, whether as a writer, arranger, or producer — or as a dreamer in brick and mortar.

“I didn’t really have a big hit until 1961, and it wasn’t really that big,” Stevens said, laughing. “I was still living in Atlanta, and I wrote and recorded ‘Sergeant Preston of the Yukon,’ based on the radio show. Later, it became a TV show.

“The song was taking off like a rocket. It was going to be a good record, but I had neglected to get permission from the people who owned the character, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, to use in a song. Their [CBS] lawyers sent me a cease-anddesist letter, and I ceased and desisted.

“I was maybe nineteen or twenty, but that experience gave me a clue, and I wrote a song, ‘Jeremiah Peabody’s Poly Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green and Purple Pills,’ which was some kind of a record for a lengthy title. It was a small hit.”

That small hit belies Stevens’ big bang.

It was his key that unlocked the ever-strange consciousness of the American listening public.

The song landed in 1961, the year he signed with Mercury Records, and Stevens moved to Nashville for good in January of 1962.

“Jerry Reed and I had a band in Atlanta,” Stevens said. “We’d go out and play a show on WTJH, the Georgia Jubilee, in East Point on Saturdays. We’d open for the big star they’d bring in

from Nashville every weekend. One week, Shelby Singleton, who was in charge of promotion for Mercury in the Southeast, brought in the Big Bopper to sing ‘Chantilly Lace.’ I played and sang, and Shelby must have been impressed. Mercury had promoted him to A&R, and he had moved to Nashville by then.

“He called Bill and asked if I wanted a job. He wound up offering me an assistant A&R job, but it only paid fifty dollars a week. I balked because I had just gotten married and had a new baby. I told him we couldn’t live on that, and he told me then I could play on all the sessions — hundreds he said — and of course I said we’d be right there.

Penny and I loaded up everything and drove over Monteagle and here we were.”

After arriving he joined AFM Local 257 on Jan. 6, 1962.

STEVENS soon found himself in the company of many of the best musicians on the planet. He and Singleton, along with Jerry Kennedy, would rehearse artists, listen to submitted material, and produce songs with an evolving list of A-team session musicians.

That same month he and his family moved to Nashville, he wrote and recorded his first truly big hit “Ahab the Arab,” which buried itself deeply

within that strange American consciousness, and still reverberates today — albeit much differently.

The song, drawn from his memories of reading Tales from the Arabian Nights: Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love, and Betrayal, changed everything for Stevens, and led to a string of comedic hits in the 1960s, including “Harry the Hairy Ape,” and “Gitarzan,” and “Along Came Jones.” He signed with Fred Foster and Monument Records in 1966, and recorded a broad range of songs, which included “Mr. Businessman,” “Have a Little Talk with Myself,” and his own version of Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.”

Stevens considers those times a manifestation of everything to which he had been exposed — a convergence as he grew into the artist. American radio was wide open, certainly compared to the post-apocalyptic landscape of today. Everything he had soaked in over the years informed his music, and his playing. The kid who wrote about teen love in “Silver Bracelet” could easily embrace doo-wop and R&B, and wind up playing organ and singing background vocals on Waylon Jennings’ “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line,” or producing some of Dolly Parton’s first records at Monument. The world was calling. continued on page 20

Stevens soon found himself in the company of many of the best musicians on the planet.

OCT– DEC 2021 19

continued from page 19

I thought that the guys that were making the music, the session musicians, were really great. They’re on the walls in CabaRay. There’s a plaque there that honors the pioneers — the producers and the musicians in those studios that helped create the Nashville Sound, and who built Music City, USA. “Inadvertently, subconsciously, yes, it did,” Stevens said of his background. “Yes. I remember old songs of all kinds, growing up, because back in those days, radio wasn’t compartmentalized at all.

Big stations, WSB in Atlanta, they would play everything. They’d play a smorgasbord of stuff.

“It’s hard for me to gauge in today’s world, because everything I know is so available. But it seems to me that we were exposed to more of a variety. And that’s more educational really, if you look at it.

Today, people, unless they really want to have the time and the desire to check out the other types of music, they just tune their radio station to, say, a country station, and that's all they ever hear.

“America's been dumbed down tremendously in the area of music. Music appreciation, I should say.”

Stevens views himself as a natural animal in the business.He makes music, from every angle conceivable. He’s certainly worked with the best over the years. And, he’s a fundamental building block in the foundation of Nashville as we know it.

“I’ve never sensed the deep end of the pool,” Stevens said. “I thought that the guys that were making the music, the session musicians, were really great. They’re on the walls in CabaRay. There’s a plaque there that honors the pioneers — the producers and the musicians in those studios that helped create the Nashville Sound, and who built Music City, USA.” Through Stevens’ friendship with Roger Miller, he connected with manager Donny Williams, and would ultimately leave Monument for Barnaby Records, a label owned by singer Andy Williams. Stevens performed on Williams’ hit variety show on NBC, and he was offered the opportunity to host it as the summer replacement in 1970. Again, timing was everything. He wrote “Everything Is Beautiful” for the show.

“So I wrote it after that [television] deal was made because I wanted to write a song that could be used as a theme song that summer,” Stevens said. “I mean, I’ll aspire to anything. And, luckily enough, it was perfect. I was scared to death.

“Fred [Foster] magnanimously let me go to record it for Barnaby, which was newly started and distributed by CBS … it was a scary thing, to do a TV show, and to leave Monument, but it was great. Oh, and I screwed up a lot.”

Stevens continued his roll with “The Streak” in 1974, before landing his biggest country hit with the Erroll Gardner / Johnny Burke classic “Misty.” He earned his second Grammy for Best Arrangement as he interpreted the song through a bluegrass framework. He’s always maintained a presence in the American psyche, and scored hits with “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival” and “Shriner’s Convention” in the 1980s before opening a venue in Branson, Missouri.

20 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

He continued releasing new recordings, including Hum It (1997), Osama Yo’-Mama: The Album (2002), Laughter Is the Best Medicine (2009), Sings Sinatra … Say What? (2009), We the People (2010), Spirit of ’76 (2011), Just A Closer Walk With Thee: Gospel Favorites (2016), among many others. All told, Stevens has released 21 records since 2000.

In January 2018, Stevens opened his CabaRay Showroom, a 700-seat dinner theater, and if that weren’t enough, he has continued to cannily market himself through direct television advertising campaigns of award-winning video collections of performances, a practice he began in the early-1990s, and has built loyal audience with original songs of a patriotic, if not political, bend.

Stevens has released a set of four albums this year, Iconic Sounds of the Twentieth Century: The Soundtrack of Our Lives, in which he covers many of the greatest popular songs recorded, on Curb Records, and most recently has released his latest comedy album Ain’t Nothin’ Funny Anymore, somewhat of a return to his roots, also on Curb.

His creative energy still drives him. As does his sense of humor.

“I’ve been in the studio — I’ve just been making records,” Stevens said. “That’s what I do, and I enjoy the heck out of it. So, I go in and make records. And, I still like to go on stage and make people laugh and make people feel the music.

“I’m constantly evolving. I’m a better songwriter than I ever was, because I've figured out what not to do. That’s a big one — figure out what not to do. What’s the doctor’s creed? First, do no harm. As a songwriter, first, write no bad stuff, you know.” TNM

Photo: Slick Lawson

RAY STEVENS RIG STAGE SETUP • Kurzweil PC88 keyboard • Fender Squire mini electric guitar • Peavey LTD 400 amp • Sure KSM8 series vocal mic STUDIO SETUP • Kurzweil 250 keyboard • Hammond B-3 with Leslie cabinet • Techniques PR-3 keyboard • Roland RD-700 keyboard • K. Kawai 7 foot grand piano • Black Pearl Drums • Neuman U-48 vocal mic

OCT– DEC 2021 21

REVIEWS

wenty-five-year Local 257 member Trace Adkins is celebrating his 25th anniversary in style with a double album, The Way I Wanna Go, an ambitious 25-song musical journey. Adkins’ unmistakable country baritone is cast in a variety of settings, ranging from contemporary country production numbers complete with ambient textures and percussive loops, to more intimate songs that strip things down to the essentials. The album features many AFM 257 members, including drummers Jerry Roe and Shawn Fichter, bassists Steve Mackey and Mark Hill, Jim “Moose” Brown and Gordon Mote on keys, and a slew of great guitarists including Tom Bukovac, Troy Lancaster, Pat Buchanan, Derek Wells, Biff Watson, Ilya Toshinskiy, J.T. Corenflos, and Mickey Jack Cones, who also played keys and coproduced the majority of the album with Derek George.

The opening track “Where I Am Today,” sets the tone with a straight-ahead drum groove from Roe, big chord changes, swirling sonic textures and a busy lyric that Adkins handles with ease. There are several vocal collaborations on the album, including “Where the Country Girls At” with an unusual pairing of Luke Bryan and Pitbull, but their lighthearted approach makes it work.

“Love Walks Through the Rain” is a duet with Melissa Etheridge that rises and falls in dramatic fashion, and the unlikely vocal blend of Etheridge’s bluesy edge and Adkin’s deep tones resonates really well. “Finding My Groove,” cowritten by AFM 257 member Dan Smalley, is a sweet, intimate song with a positive message of hope that Adkins and band deliver in a passionate, yet understated performance with Mike Johnson’s steel as a melodic counterpoint.

“Honey Child” is a flashback song to first love that lifts and descends with soaring slide guitar. “Jesus Was a Hippie” is an unexpected lyrical left turn, with a dreamy backing track surrounding Adkins’ sincere vocal. Starting out with a bluesy piano intro

by Mote, “Memory to Memphis” has a funky groove reminiscent of Little Feat, featuring 22 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

the soulful Keb’ Mo’ on guest vocals and the always amazing Stevie Wonder on harmonica. “You’re Mine” is a gorgeously intimate tune with Johnson’s steel and Jenee Fleenor’s stacked fiddles and mandolin adding the perfect touch.

The second half of the album opens with the title track, with a chugging mid-tempo groove that opens up wide in the verses for Adkins’ big vocal presence, and the lyrics speak to a life full of the right kind of things.

The false ending and big guitar/vocal fade take the listener to an arena-sized venue.

“If I Was a Woman” is a predictably hilarious duet with Blake Shelton, which works because they don’t take themselves too seriously. It includes funky guitar by the late great J.T. Corenflos, and horns by Jim Horn, Steve Patrick, and John Hinchey. “Careful Girl” is a slightly inside lyric about songwriter inspiration, but Adkins’ vocal is unpretentious, and the understated taste of the band brings it all together.

“Somewhere in America” is a driving patriotic-themed tune that celebrates all that is good about our country, a welcome uplifting sentiment during these challenging times.

The unusual duet choices reach a peak with

trace adkins The Way I Wanna Go Verge Records

infamous rapper Snoop Dogg joining Adkins for “So Do the Neighbors,” a jaunt through the melting pot of a diverse neighborhood, and they both sound like they are enjoying themselves in a big way. “I Should Let You Go” brings it all back home to a more traditional country vibe, and shows the vulnerable side of Adkins to great effect with sweet fiddles by Fleenor. “Low Note” shows off the amazing low end of Adkins’ voice in a tongue-in-cheek ode to putting folks in their place. The album closes with “Welcome To,” a party song with twangy guitars that sounds like the beginning of yet another chapter in the very interesting career of Trace Adkins.

Adkins — soon to also include a starring role in the new Nashville-based series, Monarch. Here’s to 25 more years!

— Roy Montana

Old Dominion

Time, Tequila & Therapy RCA Records Old Dominion has carved out their own unique niche in the world of modern country, and their new album solidifies their position on the cutting edge. Local 257 members Matthew Ramsey (vocals, percussion and banjo) Brad Tursi (guitars, uke, and glockenspiel), Trevor Rosen (guitars and keys), Geoff Sprung (bass, synth), and Whit Sellers (drums, programming), are a real band in the true sense of the word, and play everything on the record except for additional keyboards by Dave Cohen. The band wrote all of the songs in various combinations with a few collaborators, including Josh Osborne and coproducer Shane McAnally. Blending a wide range of influences and sounds — while still keeping their identity as a band intact — makes this album hold together as a whole very well, showing many different sides of their approach to making music.

“Why Are You Still Here,” opens the record with a plea to get past a previous relationship that is still haunting the protagonist, and sets the album’s sonic tone with a shimmering mix of sounds and vocals. “Hawaii” is a bittersweet ode to paradise lost, and “Walk on Whiskey,” cowritten with Osborne, has a ‘80s yacht-rock feel with a clever, infectious chorus. The lyric concept and hook

REVIEWS of “Blue Jeans” takes a potentially cliched title and turns it into a catchy tribute to love that works perfectly. The album’s title comes from “No Hard Feelings,” with a pulsing acoustic guitar-driven groove, an honest lyric, and sweet tight harmonies. The ageless Gladys Knight makes a guest appearance on “Lonely Side of Town,” and brings her soulful sound right into the OD wheelhouse over a sweet R&B feel. The vocal exchanges sound natural and joyful.

Cohen’s accordion brings a rootsy vibe to “I Was on a Boat That Day,” which has a bouncing beat and a humorous lyric. “Drinking My Feelings” combines Beatle-ish vocals with a chunky eighth-note feel and an infectious chorus. The dreamy acoustic guitars of “Something’s Not the Same About You,” create plenty of space for this intimate message of reunion and recognition, which demonstrates the band’s keen sense of drama and

dynamics in a big way. The staccato layered guitars and syncopated bass and drums of “Don’t Forget Me” combine to bring a sense of yearning and hope for the future. The album closes with the insistently funky stomp, “Ain’t Nothing Wrong with Love” cojoining slippery guitars, a self-deprecating lyric, and a nicely loose ending.

For those of us who started playing music by being in a band, there is a lot to relate to in this album. Time, Tequila & Therapy reflects the power of a confident, tight group, with a clear sense of who they are, and successfully avoids many of the bro-country cliches that are so easy to embrace. The band’s camaraderie, intelligence, and sense of humor come through clearly, and it is refreshing to hear a successful group who still don’t take themselves too seriously. Hats off to Old Dominion!

— Roy Montana TNM

Old Dominion

OCT– DEC 2021 23

SYMPHONY NOTES

BY KEVIN JABLONSKI

T

he big news, which you’ve probably heard by now, is that Local 257 reached a deal with the Nashville Symphony which put the musicians back to work full time and enabled the 2021-22 season to start as planned. This agreement was reached in late July, and it is a three-year deal that went into effect Aug. 1. It represents a large step in the journey back from the darkest days of the pandemic, since it provides for a return to salaried full-time work and replaces the part-time work the musicians had been doing earlier this year for a weekly stipend.

New season gets new contract and funding boosts

Before the pandemic hit, the musicians had been working under a four-year contract that was set to expire in 2022, but obviously that agreement did not reach its conclusion.

In the new agreement, the musicians’ annual compensation in the first year has been cut seven percent from their salary in the 2019-20 season. In the 2022-23 season, compensation will return to pre-pandemic levels, followed by a 6.25 percent increase in the final year, which will nearly return the musicians to the salary level that would have been reached in 2022 at the end of the prepandemic contract.

The Negotiating Committee that bargained this new agreement consisted of Dave Pomeroy, five musicians (Brad Mansell, Mindy Whitley, Judith Ablon, Radu Rusu, and myself), and our attorney, Kevin Case. We spent several months together in countless meetings, and I would be remiss if I did not thank them all for the untold hours and tireless work it took to reach this agreement.

24 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

The Nashville Symphony is requiring either proof of vaccination or a negative test result in addition to universal masking for audience members to attend a concert.

There was more good news this summer as the symphony received some additional federal aid in mid-July. The symphony was able to secure an SVOG (Shuttered Venues Operators Grant) award of $4.6 million in addition to the two rounds of PPP funding received earlier in the pandemic. In even better news, the SVOG program still has more money to be allocated, so there will be an additional opportunity for applicants to receive a supplemental grant, which could result in a few more million dollars for the symphony.

Changes for symphony, staff, and audiences

If you come to some concerts this year, you may notice in the program that the roster of musicians looks a bit different than it did before. Many musicians have had to make some significant life decisions during the pandemic, and the ratification of our new agreement created a natural decision point for some people. As a result, several have decided to retire or resign from the orchestra.

Sadly, there are too many to recognize here individually, and if I started, I know I would not be able to give each of them and their careers the justice they deserve. It has been an honor and a joy to get to know them as colleagues and friends, and we wish them well in all their future endeavors. As an indication of the significance of their departure and their incredible contributions to the symphony, these musicians have given a total of 218 combined years of service!

As this statistic suggests, many of them have had long influential careers at the Nashville Symphony, so the impact of these departures will be deeply felt. Additionally,

several of these vacancies are in key titled positions, and it will take some time to hold all the auditions necessary to welcome new musicians into these spots. So, the effects of the pandemic on the core of the orchestra will be felt for some years to come.

In August, musicians from orchestras nationwide gathered for the ICSOM conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I’m glad I was able to go in person to connect with these colleagues, but many opted to attend virtually, as the conference had a Zoom option to participate. It was inspiring to hear of the different ways that musicians and orchestras have been able to stay relevant during the pandemic with their music.

The hot topic of the week, though, was the surge of the Delta variant and how this new landscape will affect orchestras as they start their seasons in the fall. Safety precautions are still at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and vaccine mandates of some kind are becoming prevalent as organizations try to add as many layers of protection as they can to combat the dangerous behavior of the variant.

The Nashville Symphony is following a similar course of action, and is requiring either proof of vaccination or a negative test result in addition to universal masking for audience members to attend a concert. This seems to be the safest way that we can get back to business, and we have been more than ready to play as an orchestra onstage again. The new season is slated to get progressively busier and closer to full scale as the year goes on, and we are eager to make the Schermerhorn come alive with music once more.

TNM

JAZZ & BLUES BEAT

Kurt Elling

BY AUSTIN BEALMEAR

Kevin Whalum

In

spite of the onslaught of the "second pandemic" we're glad to report that some local venues are determined to be optimistic and book more jazz and blues. While BB King's remains closed, and Blair concerts are mostly students only, good choices remain for the fall. I must take a minute to add a few words to all the remembrances of a great gentleman and master drummer Kenny Malone. Watching him swing a jazz recording at the old Woodland Studio, or invent a percussion groove with a songwriter at Douglas Corner, his unique approach to music of all kinds was inspiring.

News

I recently discovered the work of the Music Maker Foundation. Since 1994 their mission partners them with unrecognized or forgotten artists to help them live and work in today's music business. Their support includes grants to cover living expenses and instrumental needs; booking the artists in venues where they can also sell CDs; and publishing books, releasing recordings, and curating museum exhibitions. Artists they have sponsored in the past include Taj Mahal, "Sugar Chile" Robinson, Etta Baker, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops (whom I saw recently on PBS).

Among the musical styles their research helped rediscover are the Jubilee Quartet singing of North Carolina and the Piedmont Blues, a unique ragtime-like guitar style from the East Coast. The MMF crew is often on the road searching for "lost" artists. Last July, they found two of James Brown's longtime sidemen on the same day. So, in September bassist Fred Thomas and guitarist Robert Lee Coleman were reunited for the first time in 54 years at the Annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival. For a review of their artists and activities, go to www.musicmaker.org

Tierney Sutton

Donna McElroy

School events

Time again for Jazzmania — the annual fundraiser for the Nashville Jazz Workshop.

The party will be online this year, Oct. 23 at 7:00 p.m., via Facebook and YouTube.

Hosted by Kirk Whalum, featured artists will include guitarist Anthony Wilson, drummer Jeff Hamilton, and vocalists Tierney Sutton and Donna McElroy. For information on how to tune in or contribute, go to www. nashvillejazz.org Note: The link to Jazzmania will remain up for a few weeks following the event, according to Director of Education Lori Mechem.

The School of Music at Middle Tennessee State University has resumed live concerts on campus; masks are required and some concerts will be streamed. I recommend the MTSU Salsa Band on November 30 at 7:30 p.m. For other events, go to www.mtsu.edu/ music/calendar.php. The School of Music at Belmont University has also returned to live performance, masks required, and live streaming starts five minutes before the downbeat. For a schedule and access to the streaming archives, go to www.belmont. edu/cmpa/music/events.

Gigs

The Schermerhorn Symphony Center returned to hosting concerts this fall. Best of the upcoming jazz programs features everevolving guitarist Pat Metheny with a trio on Feb. 7, 2022. He'll be supporting his newest project Side-Eye NYC — read about it at www.patmetheny.com.

For jazz in the Hendersonville area, try a wedding/party venue called Lighthouse on the Lake. Old Hickory Lake, that is. They have an All That Jazz Lounge that offers

Wednesday jam sessions, 6:30-8:00 p.m., and Sunday jazz every second and fourth weekend, which includes Jazz Brunch at 10:00 a.m. and headliners at 4:00 p.m. Vocalist Kevin Whalum is booked for the Oct. 24 evening spot. For more info go to www. lighthouseonthelake.com.

Here's a hot item: After three decades as one of the best tenor players out of New York City, and appearances on over 100 recordings, Joel Frahm has moved to Nashville.

Check him out when he appears with pianist Pat Coil's Trio at Rudy's Jazz Room on Oct. 29 at 8:00 p.m. and Nov. 26 at 5:30 p.m. Two months of rain has caused severe flooding at Rudy's, but they remain open Wednesday - Sunday. Help them out at www.rudysjazzroom.com. At the City Winery, multiple Grammy-winning vocalist Kurt Elling joins 7-string guitar wizard Charlie Hunter, calling the group Superblue — they play Oct. 29 at 8:00 p.m. www.citywinery.com

And finally...

We bid a fond farewell — with a rimshot — to Kenny Malone, by recommending four of his past albums to hunt for while the pandemic refuses to go away.

Minors Aloud is a quintet with Buddy Emmons, Lenny Breau, Charles Dungey, and Randy Goodrum. Flying Fish Records, 1978.

On Bits of Percussion and Jazz percussionist Farrell Morris combined jazz legends Stan Getz and Ron Carter with Kenny and six others for an early digital recording at Woodland Sound Studios. Audio Directions, 1979.

Audio Directions Presents the Grab Bag is a direct-to-disc recording from Sound Stage Studios with 13 Nashville jazzers included George Tidwell and Denis Solee. Direct-Disk, 1976.

Yesterday and Today — Buddy Spicher and Friends showcases the great fiddler with Emmons, Breau, Charlie McCoy, Shane Keister, and more. Direct-Disk, 1977.

See you out there, with a mask.

TNM

OCT– DEC 2021 25

FINAL NOTES

“She was generous to her musicians, encouraging everyone to play what they felt.”

— Pat McInerney

Nanci Caroline Griffith

July 6, 1953 — Aug. 13, 2021

S

inger-songwriter and guitarist Nanci Caroline Griffith, 68, died Aug. 13, 2021. The Texas-born artist termed her music “folkabilly,” and helped usher in a new era of proto-Americana, outside-the-box songs and artists to the country music scene of the ‘80s. She was a 34-year member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 May 26, 1987.

She was born July 6, 1953 in Seguin, Texas, to Marlin Griffith and Ruelen Strawser. Her father was a book publisher and sang in barbershop quartets; her mother was a real estate agent and actress. The family moved to Austin when Griffith was a child. When she was six, she picked up a guitar and learned to play by watching a television tutorial. Griffith recalled a lot of time spent as a youngster listening to the legendary folk singer and activist Odetta, and said that another early influence was Loretta Lynn. “She was the first female [in country music] that I had ever seen who wasn't just a girl singer. She wrote her own songs and she played her own rhythm guitar. And she didn't bouf her hair so high that you couldn't see a bar clock through it.

She was the real thing,” Griffith said.

26 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

By the time Griffith was 12 she was writing her own songs and singing on stage at coffeehouses in Austin. After high school she attended the University of Texas at Austin, and went on to work briefly as a kindergarten teacher until winning a songwriting award

“She was a little bit Loretta Lynn and a little bit Buffy St. Marie, and I sure wish she was here to read this.”

— Pat Alger at the Kerrville Folk Festival. She continued performing live with many other Texas artists including Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and in 1978 released her debut album, There’s A Light Beyond These Woods. Three more records followed, including Once in a Very Blue Moon and Last of the True Believers, which gave Griffith her first Grammy nomination in 1986, for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. The album contained the track “Love at the Five and Dime,” which Kathy Mattea also released,

and for which she received her first Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.

Mattea talked about Griffith as songwriter and mentor.

“I’ve lived with ‘Love at the Five and Dime’ now for 35 years. It’s epic, deceptively simple, and spans the arc of a lifetime in three minutes. Nanci was a brilliant songwriter, from that Texas ‘boys’ club’ of songwriting, but held her own with all of them: Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle. She had a particular point of view about melody, and lyric, and rhythm, that were unlike anyone else. She also championed other songwriters and their songs. There are many stories of her encouraging other young writers, and shining light on their work, whether recording entire albums of their work, or gifting her guitar to a budding writer across a song circle,” Mattea said.

After she signed to MCA in the mid 80s, she moved to Nashville at the urging of producer Jim Rooney. She released four albums including Lone Star State of Mind and Late Night Grande Hotel before a 1993 move to Elektra Records. She won her first Grammy in 1994 for Other Voices, Other Rooms, a collection of songs by other

FINAL NOTES

writers, including John Prine, Tom Paxton, Bob Dylan, and Janis Ian, and produced by Rooney. One of the tracks on the album was a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Tecumseh Valley," which he called “the best cover of any of my songs – ever.” Griffith went on to release five additional albums for Elektra.

Pat Alger, her cowriter on the song “Lone Star State of Mind,” and composer of Griffith’s “Once in a Very Blue Moon,” talked about Griffith as artist and songwriter.

"Nanci Griffith was a naturally gifted songwriter who wrote personal narratives that spoke to your heart. She was not afraid to tackle any topical subject that was on her mind, always passionately getting to the

heart of the matter. Nanci sang everything with a lot of sensitivity and confidence, and her versions of my songs were among the best of my career. She was a little bit Loretta Lynn and a little bit Buffy St. Marie, and I sure wish she was here to read this,” Alger said.

Griffith worked with artists and producers across a variety of genres. She toured with surviving members of Buddy Holly’s band, The Crickets. She collaborated with Hootie & the Blowfish and the Irish group, The Chieftains. She worked with rock producer Glyn Johns for her Storms album. Her songs often reflected her activism — her time in Ireland inspired “It’s a Hard Life Wherever You Go,” about the Troubles — the decades-long Northern Ireland conflict. In 1994, Griffith teamed up with Jimmy Webb to contribute the song "If These Old Walls Could Speak" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization.

Griffith’s plaintive, whimsical voice and earnest songs were artfully woven in the best storytelling tradition of songwriters, and also were poignantly introspective. Her heartfelt music drew a loyal following, and she toured with her band — the Blue Moon Orchestra — both domestically and overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom and

in Ireland, where she kept a flat for several years. Her version of Julie Gold’s “From A Distance” topped the charts in Ireland well before Bette Midler’s hit record of the song.

Her audiences were known for their respectful attention, and their obvious appreciation of Griffith and her band. Her drummer and percussionist, Pat McInerney, played with her for 25 years. He talked about their time together on the road.

“Nanci was a brilliant performer. She could hold an audience in a spell with her words and voice. She was generous to her musicians, encouraging everyone to play what they felt. Most of all, she was my friend,” McInerney said.

Griffith was given the Lifetime Americana Trailblazer Award in 2008 by the Americana Music Association. In 2012 she released her final studio album Intersection. One of the tracks, “Hell No (I’m Not Alright)," was adopted by the Occupy movement. In an interview she said “I was angry about something – apparently everybody else was angry about the same thing.”

At press time there was no available list of survivors and no immediate plans for a memorial service.

Kenneth M. Malone Aug. 4, 1938 — Aug, 26, 2021 Master percussionist Kenny Malone, 83, died Aug. 26, 2021. His career spanned 50 years — he was one of the most recorded Nashville drummers in history. He developed his own unique style of hand drumming and also invented instruments routinely. Malone was a 51-year life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 June 9, 1970.

He was born Aug. 4 1938 in Denver, Colorado, to Harry and Minnie (Scarpello) Malone. “My mom had a picture, when I was about three and a half, of me banging around on everything in the house,” Malone said in an interview.

He asked for a snare for Christmas when he was five, and began lessons soon after, adding marimba by the time he was nine. At 12 he was in the Denver Junior Police Band, reading music and parts for the whole orchestra. As a member of that band he traveled to Washington, D.C., to perform for Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration. At 15 he was playing with a 16-piece accordion band and was in the pit orchestra of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company.

After high school, Malone served 14 years in the U.S. Navy, where after some time spent on an aircraft carrier, he joined the Navy Big Band in Washington, D.C. His many performances included international tours and John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. He then joined the Navy School of Music, where he became the head of the percussion department. It was in that role that he made a connection that would lead him to Nashville. Producer, arranger, and keyboardist Ron Oates recalled how it happened. continued on page 28 OCT– DEC 2021 27

FINAL NOTES continued from page 27

“Kenny and I met in 1963 when he was my bass drum teacher at Navy Music School. Yes — bass drum. Piano majors must minor in a percussion instrument. In October 1969, I was brought to Nashville by Larry Butler, specifically to be a studio pianist. On April 4, 1970, Kenny called me and said he had read an A.P. article about me in the Navy Times paper and that he was passing through town and did I have any sessions he could go to with me. I took Kenny to two recording sessions and he was hooked.

He got out of the Navy after 14 years and moved to Nashville. I got the producers with whom I was working to give him a try. They did. He stayed. The rest is history. Someone helped me when I came to town. I was only paying it back. And I am very proud of my favor,” Oates said.

Among the countless sessions Malone has played on include records for Carl Perkins, Ray Charles, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Don Williams, Dobie Gray (“Drift Away,”) Merle Haggard, Crystal Gayle (“Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,”) Charley Pride, Barefoot Jerry, Béla Fleck, John Hartford, New Grass Revival, B.J. Thomas, Bobby Bare, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Dolly Parton, (“Jolene,”) Dr. Hook, Kathy Mattea, Alison Krauss, Darrell Scott, Floyd Cramer, Jack Clement, and many others. He has appeared on at least 50 Grammy-winning records.

Malone played every conceivable percussion instrument, plus anything that happened to be lying around — keys, spare change, or whatever was handy. He some-

times played a drum track with one stick, leaving the other hand free to bring in different tones. He was credited on a Doc Watson session with playing “things.” He built instruments as well, some with the help of another well-known percussionist — Sam Bacco. These included the Shak-ka, a wood and metal shaker, and an original clay drum called the Og, the origin of which is told in a YouTube video, in which Bacco and Malone perform “Hand Sandwich.”

Local 257 President Dave Pomeroy said Malone was an innovator who expanded the vocabulary of Nashville drumming. In an interview, Malone talked about his process for finding the right sound in a session.

“I’ll bang around on everything you know, ’cause that’s the fun of it, finding out what type of sound you have. When I first asked Jack Clement what he wanted me to play on something, he says, ‘I don’t care what you play as long as it sounds good.’ …I’ll play paint cans or anything that makes the sound of the record, you know, that makes it match the attitude of the record.”

Malone’s musical philosophy reflected an almost metaphysical understanding of sound. In an interview he said “Music is in everything, not just the instruments we play.

The way that chords, melody and rhythm work together mirrors our emotions.”

In the ‘90s Malone played in a percussiondriven fusion band called Tone Patrol. Other members included Pomeroy, Sam Bacco, Biff Watson, and Larry Chaney. The group released two albums and won a Nashville Music Award

for Jazz Band of the Year.

Malone was a gifted teacher, always ready to pass on his wealth of knowledge.

He released an instructional DVD called Drumming with Your Hands in 2010. An excerpt shows him playing “The Crawdad Song” with Cowboy Jack Clement.

In 2020 Malone was honored as a Country Music Hall of Fame Nashville Cat; a program that recognizes musicians who have made significant contributions to music.

In addition to his parents, Malone was preceded in death by one daughter, Laura Pugh; and one son, Kenneth Malone, Jr. Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Janie; one sister, Jeanette Scarpello; two daughters, Teresa Rich and Karen Powers; nine grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at some point in the future. The family has said that memorial donations may be made to the Nashville Musicians Association Crisis Assistance Fund. More information on the fund can be found at www.nashvillemusicians. org or by calling 615-244-9514.

Timothy Wayne Akers May 18, 1962 – Aug. 30, 2021 Arranger, producer, keyboard player and songwriter Timothy Wayne Akers, 59, died Aug. 30, 2021. He was a sought-after session player, live performer, and musical director who worked with a plethora of artists, and most recently toured with Rascal Flatts. He joined Local 257 Jan. 1, 1994.

He was born May 18, 1962, and grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He began to play the piano at the age of five, and cited his earliest influences as R&B, and added funk and jazz after being introduced to the genres by his middle school band director. “Earth, Wind, and Fire changed my entire life. I was 11 years old, and that was the funkiest thing I had ever heard in my life. I found what I loved,” Akers said.

Akers attended Belmont University where he studied arranging, and began to play on sessions for fellow students. After college he moved to Orlando, Florida and worked for Disney as a player and arranger. Seven years later he returned to Nashville. From 1997 through 1999, he was the music director for TNN’s Prime Time Country starring Gary Chapman.

28 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

He performed with literally hundreds of artists from all genres including Dolly Parton, SHeDAISY, Bruce Hornsby, Paul Williams, Jimmy Webb, Lou Rawls, and Kevin Bacon.

His session work included recordings for Michael McDonald, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Trace Adkins, Glen Campbell, Pam Tillis, and many others. His songs have been aired on television shows such as Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and Lois and Clark. He’s toured with a host of artists including Vince Gill, served as musical director for LeAnn Rimes, and directed a plethora of “All-Star” shows where he worked with Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Gino Vannelli, John Legend and many others.

Friend and fellow musician Tom Hemby talked about playing with Akers and their friendship.

“There is a certain union, an intimacy, an indescribable connection of souls that happens when two or more musicians lock into a groove and then in unison emotionally deliver a musical story. This was fortunately the great other-world experience that I was so honored and blessed to have experienced with my good buddy Tim Akers. We

knew how to talk and deeply communicate through music.

“Thanks for always being there, pal, as a bandmate, an encouraging brother, and a crazy good friend. Thanks for boldly and unashamedly being a godly servant, a friend to many, a loving husband, a wonderful dad, and a sappy granddaddy, a caring son, and a great steward of your God-given genius talent,” Hemby said.

Akers was the leader of Tim Akers and the Smoking Section, a 17-piece band of

“Thanks for always being there, pal, as a bandmate, an encouraging brother, and a crazy good friend."

— Tom Hemby local heavyweights who played horn-based funk and R&B music to sellout crowds in Nashville and elsewhere. In March 2015 the band’s cover of “Uptown Funk” drew over 300,000 YouTube views and brought the

FINAL NOTES group international recognition.

Woodwind player and Smoking Section member Mark Douthit talked about his long friendship with Akers.

“I have known and worked with Tim for over 35 years. His excitement for music was evident in everything he wrote or played.

Showing up to a session or gig that Tim was on always made me smile knowing that, not only would we share making great music, but also that we would get to enjoy each other’s company and friendship,” Douthit said.

In a 2015 interview Akers had a message for young musicians: “Don’t be afraid to be excellent. Learn your craft.

Put in your 10,000 hours and be excellent at what you do.”

Akers is survived by his parents, William J. Akers and Billie Faye Cox Akers; his wife Dianna, one son, Chase Akers; one daughter, Camille Akers Blinn; and two grandchildren. A celebration of life was held Sept. 14 at Bethel World Outreach Church in Brentwood, Tennessee. Memorial donations may be made to the Tim Akers Memorial Fund at gofundme. com/f/the-tim-akers-memorial-fund.

Donald Brooks Jackson Feb. 21, 1942 – Aug. 30, 2021 Conductor, arranger, clarinetist, and saxophone player Donald Brooks Jackson, 79, died Aug. 30, 2021. He was the conductor for 55 major orchestral albums, and worked on a plethora of sessions for a wide variety of artists. He joined Local 257 April 28, 1972.

He was born in Mobile, Alabama, Feb. 21, 1942 to the late Eugene Randolph and Pauline Carlock Jackson. He graduated in 1960 from Red Bank High School where he won the John Philip Sousa Award and was named Outstanding Alumni. From 1969-1978 he was the Hawkins Junior High band director, and then worked as a performer, music director, arranger and conductor for Illiad Studio in Nashville, producing three gold albums. He conducted 27 albums for the London Philharmonic Orchestra and five for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra — 11 of which went platinum. In fact, Jackson was the conductor on seven of the only 14 classical albums to become million sellers.

Jackson would also go on to make his mark outside the classical world, playing and arranging live and in the studio for a multitude of artists including Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Johnny Cash, Placido Domingo, The Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, Vienna Boys Choir, Boston Pops Orchestra, Nevada Symphony, Nashville Now, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Brenda Lee, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, Lorrie Morgan, Floyd Cramer, Oak Ridge Boys, Chet Atkins, Chubby Checker, Fats Domino, B.B. King, Jimmy Ruffin, Four Tops, Temptations, Mary Wilson, Mar-

tha Reeves, and Al Hirt.

In addition to his other work, Jackson made time to perform live in several local bands, including The Fairlanes, and bands for Pat Patrick and Barry McDonald.

Woodwind player and professor emeritus Johnny Duke spoke about his friend Jackson.

“I remember him with Pat Patrick's Band, Barry McDonald's Band — always a great player and friend. One of his crowning achievements was his work with the London Philharmonic Orchestra where he both arranged and conducted wonderful albums. Don was much loved by his many friends and family. My condolences to Carol, his devoted wife for many years, and the rest of his family. Rest in Peace, Don. Hope we meet again some day,” Duke said.

Drummer Ken Sanders remembered his friend and fellow player.

“My personal memories of Don include his playing at Tennessee Tech continued on page 30 OCT– DEC 2021 29

FINAL NOTES continued from page 29

with the famous Tech Troubadors. We also recorded together at Audio Media. Don gained a sterling reputation as a musical arranger and a symphonic director. The Nashville music community has lost yet another remarkable musician, educator, composer and citizen,” Sanders said.

Jackson was preceded in death by one brother, Steve Jackson. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Carole Lanham Jackson; three sons Donald, Eric, and David Jackson; one daughter, Suzanne Jackson; and six grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Sept. 11 at the Hendersonville Church of God in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Donations can be made to the Don Jackson Grace Notes Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Hendersonville Church of God, 724 E. Main Street, Hendersonville, TN, 37075.

Clarence E. “Frog” Greene May 27, 1925 – Aug. 28, 2021 Multi-instrumentalist Clarence E. “Frog” Greene, 96, died Aug. 28, 2021. He played with Doc Watson for several years in North Carolina, and was an AFM life member who joined Local 257 May 14, 1981.

He was born May 27, 1925 in Boone, North Carolina to Abner Bedford Greene and Bettie Culler Greene. According to family, his nickname arose from his habit of carrying frogs in his pocket to school, and once placing one in his third-grade teacher’s desk. In addition to frogs, he was drawn to music, and learned to play guitar, banjo, mandolin and bass. He also sang lead and harmony vocals.

Greene joined the U.S. Army and served during World War II in the Pacific Theater. He was awarded several medals including the Bronze Star.

30 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

“One of his crowning achievements was his work with the London Philharmonic Orchestra where he both arranged and conducted wonderful albums.”

— Johnny Duke

After his discharge, Greene played gigs with Doc Watson, and at square dances and other venues around the area. He made regular appearances on WATA radio in Boone. Greene also performed with Bill Monroe throughout his career. He also worked as a police officer in Boone, and after moving to the Nashville area was a security officer for 10 years for the Nashville Technical School. Family remembered his love of telling jokes and stories. After his retirement he and his wife enjoyed performing in the '80s and '90s for local seniors at area nursing homes and other venues, and after her passing he continued to perform until 2013.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 42 years, Armolee; one brother, Carl Greene; one half sister, Winnie Greene; and one half brother, David Greene.

Survivors include one stepdaughter, Marlene Crosby; and one stepson, Dana Miller.

Graveside services with military honors provided by the American Legion Post 130 were conducted Oct. 17 at the Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery in the Meat Camp community.

The family suggests memorials be made to the Farm Café, 617 West King Street, Boone, NC 28607.

FINAL NOTES

Clavis Eugene “Gene” Hughey March 29, 1941 – Aug. 2, 2021 Bassist Clavis Eugene “Gene” Hughey, 80, died Aug. 2, 2021. He was a longtime member of Conway Twitty’s band The Twitty Birds, and a life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 Dec. 1, 1976.

Hughey was born March 29, 1941 in Helena, Arkansas, to Raiford Sharp and Mable Walker Hughey, and graduated in 1959 from Central High School. Hughey’s first instrument was rhythm guitar, which he started to play when he was 15. He worked at a Safeway to help support the family.

When Hughey was 18 he worked on his bass chops and got a touring gig with piano player Will “Pop” Jones, who had played with Ronnie Hawkins previously. After touring with Jones, he played with the Slim Rhodes show in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1970 he began to perform with his younger brother Raymond and sister Connie in a band they called Our Grand-Parents Children. Gene sang and played drums for the group. The band’s name was “a tribute to their loving parents who reared 11 children together at the Helena Crossing, and they believed their parents were grand,” Raymond said in a post on Facebook.

In 1976 he began playing bass and singing backup vocals for fellow Helena resident Conway Twitty. He performed for 17 years alongside his brother John Hughey, a steel guitarist.

After Twitty’s passing, Hughey worked until his retirement at New Day Christian Distributors in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Longtime friends and coworkers remembered him as a soft-spoken gentleman — kind and funny, with a big heart and lots of stories. His brother Raymond said Gene would be remembered for his dedication to loving and caring for his parents, siblings, nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one sister; Connie Hanson; and three brothers, Jimmy, John, and Billy Hughey. Survivors include two brothers, Raymond and Toney Hughey; four sisters, Nell Orcutt, Mary Ann Walker, Linda Pedigo, and Carolyn Forkum; many cousins; and other family and friends.

Funeral services were held Aug. 6 at the Roller-Citizens Funeral Home in West Helena, Arkansas. Burial followed at Odd Fellows Cemetery in West Helena. continued on page 32

Gene Hughey (far left) with members of the William “Pop” Jones band.

OCT– DEC 2021 31

FINAL NOTES continued from page 31

Charles Wyatt March 15, 1943 – Aug. 6, 2021

Charles Wyatt, award-winning author, professor, and longtime principal flautist for the Nashville Symphony, died Aug. 6 at the age of 78. He was a life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 Sept. 15, 1975.

Wyatt was born March 15, 1943. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, and a Masters of Music from Philadelphia Musical Academy.

He first played opera with Philadelphia orchestras, as well as new music in Buffalo and New York City, New York. He then served in Washington, D.C., as a member of the Marine Corps Band. Following this, he began a 25-year career with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra as principal flautist.

He began to write poetry and prose during this period, and went on to obtain a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1991 from Warren Wilson College. In 1974 he married fellow musician and Local 257 member Cindy Reynolds, who is a harpist, arranger, teacher and poet.

After leaving the orchestra he continued to publish both poetry and collections of short fiction, and also taught writing at a host of colleges and universities including Oberlin, UCLA, and the University of Nebraska.

In an online bio, Wyatt talked about the nature of his transition from music to author.

“Since my background is that of a symphony musician, it’s not surprising that I have begun to think of the process of writing and reading as a kind of performance. We come to writing with the same urge to express ourselves as a musician has to be heard.”

Wyatt also found musical roots in his career as a professor. “I come to teaching creative writing from another place — the world of music. Musicians listen to each other, and I try to encourage writers to listen to each other (and to themselves) with the same intensity. Language is heard, even when we are reading. And writing must be practiced in the same sense that musicians practice scales,” Wyatt said.

His writing has appeared in publications like American Literary Review, The New England Review, and New American Writing, among others. Wyatt’s books include

DO WE HAVE YOUR CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS? Local 257 sends important advisories to members by email, including updates on our annual NAMM pass giveaway, and invitations to Local 257 events. Don't be left out of the loop! Notify the front desk of any changes to your contact information, including phone number, address and beneficiary.

Call 615-244-9514 to make sure we have your correct information, or email contact@nashvillemusicians.org

Listening to Mozart and Swan of Tuonela, a novella, Falling Stones: The Spirit Autobiography of S. M. Jones, and the poetry collection Goldberg–Variations, winner of the 2014 Carolina Wren Press Poetry Series. He is the recipient of the 2010 Chad Walsh Poetry Prize and the Writers at Work 2013 Fellowship in Poetry.

He is also a recipient of the R. V. Cassill Fellowship in fiction by the Christopher Isherwood Foundation and an Individual Artist Literary Fellowship in fiction from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Survivors include his wife Cindy; two sons, Peter and Alexander; and two grandchildren. A memorial service was held Aug. 16 at Woodlawn-Roesch Patton Funeral Home. Memorial donations may be made to the W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School.

TNM

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NASHVILLE MUSICIANS ASSOCIATION

MEMBER STATUS

NEW MEMBERS Ellen Angelico Darol Anger August T Arnold Steven E Bishir Traci S Bishir Justin Richard Hiltner Micah Samuel Hulscher Noah Joseph Hungate Bronwyn Emily KeithHynes Michael Halpin Lawing Rachel Michelle Loy Jared Manzo Benjamin Thomas Miller Desmond Phillip Ng Robert E Ocker

Richie B Owens Todd Phillips Tim Quick Kaitlyn Marie Raitz Andres Felipe Roa Harry A Robinson Daniel E Smalley Ty S Smith Anna M Spina Zander M Sugarman Michael Utley, Jr Craig Lee Young

REINSTATED Jeff Berlin Richard Allen Boyer Mark A Corradetti James Terry Crisp Michael M Durham Jerry Allen Flowers Archie P Jordan Peter Michaelson Pisarczyk Thomas John Paul Samulak Herb Shucher Jeff T White

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

Life Member

Timothy Wayne Akers

05/18/1962

01/01/1994

08/30/2021

John F Bell

05/06/1940

10/27/1981

09/06/2021

Y

Kathleen E Berk.

01/28/1946

08/29/1979

08/25/2021

Y

Clarence E Greene

05/27/1925

05/14/1981

08/28/2021

Y

Nanci C Griffith

07/06/1953

05/26/1987

08/13/2021

Clavis E Hughey

03/29/1941

12/01/1976

08/02/2021

Y

Don B Jackson

02/21/1942

04/28/1972

08/30/2021

Y

Joe L Jackson

06/19/1928

01/01/1957

09/28/2021

Y

Kenneth M Malone

08/04/1938

06/09/1970

08/26/2021

Y

Bob Loyce Moore

11/30/1932

10/09/1948

09/22/2021

Y

Larry Sasser

08/19/1947

10/01/1968

09/29/2021

Y

Mary Curtis Taylor

01/09/1937

09/30/1970

09/04/2021

Y

Kim Chadwick Tribble

11/14/1951

09/06/1991

08/26/2021

Charles M Wyatt

03/15/1943

09/15/1975

08/06/2021

Y

OCT– DEC 2021 33

DO NOT WORK FOR

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. When you work without the protection of an AFM contract, you are being denied all of your intellectual property rights, as well as pension and health care contributions.

TOP OFFENDERS LIST Tommy Sims dba Positive Movement and Mike Tash/Cue Management Sims remains in violation of a 2012 court order to pay more than $300K owed to musicians since 2008, and Tash has been aiding and abetting his efforts to avoid responsibility for more than a decade.

RFD-TV – We have filed a Federal lawsuit against RFD-TV for non-payment of rerun payments to musicians for the Marty Stuart Show, the Statler Brothers Show and Ray Stevens’ Caba-Ray for the year 2019 and 2020. We have every expectation that we will win this legal challenge and obtain payments with late fees added.

Nashville Music Scoring/Alan Umstead – solicitation and contracting non-union scoring sessions for TV, film and video games. Musicians who work for them are being denied appropriate wages and all intellectual property rights.

Electronic Arts/Steve Schnur – commissioning and promoting non-union videogame sessions and exploiting musicians' intellectual property for his own gain.

These are employers who owe musicians money and have thus far refused to fulfill their contractual and ethical obligations to Local 257 musicians.

• • • • • • • • • •

Terry K. Johnson/ 1720 Entertainment (unpaid contracts/unauthorized sales – Jamie O’Neal project) Ed Sampson (producer) & Patrick Sampson (artist) (multiple unpaid contracts/ unauthorized sales) Revelator/Gregg Brown (multiple bounced checks/unpaid contracts) 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) HonkyTone Records – Debbie Randle (multiple unpaid contracts/pension) Jeanette Porrazzo

Next Membership Meeting

Thursday, Nov. 4 5:30 p.m. on Zoom 34 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

UNPAID CONTRACTS AND PENSION Knight Brothers/Harold, Dean, Danny & Curtis Knight River County Band/SVC Entertainment (unpaid demo conversion/pension) UNPAID PENSION ONLY Comsource Media/Tommy Holland Conchita Leeflang/Chris Sevier Ricky D. Cook FJH Enterprises Matthew Flinchum dba Resilient Jeffrey Green/Cahernzcole House Randy Hatchett Missionary Music Jason Morales (pension/demo signature) OTB Publishing (pension/demo signature) Tebey Ottoh Ride N High Records 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 The Collective TNM

HOLIDAYS VETERANS DAY | THURSDAY, NOV. 11 THANKSGIVING | WEDNESDAY, NOV. 24 AT NOON — FRIDAY, NOV. 26 HOLIDAY BREAK | MONDAY, DEC. 20, 2021 – JAN. 2, 20222 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY | MONDAY, JAN. 17, 2022

OCT– DEC 2021 35

Nashville Musicians Association PO Box 120399 Nashville, TN 37212-0399 —Address Service Requested—

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R E A L E S TAT E .

IT’S NOT JUST

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Allow me the honor of serving you in your next Real Estate endeavor, no matter how large or small. §

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