Nashville, We’ll be right back!
It’s been a couple of weeks now since the Cashbox Magazine Mothers Day Showcase on May 9th, 2010. It was a great trip and an amazing event featuring some really fine talent and some truly wonderful new friends were made. Whoever said “getting there was half the fun” perhaps should have rephrased it “SOMETIMES getting there is half the fun.” I won’t go into details but suffice to say that because we booked late due to the uncertainty of the date we ended up getting flights that took us the long way around! Fourteen hours of travelling for a two hour direct flight.
Once we arrived in Nashville we were in for a memorable experience. I should clarify the “we” in this blog. The management and creative team of Entertainment Music Group and Breakin’ Records , Sandy Graham and Rose Mary Learn were of course there, guiding the ship and getting the organization done and as a special treat my sixteen going on thirty two year old nephew Ian, Sandy’s son and a huge rockabilly fan was also part of the troupe. His job description was staff photographer!
We arrived late Friday night and first thing Saturday morning we were at the KMA Records and NBRN.FM offices on Old Hickory for a 10 AM live radio interview with the lovely Carey Latham. I call them offices, which they are in the technical definition, but in reality they are in an old house that belonged to the legendary country music star Kitty Wells. Keith Bradford, one of the owners of KMA and NBRN.FM was Kitty Wells’ bass player and emcee for sixteen years and purchased the property. More on Keith later. Interview completed we headed over to The Nashville Palace for a rehearsal with the band for the showcase, The Appalachian Vibe led by guitarist Brandon Bailey from Burnsville, North Carolina. Great bunch of guys, Ronnie Robinson on keys, B.J. Wyatt on bass, Eric Jensen on drums, Chris Sigman on pedal steel, Matthew Sigman on acoustic guitar and Brandon Bailey on lead guitar. The lovely and talented Debbie Phillips lent her support with background vocals. The tracks I sent them to learn never made it until a day before so they basically learned them on Saturday. They were all pros so all in all it worked out well and we got through the rehearsal.
Sunday morning we did a live radio phone-in interview with Hugo Straney at CHIN back in Toronto and then headed to The Palace and the show. The show went well, was well received and we added a second show.
The talent was awesome and varied in style and content so it was an interesting afternoon. Old friend Larry Patton, Honky Tonk singer extrodinaire and bass player attended with the love of his life Pamela and joined the entire cast onstage for a rousing ensemble version of the staple closer ‘I Saw The Light!’
The following day Monday was an off day before we left for home and we did a little old fashioned sightseeing. The Ryman, The Country Music Hall of Fame and Music Row which include a tour of Studio B, the RCA studio where Elvis recorded 250 songs. Awesome!
The next day we flew home, stopping in Charlotte North Carolina where we did a live phone-in radio interview with Chad Bertrand at CHIP in Quebec.
It was a great trip and a huge step in building for the future. A solid relationship was formed with Keith Bradford and his team and we are now in the planning stages of opening offices in the Guitar Town and establishing a business partnership with Keith Bradford and the KMA Records team. Everything is happening as it should.
Lots to do and to the folks in Nashville….”We’ll be right back!”
