November 20, 2017, Issue 577 Artists On Board Not only have Kix Brooks, Terri Clark, Tracy Lawrence and Chuck Wicks had success on Country radio – they’re making their mark in it. Country Aircheck spoke to them about being on the other side of the mic. Hero Worship: Clark first airchecked as part of Cumulus’ America’s Morning Show team in 2013 (with Wicks, Blair Garner, Lee Ann Womack and Sunny Sweeney) and now hosts Westwood One’s Country Gold. A radio gig was her lifelong dream. “I’ve always been Kix Brooks a fan of listening to the radio and gotten attached to certain personalities and deejays,” she says. “They were the stars. I wanted a shot of being part of that. To me, it’s expand- ing your brand and thinking outside the box. Reba told me years ago, always try different opportunities when they come along. It keeps Grist Jockeys: Big Loud’s Jake Owen (r) is interviewed by Jimmy you fresh, it keeps you challenged – and she Buffett (l) and Michael Utley as their alter egos Bing and Bong was right.” before the Florida Hurricane Benefit Concert in Tallahassee last Lawrence hosts Compass/Silverfish’s Honky night (11/19). Terri Clark Tonkin’ With Tracy Lawrence and cites former WSIX-FM/Nashville afternoon team Carl P. Mayfield and Dean Warfield as inspirations. Remembering Mel Tillis “When things were rockin’ in the ‘90s, I would The late Country Music Hall of Famer call Carl P. every day in the afternoon drive,” wasn’t just a songwriter, artist, performer, he says. “I was on that show a lot.” Lawrence actor and publisher, he was a student of the also names WSM-AM’s Bill Cody and Devin business. Mel Tillis is also remembered for O’Day, KNIX/Phoenix’s Tim Hattrick and Willy helping bring country to a wider audience. D Loon, and Spotify’s John Marks as early The Oak Ridge Boys’ Duane Allen ap- encouragers. “I was called in many times as a preciated Tillis’ early support and the lessons Tracy Lawrence guest deejay before he imparted. “He taught me how to release Mel Tillis (continued on page 5) ©2017 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] November 20, 2017 Page 3 goes way beyond just finding a song. He understood the whole pro- cess of finding great songs and how to release them to radio.” Fellow Hall member Bobby Bare calls Tillis “the last of my fishing buddies,” a brother and a friend. “He was great to be on a boat with,” he says. “Our first fishing trip in Florida, he fell in. I grabbed him by the leg as he fell over backwards. I pulled him back up and he said, ‘I-I-I always fall in.’ He wasn’t lying. He used to fall in a lot. “He was a real good business man and eventually bought Cedarwood Publish- ing. He was the first person I Bobby Bare met in Nashville and ‘Detroit City’ [which Tillis wrote] gave me the depth I needed. That was the one thing that really kick-started my career.” Artist manager/agent Jim Halsey represented Tillis from the mid-’70s to the late ‘80s, and also counted him a friend. “Mel was not only talented, writing more than 1,000 songs – more than 300 of which were cut – he was also a good business man,” he says. “A lot of artists just wanted to be told where to go and how much money they’d get. Mel was very interested in how things would project in the long run of his career. “The Halsey Company’s annual ranch parties were fa- mous for having all the top fair, rodeo and TV buyers to our ranch outside Tulsa. We’d put them up for the weekend, have a big pit barbecue and our whole roster would play. Well, in 1974 we see Mel’s bus full of his band coming up the hill to the ranch. We didn’t represent him at the time, but we’d Jim Halsey talked about it. He wanted to perform and I told him it was only for people on our roster. He said he was thinking about joining, but there were certain things he wanted. “He wanted [an improved] itinerary, and our head of fairs pointed out we had the buyers from the 10 biggest fairs. He wanted more money and I told him we could double what he was getting as he was being un- dersold. ‘The thing I really want is singles to radio,” Allen says. “Our first country single ‘Y’all Come television,’ he said. ‘I want to be on Back Saloon’ was coming up the charts and Mel said it was a the Tonight Show.’ Well, the producer Freddy de Cordova was there great choice. ‘You’ll find out your uptempo and before we left the meeting he was booked. Mel signed with us, songs will go up the chart faster,’ he said. ‘For he played the party and he went on to do the Tonight Show so many the second single you’ll want to follow up with times. Johnny Carson loved him something similar and uptempo. It won’t sell . “That was his way,” Halsey says. “He studied everything with as much, but it will get the chart action you a serious eye and was one of the guys who helped bring country need to be recognized as quickly as possible. music into the mainstream.” –Chuck Aly Then, on the third single, release a ballad that women will buy and your sales will take off.’ “Well, our second single was ‘You’re The Chart Chat Congrats to Chris Janson, Kristen Wil- Duane Allen One’ and when we hit the third with ‘I’ll Be liams, Tom Martens and the WAR promo- True To You,’ sales went through the roof. That tion team on securing this week’s No. 1 with was our first smash No. 1 and it was so true to everything Mel told “Fix A Drink.” The song is the first single from us. The love song was so successful we put it on our next album, Everybody. Songwriters are Chris DuBois, too, as an extra. Ashley Gorley “Mel was so intelligent but he had common sense, too. And it and Janson. Chris Janson ©2017 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] November 20, 2017 Page 5 The Week’s Top Stories Full coverage at www.countryaircheck.com. • Mike Moore was named Entercom Country Format Captain (11/13). • ACM Lifting Lives’ 2017-2018 board was elect- ed (11/13). • Steve Bogard was elected President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (11/14). • Cumulus bond holders agreed to inject $350 million of new capital into the company (11/14). • Carrie Underwood will co-host Grammy’s Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special (11/15). • CRS 2018 New Faces of Country voting start- ed (11/16). • Rebel Engine hired an in-house promotion team (11/16). • The Entercom/CBS Radio merger closed (11/17). • Entercom KSON/San Diego moved to 103.7 (11/17). • Country Hall of Famer Mel Tillis died at the age of 85 (11/19). • KKGO/Los Angeles and KMPS/Seattle flipped to all-Christmas (11/20). • Scott Clayton joined WME Nashville (11/20). • Jessica Tyler will join WDRQ/Detroit Dec. 15 (11/20). Artists On Board (continued from page 1) people were even doing that,” he says. “I was also one of the first artists to guest host Lon Helton’s Country Countdown USA.” For 11 years, Brooks has hosted American Country Countdown, a seat formerly held by his mentor, National Radio Hall of Famer Bob Kingsley. “When ABC called me to do this, my first call was to Bob to get his bless- ing,” he says. “And I obviously love to hear my self talk,” cracks Brooks, “so it was kind of a fun fit.” Wicks, who now co-hosts Cumu- lus’ morning show Ty, Kelly & Chuck (with Ty Bentli and Kelly Ford), counts Kingsley, Garner, Brooks and And kudos to George Briner and the Valory crew on se- Bentli as mentors. “Blair opened up the doors for me big time in the curing 55 adds for Thomas Rhett’s “Marry Me,” topping this world of radio. And I really look up to Ty because we’re in the same week’s board. age bracket, and his dream was to be in radio and have success. I had the dream of singing and being on radio. So now we kind of meet in the middle, and I News & Notes tell him, ‘If you feel like I could do this or that Rome Radio’s WSRM/Rome, GA is now an affiliate forEnvi - better, let me know.’” sion’s Hank FM format. Art Of The Interview: What’s it like to Black River’s Craig Morgan and Lot18.com have partnered be the one asking the questions? Brooks, a to produce Old Tattoo, a limited-edition Cabernet Sauvignon. communications major in college, brushed Available here. up on his skills when ABC sent him to an interview school on the ESPN campus in Jeannie Seely has signed with 117 Publicity for exclusive Chuck Wicks representation. Connecticut. “I never realized how difficult Shenandoah have extended their 30th Anniversary Tour into radio was until I started doing this show,” says Brooks. “I took 2018. Full schedule here. some voice lessons to learn how to breathe and talk – and G-Force/New Revolution’s Lucy Angel is the latest addition to obviously I still don’t have a big voice like great announcers Taylor Guitars’ Artist Endorsement Program.