In the past, I have had the pleasure of working with, and mixing, many great country artists, including icons such as Willie Nelson, George Jones and Merle Haggard. I enjoy mixing “country” shows because they have it all: exceptional songs, prodigious playing, outstanding harmonies and nuance. When mixing a show such as these, the former three components are somewhat easy to capture. It’s the nuance that becomes the challenge, but when captured correctly, it makes all the difference in the mix.
In regard to nuance, one of my favorite shows to mix was Del McCoury. The request from the band was for a single Audio-Technica AT4050 microphone to be set up in the middle of the stage with no foldback at all. I rang out the entire sound system to the microphone, and then Del and the band came out and positioned themselves — fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals — around the mic. Boy, did I have that mic sounding good! The mix was clear and balanced, and every instrument sounded just right and sat perfectly in the mix, behind the flawlessly mixed vocals. Not one note was missed during the individual solos, and the clarity of the backing instruments was spot on. I was blown away — not only by the music, but also with the dexterity used to execute the performance. Talk about nuance!
Music City USA
Music City indeed. But why Nashville? Not only has the city managed to maintain and grow its revered reputation throughout the years, but it has also translated a rich and colorful past into one of the most current and viable music centers in the U.S. Situated on the Cumberland River — one of the major waterways of the Southern U.S. — and at the intersection of interstate highways 24, 65 and 40, Nashville is a relatively easy destination point for those traveling by car from cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Louisville, Memphis and New Orleans. With an estimated population of about 645,000, Nashville ranks 25th in the listing of the top 50 U.S. cities, and while the Nashville numbers are not even close to those of the first and second metropolitan areas of New York and Los Angeles, the town has been, and continues to be, a seminal an influence on the national music scene.
Of course, it would be remiss to say that all great American music came from the latter three cities since, throughout the years, there have been influential and significant music scenes in a variety of locations. From 1860 to 1960, Beale Street in Memphis had a burgeoning music scene that could lay claim to such great performers as W.C. Handy and B.B. King. Memphis was also the home of Stax Records, a label that featured incredible artists like Otis Redding and Sam & Dave. Of course, one cannot mention Memphis music without including the still-operational Sun Studio, which recorded luminaries such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis and Johnny Cash. Detroit had the history-making Motown Records, which dominated the charts with the Supremes, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and so many others. Backing up all of these stars and creating an original Detroit sound was the group known as “The Funk Brothers” and, much like their Los Angeles-based counterpart, “The Wrecking Crew,” they played on hundreds of tunes produced by Motown Records.
Out of Alabama came the “Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section,” a group of session players referred to by Lynyrd Skynyrd as “The Swampers.” From the late 1960s through the 1970s, Muscle Shoals was the go-to studio and band for many top-name artists ranging from The Rolling Stones to Paul Simon. In the latter half of the last century, San Francisco began a musical scene, which produced a trove of bands such as The Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane. Nirvana and The Foo Fighters arrived via Seattle, while New Orleans gave the world a variety of great artists ranging from the Dixieland Jazz of King Oliver to the rhythm and blues of Fats Domino. Chicago’s music scene has had an amazing influence on American music and has given us Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Willie Dixon, to name a few. Philadelphia always had a great musical scene and artists from Dizzy Gillespie to the Roots hail from Philly. Gamble and Huff produced a slew of hit records with the session band TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) and Hall & Oates as well as The Hooters have called the city home.
Other great music cities with a dynamic musical heritage include Kansas City; Atlanta; Minneapolis; Asheville, NC; Athens, GA; Tulsa; Louisville; and Austin. These are a few that top the charts of go-to cities with thriving music scenes but, as an enduring and vibrant scene, Nashville is still one of the big three. Mainly, all of the top three cities are home to the majority of the major recording labels and, despite the move away from major label deals, ambitious musicians still flock to the centers where they might find work. With strong urban music scenes in New York and Los Angeles that rely upon DJ’s and backing tracks, it comes as no surprise that many great players have been drawn to the vibrant scene in Nashville where they can find gigs in the district while hunting for the next major tour.
The Early Days
In an attempt to provide the denizens of Nashville a majestic revival house, businessman Tom Ryman completed the construction of the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892, which, upon his death in 1904, was renamed in his honor and endures today as the Ryman Auditorium. The Grand Ole Opry didn’t make its home in the Ryman Auditorium until a good 18 years after its inception in 1943, but by that time, The Opry was a well-established Nashville showcase for great country talent. In 1925, The National Life & Accident Insurance Company received full-power clearance from the government and commenced broadcasting with the call letters WSM. National Life’s competitor, Life & Casualty, started its own station with the same broadcasting power and, in 1926, the two stations were broadcasting to an almost national audience. Musicians were streaming into Nashville to get a chance to play for the great exposure on the WSM “Barn Dance.” In 1927, the show was renamed The Grand Ole Opry, and it was on its way to be the longest running live broadcast show on radio.
Shortly after World War II, Nashville started to grow as a music center. Publishing houses, record companies and booking agencies came into being as spinoffs from the WSM programming and Grand Ole Opry. Around the same time, WSM bandleader Francis Craig recorded the song “Near You” in the WSM studios and released it on Nashville’s own Bullet Records. The song became the biggest hit of 1947, and Nashville was on the charts as a music destination. By 1960, Nashville’s own session band, The A-Team, was churning out hits behind some of music’s biggest stars and — while the country music scene stayed strong — the clubs on Jefferson Street were hosting influential R&B acts such as Etta James and Ray Charles. Country stars led by Dolly Parton took to the television airways and scored big with the American audiences, and then, in the 1990s, Garth Brooks reinvented the meaning of “huge,” with Taylor Swift taking the baton and running with it in recent years.
Meanwhile rock ‘n’ roll continues to come to Nashville by the way of current artists like the Kings of Leon and The Black Keys, and country music has made the crossover into the popular music market with audio support from local companies such as Thunder Audio, Spectrum Sound and Brantley. So, I ask again, why Nashville? Because hidden under the soft spoken country exterior is a determined, progressive thinking, entrepreneurial city filled with talented and resourceful individuals who share a common goal to make, promote and market great music. “Why Nashville indeed?” Maybe it’s the nuance.
