The Nashville Musician — October - December 2025

REVIEWS: SHAWN CAMP | OLD DOMINION | RIDERS IN THE SKY

REVIEWS: SHAWN CAMP | OLD DOMINION | RIDERS IN THE SKY Membership Meeting Zoom and at Local 257 Membership Meeting Zoom and at Local 257

OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF AFM LOCAL 257 OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2025

Details on the upcoming member meeting Wednesday, Nov. 5, on Zoom, and also in person. Presentation of the 2026 Annual Dues proposal, reports from the president and secretarytreasurer, and other important information.

LOCAL Dave Pomeroy talks about the changes at Local 257, downtown musician issues, updates on negotiations, and other important topics.

Rich Eckhardt talks about his own musical journey, and the importance of

and

COVER STORY: THE STEELDRIVERS The story of The SteelDrivers is woven with determination, reinvention, and an enormous amount of talent. Writer Warren Denney explores the past, present and future of this amazing band, as they celebrate their 20th year.

A new book detailing the history of the iconic Western group Riders In the Sky, and reviews of excellent new albums by Shawn Camp and Old Dominion.

JAZZ & BLUES What’s going on in the Nashville area jazz and blues

bid farewell to David Briggs, John Marcus, Robby Turner, Drew Thomas, Don Mills, Benny Birchfield, Joe Edwards, and Eberhard Ramm.

OFFICIAL QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE NASHVILLE MUSICIANS ASSOCIATION AFM LOCAL 257

PUBLISHER EDITOR

MANAGING EDITOR

ASSISTANT EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

WEB ADMINISTRATOR AD SALES

LOCAL 257 OFFICERS PRESIDENT

SECRETARY-TREASURER

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Dave Pomeroy

Rich Eckhardt

Kathy Osborne

Leslie Barr

Warren Denney

Roy Montana

Kathy Osborne

Dave Pomeroy

Dave Pomeroy

Leslie Barr

Kathy Osborne

Michael Minton 615-244-9514

Dave Pomeroy

Rich Eckhardt

Casey Brefka

Jerry Kimbrough

Alison Prestwood

Laura Ross

Biff Watson

Tom Wild

Jonathan Yudkin

EXECUTIVE BOARD ALTERNATES

HEARING BOARD

Paul Ossola

Will Barrow

Michele Voan Capps

Tiger Fitzhugh

Teresa Hargrove

Kent Goodson

Sarah Martin McConnell

Dave Moody

Ellen Angelico

TRUSTEES

SERGEANT AT ARMS

PARLIAMENTARIAN

NASHVILLE SYMPHONY STEWARD

OFFICE MANAGER

ELECTRONIC MEDIA

SERVICES DIRECTOR

RECORDING/ELECTRONIC MEDIA

Bruce Radek

Biff Watson

Steve Tveit

Bill Wiggins

Melinda Whitley

Savannah Ritchie

Billy Lynn

Paige Conners

William Sansbury

Cassandra Tormes

Alona Meek

DIRECTOR, LIVE/TOURING DEPT. AND MPTF COORDINATOR

MEMBERSHIP

Michael Minton

Madyson Traum

The next Local 257 General Membership Meeting will be a hybrid meeting held virtually using the Zoom teleconference platform, and in person at Local 257 Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.

On the agenda will be a vote to approve the 2026 Annual Dues, reports from the president and secretary-treasurer, a vote to approve the 2026 Annual Dues, plus other general discussion.. Please plan to attend and get involved in the business of your local.

@2025 Nashville Musicians Association

P.O. Box 120399, Nashville TN 37212 All rights reserved. nashvillemusicians.org

NASHVILLE MUSICIAN

DO WE HAVE YOUR CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS?

Local 257 sends important advisories to members by email, including updates on negotiations, community engagement, 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

NASHVILLE MUSICIANS ASSOCIATION

AFM LOCAL 257, AFL-CIO MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD ZOOM MEETING

SEPT. 22, 2025

PRESENT: Dave Pomeroy, Rich Eckhardt, Biff Watson, Jerry Kimbrough, Laura Ross, Paul Ossola, Alison Prestwood, Will Barrow, Jonathan Yudkin

ABSENT: Casey Brefka, Tom Wild

Meeting was called to order at 9:03 a.m.

AGENDA ITEMS

Dues

• Discussed and approved the decision to keep annual dues at $299 (and $183 for life members) for 2026.

Parking Program

• Discussion about the challenges with the parking program, including difficult to find lot locations.

Parking Issues on Music Row

• Discussed the threat of paid parking on Music Row, initiated by the Department of Transportation (TDOT). Working with other stakeholders to keep paid parking off of Music Row.

Lower Broadway Campaign and Fair-Trade Music

• Dave Pomeroy talked about gathering resources and people to restart a campaign on Lower Broadway to unite musicians who play regularly in clubs, and promote better treatment of players via a Fair-Trade campaign highlighting clubs that treat players well.

American Income Life

• Discussed the renewed relationship with American Income Life and the new $3,500 Accidental Death and Dismemberment benefit for all members at no cost.

Innovate Nashville Book Participation

• Discussion on participating in the Innovate Nashville book to increase Local 257 exposure to other local businesses. The board voted in favor of inclusion in the book if no hidden fees arise.

AFL-CIO Membership

• Discussion continued regarding the benefits of joining the Tennessee AFL-CIO as dues-paying members in this Tennessee labor organization. The board voted favorably.

Meeting adjourns at 9:56 a.m.

BY DAVE POMEROY

Aswe enter the fourth quarter of 2025, it is quite an exciting and unpredictable time here in Music City. We’ve gained an influx of new members from a variety of musical genres, with wide-ranging skill sets — from Lower Broadway club players and touring bands, to orchestral musicians, as well as jazz, bluegrass and world music virtuosos. We are connecting with musicians like never before, and our meetups and events are helping people connect with one another as well. Local 257 has grown to over 2000 members, and it is exciting to see all the interaction and inspiration that we share with each other – and the world. That’s the power of music.

Welcome, Rich

First, I would like to thank Rich Eckhardt for stepping up from the Local 257 Executive Board to the position of secretarytreasurer. He and I have a long history of Local 257 involvement together going back to the early ‘90s. Back then, there was a disconnect between the rules governing live engagements versus the reality of bands playing original music in clubs for the door receipts without a guarantee. Many members, like me, were brought up on charges for violating Local 257 Bylaws, and some musicians chose to leave the union rather than be harassed. Finally I stood up and spoke out at a meeting about this problem, and was made head of a committee to see what could be done. Rich and Kathy Shepard were on that committee, and we wrote a new bylaw stating that “When playing original music in a listening room, the bandleader can be the employer.” This simple change finally gave the bandleader the option to be the employer when playing for the door receipts. It was a big step in the right

Gratitude, Determination, and Hope

direction, and showed how speaking out and stepping up can make a difference.

New NSO contract

We recently negotiated a new four-year contract for the musicians of the Nashville Symphony. It was not an easy process, and I want to thank the musicians of the negotiating committee for their hard work on behalf of their colleagues, and the orchestra committee for their dedication to making things better as well. It has been a challenging time for NSO musicians, and this contract offers some much-needed hope for the future. I urge all of you to support the NSO by attending concerts at the Schermerhorn.

For example, the NSO’s Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience concert was an exceptional performance, presented to a full house of music fans. We have recently restarted our AFM 257 ticket discount, and encourage all of you to get out to see and hear the amazing musicians of the Nashville Symphony. Use the code AFM$ to get your ten percent discount to events at the Schermerhorn.

TPAC and Broadway

I recently went to see The Wiz at TPAC, which was a top-notch production with excellent actors and singers. The great pit band was comprised of touring Broadway musicians combined with some of Nashville’s finest freelance players nailing the intricate score throughout. There is no experience like live music, and I urge all of you to support our fellow musicians whenever you can.

On a related note, we are renewing our efforts to improve working conditions and wages for the musicians who play the Lower Broadway clubs downtown. The new Park and Play program has brought in a lot of new members, many of whom are from that world.

We were working on this pre-pandemic, and the time is right to restart the effort. We’ll keep you posted on further developments.

Thank you, Leslie

I want to thank Leslie Barr for her many years of hard work as the head of our live music department, and her invaluable help keeping countless individual pension contributions going to the Pension Fund in an efficient and accurate fashion. She helped many members get gigs in a variety of scenarios, and her work with the Music Performance Trust Fund provided gigs for members and helped our community at the same time. Michael Minton, who many of you already know from the front desk, is moving into Leslie’s position and we look forward to working together to take things to the next level.

AI

As we prepare for SRLA negotiations with the major labels, a hot topic will be the use — and misuse — of artificial intelligence. We were able to get protections against AI misuse in our TV and Film contract negotiations over the past several years. We will be working to protect recording musicians in every way possible from this latest technological challenge to our ability to make a living in the creative world. Make no mistake, authenticity has tangible value and we will do all we can to limit the abuse of technology in every possible way.

The human element is what makes music special, and we will do all we can do to protect the ability of musicians to make a living. That’s what we do, and we will never stop trying to make things better for our amazing community of musicians. Thanks for your trust in us – it means everything. When we work together in unity and harmony to make things better, it helps us all move forward into the future.

Making music is what bonds us

Thank you for reading my first of what I hope will be many secretarytreasurer quarterly articles. First, I want to thank Will Barrow for the tremendous job he has done as secretary-treasurer. As I trained for this position I recognized more and more that I have big shoes to fill, but I intend to keep the office of secretarytreasurer thriving and growing as we move forward together.

Many of you may know me already and a lot of us may have gigged together at some point in the past but I’m sure I’m a stranger to most of our membership. If you will indulge me, I’d like to give you a little bit of my background for my first column. I have been a member of Local 257 for over 36 years and have been proud to serve on the executive board for the last six years.

with many Nashville icons including Eddy Raven, Mel McDaniel, Blake Shelton, Rodney Atkins, Becky Hobbs and John Berry. In 1998 I hitched my wagon to Toby Keith’s rising star where I stood to his right every night on stage for 25 years, and watched him grow from a solid mid-level opening act to an unparalleled superstar with more hit records, awards, and industry accolades than 10 artists!

In the early years Toby would perform around 130 shows a year. We stayed on the road from March to December playing every dive bar, county fair and festival that would have us. As much as I loved touring, the thump, thump, thump of a kick drum through a 20,000-watt PA system at eight in the morning was an annoying alarm clock. Once we grew to headlining status

A few of my career highlights are my two critically-acclaimed solo instrumental albums, Soundcheck and Cottage City Firehouse, which were released in 2005 and 2009 respectively. In 1997 I also had the good fortune to lay down some guitar work on the Grammy-winning Amazing Grace, Vol. 2: A Country Salute to Gospel, and played on a few multiplatinum-selling albums by Toby Keith.

I’ve spent the bulk of my time since moving to Nashville on the road touring

we finally relaxed into a more comfortable 45 dates a year playing larger venues, while still seeing around one million fans a year. It fulfilled a lifelong dream for me to tour with an artist of Toby’s stature. That type of touring is what I moved to Nashville to do, and I never took a minute of it for granted.

After Toby’s passing in February of 2024, I found myself with an uncertain future. I didn’t know if there was still a place for me on the road as a player. Music and the music industry was all I knew.

BY RICH ECKHARDT

It has been my experience that active participation in the AFM is important whether you are a member or an officer.

When I got the call from President Dave Pomeroy asking if I would be interested in taking the secretary-treasurer position when Will stepped down, I was thrilled. I had often thought that after my touring career stopped or slowed down, a larger role at the AFM might be a logical direction for me to turn, so this felt like the right fit at the right time.

It has been my experience that active participation in the AFM is important whether you are a member or an officer. To paraphrase International Secretary Ken Shirk, without the active participation of its members the AFM is a paper tiger. When the membership unites together for a common purpose, like better wages and work conditions, the results can be tremendous. There is power in numbers and a musician shouldn’t have to attempt to navigate the choppy waters of the music industry alone.

I have always felt the courage to pursue a seemingly impossible career with confidence, knowing that I was not doing it without the support of Local 257 and its members. Musicians have a mutual respect and are very much like a family. We all feel a kinship because of our love of performing and making music, which is what bonds us. And we are blessed in Nashville to have what I feel is a community of the finest musicians in the world and we should always support each other.

I’m honored to be here in the position of secretary-treasurer and I am here to help all of you the best I can.

AFM Local 257 has worked on the issue of downtown musician parking for well over a decade. The problems have been complicated by changing Metro administrations, a huge influx of tourists, and changes the city has made to downtown streets to accommodate the uptick in traffic. But welcome news arrived in September, when Metropolis Parking made 24 lots near Nashville venues free to Local 257 members. Check out the Park & Play map to see the list and addresses of the free-to-member lots. NOTE: There are ongoing updates to the list. For the very latest free parking lot list, go to metropolis.io/parkandplay

ECKHARDT NEW secretary-treasurer

Rich Eckhardt was sworn in as the new secretary-treasurer at Local 257 Sept. 1 by Local 257 President Dave Pomeroy. Will Barrow, who formerly held the office, resigned Aug. 31, to devote more time to his music career.

Local 257 Bylaws specify the rules for filling a position under these circumstances. The executive board elects a replacement until the next general membership meeting. Following the August general membership meeting, a nominating meeting for the secretary-treasurer office was held, and Eckhardt was the only nominee for the position, and was elected by acclamation.

Eckhardt is a guitarist, and has toured with several artists — including many years with Toby Keith. In accordance with Local 257 Bylaws, alternate executive board member Casey Brefka was moved to full board member, and Will Barrow was appointed alternate executive board member.

Eckhardt, Brefka, and Barrow will complete the current term, which ends in December 2026. Elections for new three-year terms for officers, board members, and convention delegates will be held in November of 2026.

HOT RIZE

The Hot Rize band was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in a ceremony held Sept. 18 in Owensboro, Kentucky. Local 257 member Tim O’Brien (lead vocals and mandolin/fiddle player), along with bassist Nick Forster, banjo player Pete Wernick and guitarist Charles Sawtelle, met at the Denver Folklore Center and formed the band in the late ‘70s. The group combined a clear homage to bluegrass pioneers with creative explorations that expanded their sound, and stretched it far beyond more traditional bands.

Hot Rize toured internationally for well over a decade, and released nine acclaimed albums, including three in the persona of the band’s alter ego — Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. They won their first IBMA award for Entertainer of the Year, in 1990, the year the group disbanded.

The band regrouped for occasional reunion appearances and a 1996 release titled So Long of a Journey. Guitarist Bryan Sutton, also a Local 257 member, joined the group in 2002, following Sawtelle’s passing in 1999. Hot Rize recorded When I’m Free, a set of mostly original songs in 2014, and later a live album from their 40th Anniversary Bash reunion in 2018.

“I am deeply grateful and moved,” O’Brien said.

NEW EXHIBIT EXPLORES MUSCLE SHOALS CONNECTION

Several prominent Local 257 members started their musical journey in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Dan Penn, Norbert Putnam, David Briggs,

Jerry Carrigan, Spooner Oldham, and Mac MacAnally were among the musicians who made the migration to Nashville, and then quickly began to make their indelible mark on the music business here. To celebrate and explore the Muscle Shoals story, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is preparing to open its next major exhibition, Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising.

In a small corner of Alabama by the Tennessee River, local musicians, songwriters and producers created a swampy, Southern sound that merged R&B, country, blues, and soul. The exhibit tells the story of this distinctive music and how Black and white creators found a way to work together at a time when segregation prevailed.

Some of the artifacts on display include a Penn jacket and a MacAnally guitar, plus items from Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Duane Allman, and many other artists who recorded in Muscle Shoals. The more than 5,000-square-foot exhibit will survey the emergence of Muscle Shoals as a recording epicenter in the 1960s and 1970s and spotlight its enduring cultural impact. The exhibition opens Nov. 14, and is slated for a nearly three-year run.

Several events and panel discussions at the Hall are planned for opening week, including a concert Nov. 14 featuring Tiera Kennedy, Bettye LaVette, Wendy Moten, Spooner Oldham, Dan Penn, Maggie Rose, Shenandoah and John Paul White. The house band will be led by guitarist Will McFarlane and include Mark Beckett (drums), Mickey Buckins (percussion), Kelvin Holly (guitar), Clayton Ivey (keys), Charles Rose (horns), and Bob Wray (bass). Additionally, a songwriter session with Penn and Oldham is set for Nov. 15, and a Musician Spotlight featuring MacAnally is scheduled for Nov. 16.

JIM LAUDERDALE AND BRAD PAISLEY 2025 SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME

Local 257 members Jim Lauderdale and Brad Paisley are among the 2025 inductees to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The class will also include Steve Bogard, Don Cook, Emmylou Harris, Tony Martin, and the late JJ Cale. The event will be held Oct. 6 during the organization’s 55th Anniversary Gala at the Music City Center.

Lauderdale was inducted in the Contemporary Songwriter/Artist category. Paisley was also inducted in the Contemporary Songwriter/ Artist category, as he deferred his nomination in 2024 until this year.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame launched in 1970. Its 247 previously inducted members include songwriters and artist-writers Bobby Braddock, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Tom T. Hall, Harlan Howard, Alan Jackson, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Bob McDill, Bill Monroe, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, and Don Schlitz.

Life Member Reception

THE ANNUAL LABOR DAY PARADE held Sept. 6 was rainy but joyful, and the Local 257 Marching Band had the luxury of traveling the parade route on a truck bed with IATSE stagehands

from Local 46. (l-r) Mike Wyatt (drum), Scott Ducaj (trumpet/ bandleader), Chris Dunn (trombone), Joe Getsi (clarinet), Marty Crum (banjo), and Bill Huber (tuba).

continued on page 12

AFM MILESTONE

MEMBER PINS

LIFE MEMBER

1. Drummer and keyboardist VINCE BARRANCO shows off his new life member pin.

2. Guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and producer GORDON KENNEDY digs his life member pin.

3. Longtime Sawyer Brown drummer and percussionist JOE SMYTH takes his life member pin for a walk in the woods.

4. Guitarist MICHAEL SPRIGGS celebrates his 50 years of Local 257 membership with Dave Pomeroy and a big smile!

5. Dave Pomeroy presents violinist JOHN MICHAEL FOX with his life member pin.

6. Longtime pals STEVE HAMBLEN and JOHN HEINRICH celebrate their life member pins and John’s 50 year pin as well.

7. Drummer and percussionist GREG MORROW poses with his new 25year pin in the Local 257 lobby, with Dave Pomeroy.

Keyboardist Will Barrow's ensemble, Tudo Bem, performed Brazilian tunes at Plaza Mariachi during a free concert Sept 10 sponsored by Music for Seniors and funded in part by MPTF.

PHOTOS: David Thomas

Now streaming: Nashville Musicians podcast

The new Nashville Musicians podcast series has gotten off to a great start. Five of the episodes are posted on our YouTube channel, including interviews with members Willie Cantu, John Cowan, Martin Motnik, Jimmy Hall, and Bergen White. We will continue to add to our library of conversations with some of Nashville’s most unique and interesting musicians.

Helpful reminders from your Local 257 recording department

In order for musicians to get their pension contribution credited to their account, it is essential that the appropriate AFM employer agreements be signed by the individual or company that actually owns and controls the music. The session payment process cannot be completed if we do not have that information, and an up to date agreement signed by the employer. Major labels have term signatory agreements in place, but many other employers do not. Remember, anyone can pay for the session, but the signatory (employer) is the owner of the recording. Please make sure this is taken care of at or before the session whenever possible. All of our signatory agreements are online at nashvillemusicians.org/scalesforms-agreements

Special account billing (One check or wire can do it all)

For employers who simply want to make one lump sum payment for a project and not have to file any tax documents, the Local 257 Special Payroll Account Billing is the way to go. A single check or wire transfer payable to AFM Local 257 allows employers to make one easy payment for all session musicians, including pension. We write the checks and handle all the tax paperwork. A three-percent processing fee and 7.65 % are added for Social Security taxes and Medicare, all of which is taken care of with the single payment by the employer. The Local 257 Special Payroll Account can be used for any type of AFM agreement and is being (used) more and more by many employers. Please let us know if you would like to use this option.

LOCAL 257 HOLIDAYS

Veterans Day

Tuesday, Nov. 11

Thanksgiving

Noon Wednesday, Nov. 26 through Friday, Nov. 28

Holiday Break

Monday, Dec. 22 through Friday, Jan. 2, 2026

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, Jan. 19, 2026

Presidents Day Monday, Feb. 16, 2026

Protect your own recordings

Many of us record our own music, either solo or with a band, in addition to working for others. Putting your project on an AFM contract protects everyone involved, builds your pension, and allows us to help you. Legitimate licensing companies know they have an obligation to pay the musicians under the appropriate AFM contract if the music is picked up by a label, or used in TV, film, commercials — aka a new use. If you are a solo artist or part of a co-op band, you can use the AFM Joint Venture agreement to document the percentage split among band members, and protect your work without hiring a lawyer. Contact us to determine which agreement is appropriate for your sessions. We have contracts that cover everything from streaming to master recordings including television, motion pictures, live albums and more.

THE STEELDRIVERS STAYING POWER

When you consider the SteelDrivers at twenty, you must consider how quickly the earth spins away on its axis — accompanied by the trends and vagaries of popular music.

Few groups have managed to navigate time and space as well as the SteelDrivers, a bluegrass band of broad scope and range, one that refuses to be easily defined even as they hold a steadfast course.

Fiddle player and multi-instrumentalist Tammy Rogers King has been there for the full ride, as has bassist Mike Fleming and banjo player Richard Bailey. The current lineup also includes Brent Truitt on mandolin and lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Dame.

by warren denney

Former members include powerhouse Chris Stapleton, stalwart Gary Nichols, and Kelvin Damrell, all serving as lead vocalists and guitarists, and the late Mike Henderson on mandolin. A blues and rock guitarist by nature, it was Henderson’s power and vision, along with his collaboration with Stapleton, that drove the band home.

“We jokingly call Mike Henderson the architect because he’s the guy that first called everybody,” Rogers King said recently. “He may have been rolling around the idea longer than that, but I know distinctly it hadn’t occurred to me to play any bluegrass again like that until I got the call from him in August of 2005.”

Rogers King had found her gift at an early age, and was steeped in bluegrass and folk, having been born in East Tennessee and raised in Texas. She played bluegrass — and classical — for a couple of years after graduating from Belmont, without gaining much notice, until someone gave her name to Tony Brown. Patty Loveless was looking for a woman who could play fiddle and sing harmony.

“It was an amazing opportunity,” she said. “I came down and auditioned, and at that point had never really played country music or played in an electric band. I’d never played with a pickup. I didn’t know anything, but it was an incredible opportunity, and Patty was amazing. She was the best.

“It was kind of light bulb moment. This is cool. It set me on my way professionally. It was really kind of like things went at hyperspeed. It was amazing.”

Also, during those formative years, she would find herself backing Trisha Yearwood, and then notably, became a founding member of the Dead Reckoners. Rogers King had worked with Henderson in the mid-1990s as part of that coalition, a group of Nashville artists who sought greater control over their work with their own Dead Reckoning Records.

That experience, which included Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch, Harry Stinson, Fats Kaplin, Rogers King, and Henderson, laid some important groundwork for the independent thinking that serves as underpinning for the SteelDrivers.

“We played a lot together, made a lot of records in different configurations during that time,” Rogers King said. “But, once the Dead Reckoning thing went away, and I had my daughter in 2001, I didn’t see Mike for a while. I was hanging out at the house a

little more. That’s when he was writing with Chris, and I think that’s where the idea [for the SteelDrivers] was hatched.

“They were writing so much stuff, and obviously when you hear Stapleton’s voice, your jaw drops — immediately.”

“We’re a band that features all original music, played on traditional instruments.”

— Tammy Rogers King

Significantly, Henderson was keeping his regular Monday night gig — a blues gig — at the Bluebird during that stretch, working that music which ultimately made its way into the heart of the SteelDrivers. He called Rogers King that summer, along with Fleming and Bailey.

“So, he really handpicked and called exactly the people that he wanted to try this

idea out on,” she said. “And that was the first, the original lineup, the first two records.”

It was the right alchemy. Things fell into place almost effortlessly.

“I mean, it was pretty quickly, and again, you don’t hear that voice [Stapleton’s] and not go ‘Wow — this is something,’” she said. “And then they started pulling out these songs and we were all kind of astounded at what they’d been writing.

“I remember first hearing ‘If You Can’t Be Good Be Gone,’ and I thought it was part of the classic catalog, and they said they had written it. What?! It was so authentic and so steeped in tradition. It was amazing. ‘If It Hadn’t Been for Love.’ ‘Sticks That Made Thunder.’ Songs so unique and so powerful. Just masterpieces of writing. It was apparent to all of us very quickly that this could be something really special.”

It was. And is. It is bluegrass most definitely, but driven hard by the sensibilities found in blues, country, rock & roll — you name it. It can be said that early, primordial folk brought forth American music, continued on page 18

conjured the mongrel. Bluegrass — and by virtue, the SteelDrivers — is in that mongrel’s DNA.

Bassist Fleming believes in the power of the band’s songwriting over the years — the skilled work that allows the songs to tap into the human experience, wherever that might lead.

“Traditional folk and bluegrass songs were about real-life struggles,” Fleming said. “Love gone wrong and various tragedies that one can only imagine. I think the songwriting throughout the SteelDrivers twenty years honors that tradition.

“’Sticks That Made Thunder’ about what an oak tree would think of a Civil War battle. ‘Good Corn Liquor’ with the consequences of making moonshine. ‘I Choose You’ as a declaration of choosing love everyday with your partner. ‘Burnin’ the Woodshed Down,’ and who knows if it is just the structure that perished. ‘The River Knows’ is a traditional river murder theme except the woman is the protagonist.”

You get the idea. The band leans into the wind. When the SteelDrivers broke out with The SteelDrivers on Rounder in 2008, the record fired a shot across the traditional bow.

“The band’s first recording had an impact on the bluegrass world,” Fleming said. “Instead of a high lonesome singer, we had a Southern-rock bluesman [Stapleton] that could knock you out of your seat, and Mike Henderson brought the blues, especially on our second recording, Reckless. Tammy, Richard, and I filled in the blanks — harmonies, instrumental leads and arrangements.

“I think bluegrass is having a big resurgence. It always does. Just like most styles of music, there will be rises and falls.”

— Tammy Rogers King

“Most of us had played as backup musicians for country, singer-songwriter, and Americana artists. No one was a cut-anddried bluegrass player, although most of us logged plenty of time in the genre. The songwriting was excellent. Songs that other genres of music did not think were worth recording. Many of these recordings are now sung like anthems at our concerts …

“I don’t think we were aware in the early years that a blueprint had been written: Soulful singer that has never played bluegrass, stellar songs, and instrumentation that serves the song.”

Rogers King echoes the sentiment.

“There’s been a very strong band identity from the beginning, and we maintain that,” she said. “… I guess the best way I’ve ever described it is to say that we’re a band that features all original music, played on traditional instruments.

“That's really what it is. Yeah. I mean, we’re not necessarily approaching our catalog and our songs maybe like a traditional bluegrass band would, because we’re doing — we’re just playing the song. We’re playing what’s going to work for the song. It just happens to be with a fiddle and a banjo and a mandolin, and an acoustic guitar and an upright bass.”

The SteelDrivers have recorded seven records during the twenty-year run — the first two previously mentioned, along with Hammer Down, The Muscle Shoals Recordings, and Bad For You, all on Rounder, Tougher Than Nails with Gaither Music Group, and the most recent, Outrun, released in May of this year on Sun Records.

All told, the band has been nominated for four Grammys, earning one with the Best Bluegrass Album for The Muscle Shoals Recordings in 2015.

The cadre has built a loyal and discerning audience. It is true the magnitude of Stapleton’s success post-SteelDrivers has allowed for some greater awareness of the band, but staying power speaks for itself.

“After the departure of Mike, and addition of Brent Truitt on mandolin, we primarily had to move from one lead singer to another,” Fleming said. “Gary Nichols, our second singer, brought the whole package — singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With him, the SteelDrivers won the Grammy in 2015. When he departed, I thought ‘Is it time to throw in the hat?’ I remember one of our first dates after his departure at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival — Adam Wakefield was subbing in for the gigs, and he could hit those high notes and that gospel shout of a vocal that Stapleton does so well.

“The audience was with us. It was the first time I heard people singing our

songs. These fans were in attendance because they wanted to hear SteelDriver songs. It did not have to be a perfect replication of the recording, but the musical essence and spirit. Since then, we’ve released recordings with lead singers Kelvin Damrell [Bad For You] and Matt Dame [Tougher Than Nails and Outrun]. Both could, and can, sing the catalog. The songs that our ‘SteelHeads’ fans sing now come from all our recordings.”

“After twenty years, we are who we are. If anything, I’d say we put a touch more blues into bluegrass.”

— Mike Fleming

And, the aforementioned trends and vagaries in popular music don’t have to be all bad. As has cycled up before, bluegrass is having a moment. The older, traditional catalogs are more accessible than ever,

and the popularity of current artists, including the SteelDrivers, is high.

“I think bluegrass is having a big resurgence,” Rogers King said. “It always does. Just like most styles of music, there will be rises and falls. Bluegrass had a huge bang in 1946 when Bill Monroe had Flatt and Scruggs in the band, and they were playing the Opry and tearing the house down.

“And, then there was another huge resurgence in the ‘60s with the folk revival, and that was all part of that scene. Then suddenly you had JD Crowe, and Tony [Rice] and Ricky [Skaggs] and Jerry [Douglas] and all those guys in mid-‘70s doing that massive record JD Crowe and The New South. And then again, you kind of had the O Brother [Where Art Thou?] phase in the ‘90s, which was another huge scene — it breaks out into the mainstream. And, I think we’re experiencing that again with Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle.

“Of course, you have Alison [Krauss and Union Station], and all she has done over the years. There are others. I think

continued on page 20

we’re somewhere in that mix, and I think it’s great. It never truly goes away, but there are definitely waves to it. Bluegrass is very, very healthy right now in my opinion.”

With Outrun, the SteelDrivers have landed a record that is at once traditional and progressive. Everything from murder on the river, as Fleming noted, to running hot, to a prisoner’s wail, and beyond, is rendered with a fluidity and swing that can be felt, as well as heard. Something is brewing beneath.

“I’m really, really proud of it.” Rogers King said. “I love it. Of all of our records, I guess, this came together quicker than I think any of them because we really hadn’t planned on it. If you look back at us historically, we don’t usually do a record every year — or not even every other year. It might be three years, five years. We just do them when it’s ready, when the time is right.

“And amazingly, it all worked together perfectly … and with Sun Records. Just what a cool catalog to be part of, and the tradition and history. We’re all obviously music fans and history buffs, so it really means a lot.”

— TAMMY ROGERS KING

“But we were approached in the summer in 2024 by Sun Records, and we were so excited about that opportunity. We literally had the meeting, came home, talked about it, and set a goal for ourselves to record in October and get it finished by the end of the year. We timed it to go with this twentieth anniversary tour.

“And amazingly, it all worked together perfectly … and with Sun Records. Just what a cool catalog to be part of, and the tradition and history. We’re all obviously music fans

and history buffs, so it really means a lot.”

Yes, history. It’s something to be reckoned with if you’ve made it twenty years — and counting. Where does the band fit?

“I don’t really ponder that question anymore,” Fleming said. “After twenty years, we are who we are. We are drawing bigger crowds and playing as much as we want. If anything, I’d say we put a touch more blues into bluegrass. Bill Monroe’s music had plenty of blues. We’ve just built upon his foundation.”

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RIDERS IN THE SKY

Romancing the West with Music and Humor Bobbie Malone and Bill C. Malone Texas A&M University Press

This fascinating book details the unique musical and personal journeys of the members of the iconic Nashville band Riders in the Sky. Since 1977, the Riders have preserved and enhanced the legacy and reach of Cowboy and Western music. Founding members guitarist/ vocalist Ranger Doug Green, bassist Fred “Too Slim” LaBour, fiddler Woody Paul — and since 1988 —accordionist Joey Miskulin, have created an amazing body of work. They have recorded more than 40 albums, and have appeared on countless television shows, numerous film soundtracks, and as longtime members of the Grand Ole Opry, have performed on that hallowed stage more than 2000 times.

This book dives deep into the story of each of the Rider’s personal life and the path leading them to Nashville and their fateful first appearance at the legendary Nashville dive bar Herr Henry’s Phranks n ’Steins in 1977, with original lineup of Green, LaBour, and guitarist Bill Collins. Before long, Collins left and was replaced by fiddler Woody Paul Chrisman, aka Woody Paul, King of the Cowboy Fiddlers. Green and LaBour were both from Michigan, and Paul from Triune, Tennessee. The combination of Green’s driving rhythm guitar, sweet, high voice and yodels, LaBour’s solid upright bass, comedy bits and mouth percussion and Paul’s relentlessly melodic fiddle playing, when combined with their 3-part vocals, proved to be irresistible to audiences everywhere. Guitarist “Tumbleweed” Tommy Goldsmith came along soon after, and stayed for a while as the band began to solidify their reputation for bringing back a style of music that had

almost disappeared. Starting out playing Music City venues like Wind in the Willows, Old Time Pickin’ Parlor, and even Springwater, they gradually began to build a successful career for themselves.

The timing of their career path could not have been better. In their early days they were able to connect the dots with their predecessors like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, who bestowed their blessings and gratitude to the Riders for keeping their music alive. Touring more and more every year, and gathering new fans everywhere they went as cowboy music began to make a comeback, their hard work began to pay off. After Goldsmith left, they continued as a trio until they added Joey “The Cowpolka King” Miskulin in 1988, who was introduced to the band by Cowboy Jack Clement. He brought new energy and depth to their music with his evocative accordion playing and vibrant personality.

What began as a fun concept evolved into a successful business model in a most organic way, and a great example of Nashville’s multiple possibilities of unique paths to success. As time passed, their reach expanded into areas such as the Tumbleweed Theater show on the Nashville Network (TNN), Riders Radio Theater on National Public Radio, Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. movie soundtracks, and in outer space on the Space Shuttle Discovery. The Riders in the Sky continue to tour and record with no apparent end in sight. This book is a great read, and reflects well on what has truly been an incredible and inspiring journey. As longtime Local 257 members, the Riders also have one of our longest running AFM touring agreements in place for many years, and continue to spread their uplifting music, positive attitude, and philosophy of “The Cowboy Way” far and wide.

— Roy “Big Sky” Montana

Shawn Camp

The Ghost

of

Sis Draper Skeeter Bit

Records

Singer, songwriter, and musician Shawn Camp has had a varied and interesting career since moving to Nashville and joining Local 257 in 1987. He plays guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, has made numerous solo records, played with many artists including the Earls of Leicester, and had songs recorded by a wide range of artists. He had a long musical relationship with noted Texas songwriter and mentor to many writers and musicians, Guy Clark. Camp’s latest album consists completely of songs written with Clark. All 14 songs were recorded in one day at Clement House studios with a fine band that included Local 257 members Mike Bub on bass, Cory Walker on banjo, Jimmy Stewart on dobro and Camp on guitar and vocals. The band is spot on and the spirit of Guy Clark is tangible throughout.

Among the many songs Camp wrote with Clark was “Sis Draper,” a tale about a legendary old-time fiddler who toured the South intriguing crowds with her prowess and charisma. The album opens with the original version of that song, has several references to her throughout, and finishes with a sequence of songs describing Sis’s demise and exit from this world. In keeping with the spirit of that title song and its several sequels, the album has an old-time feel sonically, but with fresh youthful energy from all the players, with Camp’s expressive vocals and driving guitar leading the way. Verlon Thompson, another longtime Clark cohort, sings a strong harmony part on “Old Hillbilly Hand Me Down,” a clever tale of a handmade fiddle being passed down through generations.

Camp’s expressive vocals tell the stories he and Clark crafted with sincerity and truth. Among the standout tracks are the tender ballad “Magnolia Wind,” “Soldier’s Joy,” which puts a gruesome storyline to the traditional fiddle melody, and the tongue-in-cheek tale “The Fiddlin’ Preacher,” which sounds like something Roger Miller, Jerry Reed, or Ray Stevens might have come up with back in the day. This album bears repeated listening, and would have made Guy Clark proud.

The record is available at shawncamp.com — Roy Montana

Old Dominion Barbara

Columbia Nashville

To say that Old Dominion has been on a roll, would be putting it mildly. The most awarded group in country music history continues to make their own way with their records and live performances. Their latest album, Barbara, coproduced with Shane McAnally, continues that trend with genre-defying writing, playing, singing and production that puts the song first and keeps the listener engaged throughout. Embracing technology in relatively subtle ways, the sonic textures keep shifting through the album from song to song, and within each song as well.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Matthew Ramsey is cowriter on nearly every song, and sounds comfortable switching from intimate to outgoing and back again. Band members and frequent cowriters Brad Tursi plays guitar, mandolin and banjo, and Trevor Rosen is on acoustic guitars and piano. Geoff Sprung on bass and Moog bass, and Whit Sellers on drums and percussion, round out the lineup. Everyone in the band plays excellent parts and sings background vocals. Keyboardist Dave Cohen adds various textures and tasty parts throughout the album to round things out perfectly.

“Making Good Time,” kicks things off with an easy groove that quickly builds to a big chorus full of fast rhymes, shifting textures and vocal effects that rise and fall, with big electric guitar octaves building to a sudden stop. “Water My Flowers,” asks some heavy questions over a pulsing drum groove with soaring vocal harmonies, and “Miss You Man,” is a heartfelt tribute to a lost loved one. “Man or the Song” is an acoustic guitar driven, lyrically honest performance that shines a light on the inner feelings and occasional insecurities of a performer.

To say that Old Dominion has been on a roll, would be putting it mildly. The most awarded group in country music history continues to make their own way with their records and live performances.

“One of Us” has a sequenced pop feel with a climbing chord progression, and a bittersweet lyric that shows the two sides of a breakup all too well. Ramsey’s yearning lead vocal captures the angst of the protagonist. Other highlights include the chugging jangle-rock of “Talk Country,” and the funny “Sip in the Right Direction.” The album closes with “Goodnight Music City,” an appropriately tongue-in-cheek ode to Lower Broadway with a feel reminiscent of The Band. Old Dominion continues to carve out their own notch in contemporary country music while avoiding cliches and defying expectations.

— Roy Montana

BY MELINDA WHITLEY

MyThe Lesson of the Kelt

colleagues in the symphony have ratified a new contract that covers the next four years. After previously reaching only a one-year extension contract, I am optimistic for some growth and more time for work/life balance.

Some might consider work/life balance to be a luxury, but we all need time to decompress and ground ourselves lest we risk burnout or allow damaging habits to creep into our lives. As the cost of living everywhere has increased at a rapid pace everyone, including musicians, have been “doing more for less” for a while. Many orchestras have been facing similar issues since the pandemic of 2020, including a high rate of turnover in musicians, operational staff, and even board members. The institutional knowledge many of us have relied on for most of our careers is disappearing, while the landscape in which we work is changing dramatically.

I have had a lot of time to consider these issues after helping to negotiate for two consecutive years in a workplace with a lot of organizational turnover. At a certain point, it becomes easier to identify new employees in terms of their role when the turnover just keeps happening. Once I do that, I am no longer considering them as people, but merely as roles. When people are viewed simply as the roles they fill, it is easier to feel resentment and anger toward them, and ignore or discount their needs, regardless of whether they are on the same side of any problem we try to solve. That is not a recipe for finding mutually agreeable solutions to any problem, and certainly not when negotiating a contract on behalf of your colleagues.

When we find ourselves in this situation, we often act unconsciously in a way that

invites or provokes the very things we do not want. That makes finding solutions more difficult. There is a name for this thing we do: collusion.

Collusion works in a continuing loop of four stages between us and another party. 1: They act; resulting in step 2: I see; 3: I react based on how I interpreted step 2; resulting in step 4: They see. Then we return to step 1 based on how they interpreted my action in step 3. Each time a new step in the loop is taken, it is based on how the previous action in the loop is interpreted by the other party. This loop is often repeated many times until we find ourselves in an untenable situation. Behaviors tend to escalate, and the stakes rise as the loop repeats. When we see something in negative terms, we become less likely to change our own behavior, so all parties end up reacting and provoking in the other, the exact things we complain about. We become active in promoting misunderstanding. Ultimately, we invite the very things we fight against.

This pattern of interpersonal relationships affects not only our personal and family lives but influences our circles in organizations and other types of extended communities. The realities of interpersonal relationships exist anywhere there are two or more people. The collusion itself can even spread when we seek allies that help us justify our views. The professional orchestra world is a perfect example of a place where we must guard ourselves from this phenomenon.

I am not suggesting that we refrain from talking over difficult issues with our friends and teammates. We all need to offload feelings. I am a big believer in supportive relationships of all sorts. I only suggest that when we do so, it is important to resist labeling and demonizing those we must work with to find solutions. Focus on the

problems, not the people. The collusion can stop at any point in the cycle and drastically change a difficult moment. I would be happy to discuss tools that can be used for such moments in another place and time. Here, I prefer to plant the seeds of new perspectives to help us when seeking solutions in some of our industry’s most difficult moments.

You might wonder why I continue to write about such things in a column about my orchestra. I write about things that affect my orchestra, and collusion is a concept that affects it, along with our whole industry in these tumultuous times. My orchestra has been through some big challenges in the past few years and I hope that by sharing things that help any of us, even things that help myself as a shop steward, that perhaps we can bring more helpful discussions and creative solutions to the industry as a whole. You might also wonder what this has to do with “the Kelt.” The Kelt is a sailboat I have been on several times over the summer. She is a bit different than other boats I have sailed, and I found myself judging and blaming her in a way that resembled collusion. This brought me nothing but more of what I fought against, even on a sailboat. One day while on board, I was reminded of the concept of collusion and changed my approach. Even with a sailboat, the knowledge of what was happening in my own mind, helped me solve problems I had previously not been able to approach successfully. Score one for work/life balance. And score two for being able to look at problems in our beloved workplaces from different perspectives.

For more information on collusion, read The Anatomy of Peace (2022) by The Arbinger Institute, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Ryman Auditorium

Groundbreaking banjo player and composer Béla Fleck brings his amazing band The Flecktones to the Ryman Nov. 26. The group went on hiatus in 2012, so this promises to be a performance that should not be missed. The award-winning band will cover the gamut of genres, from classical, jazz and bluegrass to African music, electric blues and Eastern European folk dances. For more info go to ryman.com

Schermerhorn events

Legendary trumpet player Wynton Marsalis comes to the Schermerhorn Feb. 11, accompanied by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Coltrane 100: Legacy presents a new live concert experience reframing some of Coltrane’s most popular and influential works with lush orchestrations, accompanied by exclusive and recently exhibited personal photographs of Coltrane. Performances are set for Jan. 15 and 16.

The beloved Preservation Hall Jazz Band presents Creole Christmas — holiday favorites with a NOLA spin Dec. 15. Tickets and information at nashvillesymphony.org

Rudy’s Jazz Room

Music City’s best jazz musicians hit the stage at the intimate club on the regular. Just a sampling of the gigs happening every night of the week includes players like Pat Coil and his trio, the Bruce Dudley Quintet, Jérôme Degey & Friends, the Rougarou 6-Piece New Orleans Brass Band, and much more. Check the chock-full calendar for details at rudysjazzroom.com/calendar

Local 257 hosts Jazz Night on the first Wednesday of each month, unless otherwise noted. See the Nashville Musicians Association Facebook events pages for more information.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Jazz-fusion master Brian Culbertson pays a visit to the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Nov. 4. See countrymusichalloffame.org for more information.

The Pinnacle

Legendary guitarist Boz Scaggs comes to town bringing his genre-crossing music Nov. 23. Information at thepinnaclenashville.com

3rd & Lindsley

A long roster of Music City jazz musicians including Local 257’s Jeff Coffin, Emmanuel Echem, Sofia Goodman, Guthrie Trapp, Mike Elizondo and more. are on the bill for the Nashville Jazz Festival Oct. 25-26.

David Briggs

March 16, 1943 – April 22, 2025

Keyboardist, publisher, arranger, and producer David Briggs, 82, died April 22, 2025. He appeared on a multitude of hit records, and had an undeniably crucial impact on the evolution of the music scene of the ’60s and ‘70s — first in his home state of Alabama, and then in Nashville, after his move here in 1964. Briggs was a 64-year member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 April 21, 1965. David Paul Briggs was born March 16, 1943, in Killen, Ala., northeast of Muscle Shoals, to James and Myrtle Myrick Briggs. He began to play the piano as a youngster, although he wanted to learn guitar. “My mother made me take piano,” Briggs said in an interview. “I had a guitar — I messed around with it all the time anyway. But she wanted me to be a little more refined, I guess. She made me take piano lessons — I didn’t want to.” Briggs was a working musician by the time he reached his teens. He met Norbert Putnam while playing in a local band called The Crunk Brothers, and Putnam asked him to join the Rhythm Rockets, his first rock & roll band. A session for songwriter Peanut Montgomery led to Briggs’ invitation to visit FAME studio. He started to get session work there, and would go on to add his unique style to all of FAME’s early singles. He played on Top 40 and R&B hits like Arthur Alexander’s “You

Better Move On,” Jimmy Hughes’ “Steal Away,” and the Tams’ “What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am).” A session for Tommy Roe’s 1964 hit “Sheila” led to the opportunity to back Roe as part of the warm-up acts for the Beatles’ first American tour.

Briggs was also writing songs during these early years, and getting cuts, including the 1963 single “Tender Teardrops,” credited to the Fame Studio Orchestra and Chorus, and later that year, his own release, “Leave Her to Me,” produced by Owen Bradley. “My Dreams,” a song he cowrote with Dan Penn, was released by Brenda Lee in 1964.

At the urging of Bradley, Briggs, Putnam, and drummer Jerry Carrigan moved to Nashville in late 1964. Putnam said in an interview they relocated because of the thriving recording scene and the higher pay scale. Once in town, Briggs and his friends began playing sessions, infusing the Nashville sound with the cool, downhome, soulful grooves they had honed in Muscle Shoals. Briggs went on to work with a multitude of artists including Joan Baez, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Elvis Presley — in a twist of fate evoked when Floyd Cramer ran late one day. The sessions would lead to Briggs joining the TCB Band, and he continued to work on and off with Presley until his death in 1977.

Arranger Bergen White talked about his long association with Briggs.

“We just clicked, working seamlessly through sessions, CMA Awards, and more—there was absolutely no one like David Briggs!” — Bergen White

“In 1964 I met David right after he moved here from Muscle Shoals. I had been teaching school for two years and it was my very first session. He and I hit it off immediately and he became my first-call piano man and leader for 40-plus years. We innately heard things the same way and worked together seamlessly. Through all the sessions, the CMA Awards and everything else, there was absolutely no one like David Briggs!” White said.

In Nashville, Briggs also continued to have success as a writer. Among his compositions were cuts by Jim Ed Brown, Percy Sledge, and Kenny Rogers. He was also a member of the legendary Area Code 615 band from 1969-71. Guitarist and Cinderella Studio owner Wayne Moss remembered his time playing with Briggs in Area Code 615, as well as for recording sessions.

“David was a great piano player. We did two live performances with Area Code 615 — the Fillmore West and The Johnny Cash Show. We also played on countless No. 1 records together. Music City will miss David,” Moss said.

In 1971 Briggs and Putnam opened Quadrafonic Sound Studio on Music Row. “Quad Studios” as it became known later, immediately attracted artists who recorded major albums in the iconic space, such as Neil Young’s Harvest, the Joan Baez release “Blessed Are…” and Dan Fogelberg’s debut Home Free. The studio originally featured a Quad Eight mixing console and 16-track Ampex MM1100 twoinch tape recorder. In 1975, the Quad Eight with an MCI 500-series mixing console. Other artists recording at Quadrafonic in its early years included Grand Funk Railroad, the Jackson Five, The Pointer Sisters, Joe Walsh, The James Gang, Jimmy Buffett, and Dobie Gray, who recorded “Drift Away” at Quad Studios in 1972.

In the ‘70s and ‘80s Briggs was also noted for his award-winning work as a background singer and producer for jingles for companies such as Coca-Cola, Ford, Walmart, McDonald’s, Budweiser, and Alka-Seltzer. One jingle featured Garth Brooks, the singer’s first professional recording in Nashville.

Briggs became a music publisher in the late ‘60s, as cofounder of Danor Publishing with Putnam, and would go on to later open Willin’ David, cofounded

with Will Jennings — which published the Grammy-winning “Up Where We Belong,” and Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love.” Briggs founded the studio House of David Sound in 1976, initially as a place to work on his own projects, but becoming commercial in 1982. House of David has hosted Joe Cocker, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, Bobby Vinton, Bootsy Collins, and many other noted artists.

In 1988 Briggs began to produce music for television, when he accepted an offer to become music director for the CMA Awards. This led to work on many other specials and award shows. He was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1999, and in 2011 received the Cecil B. Scaife Visionary Award along with Putnam. The same year he was honored as a Nashville Cat by the Country Music Hall of Fame, and he was an integral part of the museum’s landmark “Nashville Cats” exhibit in 2017. In 2019 Briggs joined the Musicians Hall of Fame as a member of the Muscle Shoals rhythm section.

Survivors include two sons, Darren and Gabriel Briggs; and one brother, John Briggs.

A memorial service was held Sept. 14 at in Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the Ford Theater.

JOHN KEITH MARCUS

Oct. 17, 1955 — July 27, 2025

Bassist John Keith Marcus, 69, died July 27, 2025. He played in Tim McGraw’s Dancehall Doctors band for 25 years. Marcus was also a guitarist, and was a 25-year member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 Dec. 2, 1994.

He was born Oct. 17, 1955, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he spent his early childhood. His family moved to Minnesota, and then to Miami, Florida. It was there that Marcus began his music career, leading eventually to his move to Nashville.

In addition to his work with McGraw, Marcus played with Tanya Tucker, as well as with other artists and bands.

“John was always a bright spot in any band on and off stage.  He had a great sense of humor that was rivaled only by his groove. He made the responsibility of being the link between rhythmic and melodic elements in the band look effortless,” guitarist Rich Eckhardt said.

Guitarist Bob Minner talked about working with Marcus in McGraw’s band.

“John Marcus was not simply a bass player, he was a musician who just happened to play bass. There wasn’t a single person who ever played with him who wasn’t aware that he was the consummate musician. Always serving the song, and with one of the kindest hearts Music City has ever known,” Minner said. Survivors include his wife of 22 years, Vicki Marcus; one brother, William Henry Marcus; and several cousins.

Services were held Aug. 1 at Bond Memorial Chapel in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.

continued on page 28

ROBBY TURNER

April 6, 1962 — Sept. 4, 2025

Steel guitarist Robby Turner, 63, died Sept. 4, 2025. He was a first-call regular on recording sessions for decades, and over his career toured with several artists including Waylon Jennings and Chris Stapleton. Although most noted for steel, he also played bass, guitar, dobro, and keyboards, and joined Local 257 Aug. 21, 2015.

Turner was born April 6, 1962, into a musical family; his parents Doyle and Bernice Turner played in Hank Williams’ band The Drifting Cowboys from 1944 until 1946. By the age of six he was playing drums in his father’s band, and at nine he drummed for the Wilburn Brothers. At the ripe age of 10 he started playing steel guitar, and two years later he became the youngest musician to win a Sho-Bud endorsement, after being chosen by Shot Jackson.

In 1989 Turner performed on the Highwaymen tour, and became close to Jennings and his wife Jessie Coulter. He called playing with the supergroup “the highlight of my life.” Drummer Vince Santoro, who played drums for the Highwaymen, recalled his friendship with Turner.

“I met Robby in sessions at Moondog Studios in the ’90s. I’d never heard such a confident, well-versed musician attack his instrument with such ability. He truly lived within whatever instrument he was playing. When The Highwaymen began to gear up for a U.S. tour, Robby asked if I’d like to drum and sing with that band and I was pretty dang quick with my answer — yes! Those two years of international travel and performances were extremely memorable and Robby was a huge part of that star-studded group. During my time as secretary-treasurer at Local 257 Robby and I often talked. Although I hadn’t played with him in a while, I followed his musical endeavors and helped him work out issues. His upbeat demeanor was infectious and I gladly laughed along with him, no matter when or where. Robby’s talents and largerthan-life presence will be sorely missed,” Santoro said.

Over the course of his career Turner played, recorded, and toured with a number of artists in addition to Jennings and

Stapleton. The long list includes George Jones, Chet Atkins, Loretta Lynn, B. B. King, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Frank Sinatra, Herbie Hancock, Gary Allan, The Gin Blossoms, Paul Simon, Ray Charles, Jamey Johnson, Sturgill Simpson, Loretta Lynn, Ace Cannon (who he also produced) and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He also toured internationally with The Chicks in 2003,and released two solo albums, Man of Steel, and Steel Country.

Turner also produced music from his studio, Turner-Up Recording. Jennings’ posthumous 2012 release Goin’ Down Rockin’: The Last Recordings, was completed there with help from Waylon’s Waylors band.

Turner was honored as a Nashville Cat by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019. At the event he said when he was 12, steel guitar legend and producer Pete Drake asked him if he wanted to do session work or play live. “I said, ‘I want to be able to do both. I want to play on records and I want to produce records... I’ve had recording equipment since I was nine years old…I want to do both, but I really want to concentrate on studio stuff.’”

Survivors include two sons, Bobby and Dylan; and one daughter, Mackenzie. A memorial service was held Oct. 19 at the Troubadour Theater.

DREW THOMAS

Aug. 16, 1942 — May 17, 2025

Bassist and vocalist Drew Thomas, 82, died May 17, 2025. He was a life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 April 27, 1982.

He was born Aug. 16, 1942, in Indiana to Bennet and Marie Druley. In addition to his musicianship, he served 20 years in the United States Air Force, where he achieved the rank of master sergeant. During his time in the military, he played an integral role in maintaining Air Force One. Friends and family remembered him as a devoted and considerate person with unwavering commitment to service, and for the joy he brought to the community through his music.

Thomas was preceded in death by one brother, Michael Druley. Survivors include his wife, Sherrie Lynn Thomas; one stepson, James Mathison; and two grandchildren.

Funeral services were held May 29 and followed by burial in Sarasota National Cemetery.

DON MILLS

Dec. 31, 1935 — May 16, 2025

Drummer Don Mills, 89, died May 16, 2025. He was a member of Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadour band, and also played with Cal Smith’s Country Bumpkin band. Mills was a 53-year life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 Jan. 21, 1971.

Mills was born Dec. 31, 1935. In addition to Tubb and Smith, he performed with many local bands in the Texas area. Survivors include his wife, Carrie Yount Mills.

There were no public funeral services.

BENJAMIN “BENNY” BIRCHFIELD

June 6, 1937 — Aug.2, 2025

Multi-instrumentalist Benjamin “Benny” Birchfield, 88, died Aug. 2, 2025. He played with the Osborne Brothers in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, and was also the bandleader for Jean Shepard’s Second Fiddles band. He was a 59-year life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 Sept. 9, 1966.

He was born June 6, 1937, and first learned to play bass and banjo. He had his own bluegrass band in the late 1950s. Birchfield joined the Osborne Brothers in 1959, first on bass and occasional banjo before switching to guitar in 1962. He wrote and cowrote several Osborne Brothers songs including instrumentals like “Big Ben,” and worked as a backup singer and guitarist on the group’s final recording session for MGM Records in 1963. Birchfield also sang harmony on records for other artists such as Mac Wiseman.

Birchfield married Shepard in 1968. The couple was together nearly 50 years until her death in 2016. Birchfield was known by family and friends as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend, and was said to have never met a stranger.

In later years, Birchfield drove a bus for Roy Orbison, and shared a love of model airplanes with the artist. The two also shared a spiritual connection and worshipped together while on the road, according to a post made on an Orbison webpage after Birchfield’s passing.

In addition to his wife Jean, Birchfield was preceded in death by one son, Don Birchfield; one granddaughter; and one grandson. Survivors include one daughter, Donna, three sons, Ronnie, David, and Benny Jr.; two stepsons, Donny and Harold Hawkins; 24 grandchildren; 28 greatgrandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Aug. 7 at Hendersonville Funeral Home, followed by burial at Hendersonville Memory Gardens. continued on page 30

continued from page 29

JOSEPH LYNDOL EDWARDS

Oct. 5, 1933 — June 7, 2025

Fiddle player and guitarist Joseph Lyndol Edwards, 91, died June 7, 2025. He was the Grand Ole Opry staff band’s fiddle player and guitarist from the late 1960s through the late 1990s, and a 50-year life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 Feb. 4, 1955. His career in Nashville began with country and gospel singer Martha Carson and also included time with Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper, among others.

He was born Oct. 5, 1933, in Stanford, Indiana, to Ralph and Olive Powell Edwards, and began to play as a young child, first performing with his dad at church and community events. He played guitar as well as fiddle, and cited Chet Atkins and Merle Travis as influences. As a teen he appeared on WTOM radio with the Hoosier Kids, and on local television shows Hayloft Frolic and Jack Noel’s Happy Valley Show on WTTV.

Edwards was giving lessons and playing at the Lyric Theater in Indianapolis in 1955 when Ernest Tubb guitarist Billy Byrd saw him and recommended him to gospel-country singer Martha Carson. She invited the 21-year-old to Nashville for an audition to join her band, and Edwards was performing with her on the Opry the following night. Edwards toured with Carson, including a national run that

included Jim Ed Brown and Elvis Presley. He also played with Stoney Cooper and other artists before becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry staff band in 1968. Edwards met his wife Jan Masters at the Opry in 1993. Masters was singing on the Friday night Grand Ole Gospel program at the time. The two learned that they had grown up only a few miles from each other. They married on the Opry stage in 1998. Edwards played on the Opry until the end of 1999, when he and several longtime band members were replaced.

Edwards was fastidious about the care of his vintage guitars, using Les Paul’s engineer to overhaul one of them. The guitar work wasn’t his only connection with the iconic guitar master. “In 1998, I went to New York and sat in with Les Paul’s trio,” Edwards said in an interview. “Every time I think about that night, I get high just thinking about it.”

Joe and Jan Edwards performed and released secular and gospel music together for many years. In 2013 Edwards returned to Nashville to host the Midnight Jamboree at Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop on his 80th birthday.

Survivors include his wife, Jan; one stepson, Jess Calvert; two sisters, Greta Osborne and Karen Koons; four nephews; one great-nephew; three great-nieces;

five great-great-nieces; and three greatgreat nephews.

Funeral services were held June 17 at The Funeral Chapel in Bloomington, Indiana, with burial following in Edwards Cemetery in Greene County. A celebration of life was held at the American Legion in Bloomington June 20. Memorial contributions may be made to Gulfside Hospice, 2061 Collier Parkway, Land O Lakes, FL, 34639 or at gulfside.org/ make-a-gift .

EBERHARD FRIEDRICH RAMM Aug. 2, 1948 — May 29, 2025

French horn player, conductor, arranger, and composer Eberhard Friedrich Ramm, 76, died May 29, 2025. He was a 59-year life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 Oct. 22, 1966. Ramm was born Aug. 2, 1948. He was principal horn in the Nashville Symphony from 1969 to 1978. He worked as a session

“Eberhard

was a driving force in so many ways. He organized and created several brass groups and expected the best we had to offer and was equally hard on himself. I learned so much from being around him.”

— Gil Long

IN

player for decades, including on the 1977 single “Moody Blue,” Elvis Presley’s last No. 1 record. He played on tracks for Willie Nelson, the Oak Ridge Boys, Nanci Griffith, Phil Keaggy, Mickey Newbury, Bobby Goldsboro, Crystal Gayle, and many more. In addition, Ramm taught private lessons at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, where he also performed with the Blair Woodwind Quintet and the Nashville Contemporary Brass Quintet. Later in his career he branched out into music preparation, arranging and conducting.

Friends commented that Ramm was known for not only consummate musicianship, but for helping others start their careers. In addition to music, he enjoyed softball, golf, and home- brewing beer.

Trumpet player George Tidwell talked about his friendship with Ramm.

“I’ll always remember Ebe as a longtime friend. He was a wonderful musician, a music preparation genius, and most of all a wryly funny and endlessly curious, exponent of a life well lived,” said Tidwell.

Tuba player Gil Long talked about Ramm’s work, and his hobbies. “Eberhard was a driving force in so many ways. He organized and created several brass groups and expected the best we had to offer and was equally hard on himself. I learned so much from being around him. He found joy by writing limericks and growing beautiful flowers,” Long said.

Survivors include his wife, Nancy Jackson; and three children, Jill, Todd, and Connie.

JASON

ALISON

NASHVILLE MUSICIANS ASSOCIATION

STATEMENT OF INCOME - MODIFIED CASH BASIS -SUBSTANTIALLY

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024

LOCAL 257 HOLIDAYS

Veterans Day Tuesday, Nov. 11

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Noon Wednesday, Nov. 26 through Friday, Nov. 28

Holiday Break Monday, Dec. 22 through Friday, Jan. 2, 2026

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, Jan. 19, 2026

Presidents Day Monday, Feb. 16, 2026

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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 AFM signatory documents required to make the appropriate pension contribution, or are soliciting union members to do nonunion 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

Sims remains in contempt of court judgements from 2012 and 2022. He still owes more than $300K to musicians from a 2008 gospel project. Despite making many promises to resolve this debt, Sims and Michael Tash continue to avoid responsibility for their non-payment of musicians that they hire for various projects.

Nashville Music Scoring/Alan Umstead – solicitation and contracting nonunion scoring sessions for TV, film and video games. Musicians who work for them without an AFM contract are being denied appropriate wages and all intellectual property rights.

Electronic Arts/Steve Schnur – commissioning and promoting nonunion 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)

• Revelator/Gregg Brown (multiple bounced checks/unpaid contracts)

• 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)

• Mike Barrios (unpaid live performance wages)

Membership Meeting Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom and at Local 257

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.

Heaven Productions

Stonebridge Station Entertainment The Collective

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If you have a problem with an employer, whether it’s nonpayment, slow payment, failure to sign a signatory agreement, or another issue — let us know.