Author Archive: Robert K. Oermann
Robert K. Oermann is a longtime contributor to MusicRow. He is a respected music critic, author and historian.
Opry Pioneer Trudy Stamper Passes
Trudy Stamper, the Artists Relations executive who took the Grand Ole Opry to Carnegie Hall, has died at age 94. Stamper was also one of the first female radio personalities in the United States. Born Gertrude McClanahan in Cookville, she graduated from David Lipscomb College and moved to New York to launch her Broadway theatrical [...]
Category: Exclusive, Featured, Organizations
CCM Artist Dan Peek, Formerly of America, Dead at Age 60
Christian-music recording artist Dan Peek passed away on Sunday, July 24, at his home in Farmington, MO.
DISClaimer Single Reviews (7/27/11)
Is it hot enough for you? There’s nothing like Nashville in July-August to wear you out. And there are no ballads in this week’s column to cool you off. The new sounds from Bomshel, Randy Travis, Montgomery Gentry and Marlee Scott are particularly hot stuff.
Services Set For Songwriter House
Funeral services for Gerald “Jerry” House will be held on Saturday, July 9. The hit country songwriter died Tuesday at age 69. House spent his working career in the printing industry, but he retained a lifelong love of country music. The Alabama native first performed on the Grand Ole Opry at age 16. He wrote [...]
Category: Featured, Publishing
Music Industry Art Director Bill Johnson Passes
Grammy Award winning art director Bill Johnson has died at age 68. He passed away at home in Nashville on Wednesday (6/15) following a battle with lung cancer. As the art director at CBS Records in the 1980s and 1990s, he left his visual imprint on an entire generation of country record makers. Johnson was [...]
CMA Fest By The Numbers
The Country Music Association released its preliminary statistics on its 40th annual fan festival on Monday, and the results are impressive. There is no official estimate on how much economic impact this year’s festival had on downtown, but it is a safe bet that it surpassed last year’s $24 million.
Notable Nashville Gospel Personality Passes
Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame member J. Harold Lane died last week in Nashville at age 82. His funeral was held Monday (6/13), and he was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Lane initially rose to prominence as a founder of the Gospel Harmony Boys. He is best known as a performer for his 22 [...]
Steve Popovich Passes
Steve Popovich, one of the most colorful record executives in the history of Music Row, died suddenly on Wednesday (6/8) at age 68. Often described as a “maverick,” he was the head of Mercury Records in 1986-88 and ran his own label, Cleveland International Records, from 1976 onward.
