— by Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
Dick McVey is an established mover and groover in the Nashville music scene from musician, manager, producer, arranger, radio show host, journalist, studio owner, and founder/operator of Nashville's Musician's Referral Service.
Born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains near Beckley, WV, Dick was raised around country and gospel music, always tooling around with the guitar. Heavily influenced by The Beatles and other British groups of the 60’s, Dick’s desire to play their songs on guitar led him to take the instrument seriously. After his father showed him some chords, within a year, Dick had taught himself a number of pop songs and started his own band, The Rondeaus, which played area school functions and community events, quickly building the band into a regional favorite.
It was during these early years that Dick so loved performing that he handled all the affairs for the band: scheduling rehearsals, bookings, preparing publicity, acquiring financial backing, arranging transportation and equipment, and handling any problems that cropped up. These experiences prepared him for a career, not only as an entertainer and musician, but also as a businessman in the music business.
While handling several day jobs throughout his life, Dick always had a working band. He played lead guitar and sang in groups in the late 60’s, and switched to bass guitar in the early 70’s. In 1978, Dick and the members of his band Visions, a top 40 pop show band, decided to hang up their regular jobs and go on the road full time. The band became an immediate success on the road, “primarily due to tour versatility and showmanship,” says Dick. They traveled all over the U.S., and eventually, in 1981, landed a five-week residency in Nashville at the Holiday Inn on Briley Parkway.
While in Nashville, an old friend invited him to go backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. “I was thrilled,” he reminisces. “It was then and there that I made the decision to make Nashville my permanent home and establish myself as a musician and a music business executive in Music City USA.”
Always goal-oriented people, Dick’s first and foremost goal was to seek a job playing with a major artist and get a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. “My plan was to write letters to everyone in Nashville from his home area in West Virginia," he recalls. "Those people included Grand Ole Opry star Little Jimmy Dickens. My letter reached Dickens the very week Dickens fired his bass player, and I was hired. My first goal in Nashville had been achieved and much faster than I ever expected.”
From 1982-2003, Dick has played the Grand Ole Opry at different times with different stars, including the 1988 Grand Ole Opry Birthday Celebration on national television with Tom T. Hall.
Since then, Dick has worked as bassist, road manager and front man for Dickens, Leroy Van Dyke, Jean Shepard, Nat Stuckey, Stonewall Jackson, Tom T. Hall and Holly Dunn where he emceed the shows and sang the opening songs. He also spent several months emceeing and opening for Merle Haggard in 1983 and Jerry Lee Lewis in 1983-84.
In 1986, Dick founded the Musician's Referral Service in Nashville, with the goal of helping Nashville musicians find work. The service has been used by such artists and shows as Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, Chely Wright, David Lee Murphy, Holly Dunn, Tracy Lawrence, George Jones, Billy Dean, Tanya Tucker, Opryland, Disney World, Euro-Disney and several Branson and Myrtle Beach Theaters.
“It's a safe estimate to say I've placed over 10,000 musicians in jobs over the past 20 years,” says Dick.
In 1988, Dick founded D & T Records and produced 16 consecutive national chart records in a row. Several records reached the #1 spot on the independent chart and one song titled "One Kiss" by Teresa Kennedy hit # 52 on the national charts. “Quite a feat for a small label,” says Dick with pride. “That song was a pick hit in Billboard, three others were pick hits in Cash Box Magazine, 16 were Top 20 on the national independent charts with 14 reaching the Top 10.”
In 1989, Dick expanded his services to include publicity and started handling publicity and promotion work for the legendary George Jones. As a result of his efforts, Jones was featured on the cover of Music City News the very next month with a two-page article inside; Dick received a gold album from George for his publicity work. He continued to coordinate special projects for Jones, including a showcase for his guitarist DeWayne Phillips, where eight major labels were in attendance. Dick and Jones co-produced the recording session for DeWayne. The tape was submitted to the major record labels, and while negotiations looked fruitful, the deal never finalized. Every one of Dick’s publicity clients have been publicized in one form or another in fan and trade magazines, including Music City News and Country Weekly. On display in Dick's studio are gold and platinum record awards from Vince Gill, Tracy Lawrence and John Berry for his publicity contributions to their careers. In August 1998, Dick was hired to handle publicity and promotion for The Bellamy Brothers and their annual Snake Rattle & Roll Jam, which was held near their home town in San Antonio, Fla. His company, All Star Publicity, was named “Public Relations Firm Of The Year” for 1998 at the Golden Music Awards held in Nashville.
Progressing into the recording business in 1993, Dick has had his own recording studios ever since. Three years later he realized a lifelong dream by acquiring the 32-track digital, master-quality Moonlight Recording Studio in the heart of Music Row.
“The studio was installed to record and work with singers in a facility that was both comfortable and affordable,” notes Dick. “With studio costs rising, it gave acts the opportunity of getting first-hand recording studio experience without the added pressure of paying high hourly rates. Dick also recorded master quality band albums that were used by bands to sell from the stage and to present to radio for airplay and award-winning songwriter demos that were used to pitch to major artists for their consideration in his studios. Since 1996, Hal Ketchum, Mark Collie, Danny Shirley (Confederate Railroad), Lacy J. Dalton, Helen Darling, Holly Dunn and Judy Rodman have recorded in his studio that also selected to mix a special acoustic project on Trisha Yearwood that was originally recorded in Australia.
His recording efforts did not go unnoticed, and in June 1993, Dick was selected Independent Producer of the Year by Tracker Magazine in Nashville, based on a poll the magazine took of country music radio disc jockeys. He was nominated for the award again in 1998.
To his already growing list of credentials, in July 1993, Dick accepted the position as bureau chief for the Nashville office of Performance Magazine, an international trade magazine that had offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Tampa, Fla., and Fort Worth, Texas, where it was based. He was promoted to senior editor in April 1997, which afforded him the luxury of being invited to every major music function in Nashville and the ability to rub elbows with decision-makers in every facet of the music industry, including the major record labels. Having the opportunity to talk with those executives and discussing the business, Dick gained an edge in knowing what the major labels were looking for with regard to new acts, and those relationships remain strong to this day.
Still actively involved in producing, Dick produced an album for Cissie Lynn, daughter of Loretta Lynn and sister to The Lynns, in 1994. Early in the project, Loretta Lynn heard Dick's production on the first three songs, liked what she heard and agreed to sing a duet with Cissie Lynn on the album under Dick's direction. “It was the first time Loretta had recorded with any of her children in the studio, and is one of the highlights of my career as a producer,” Dick says. “The album was done primarily for Cissie to sell on the road and was never heavily promoted via radio on a national level."
That same year, Dick was selected as one of "Music Row's Decision Makers" by Music Row magazine, and was included in the 1994 edition of "In Charge - Music Row's Decision Makers." In June 1995, Dick received an award for producing and arranging the first place song in the 9th Annual St. Louis Music Contest. Another song he produced and arranged placed in the top 5 of the same competition. In 1996, Dick produced and arranged an album of country songs for children titled “Country Kiddie Boogie,” which was picked up by Sony Music.
His expertise in the country music industry has earned him recognition on TNN as a guest on “Today’s Country” with Crook & Chase, interviewed along with country music giants Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Tracy Lawrence and Sawyer Brown’s Mark Miller. He also manned the mics for his own weekly radio show, January-September 1999, on one of his hometown radio stations, WPMW-FM 92.7 in Mullens, WV. The show covered virtually all of Southern West Virginia. Dick reported Nashville news and had interviews with special guests Trace Adkins, Charley Pride and Little Jimmy Dickens.
In late 1999, Dick decided to construct a 32-track recording studio in his home and move his entire operation from Music Row. "It's a trend started in the mid-90s by a number of Music Row executives who discovered they could be more productive working from home offices without sacrificing the quality of service to their clients,” Dick explains. “The two hours they would spend commuting could be converted into office time and the move significantly cut their operating costs. Also, with increasing crime and traffic problems in Nashville, I felt a home studio would allow me more time to devote to my family and my music and less wear and tear on my vehicle and body.”
In 2000, Dick's love of playing music and performing on stage was satisfied as he was named music director, bandleader and bass guitarist with the Music City Showband which backs a touring package called Legend's Fest. Dick performed with a host of country legends like Jack Greene, Little Jimmy Dickens, Stonewall Jackson, Jeanne Pruett, Jeannie Seely, Hank Thompson, Freddie Hart, David Frizzell, Bobby Bare and others.
As if musician, producer, arranger, publicist, radio show host, journalist, studio owner, and operator of a musician’s referral service was not enough, in 2001 Dick added artist manager to his growing list of music related occupations and signed Travis LeDoyt, touted as the "world's best young Elvis by nearly everyone who has seen him,” says Dick. LeDoyt is currently working the casino, festival, fair, cruise ship and corporate event circuit, “where he is receiving rave reviews and standing ovations nightly,” Dick informs.
But always returning to his musician roots, Dick became Holly Dunn’s bassist in July 2002, and played live dates and the Grand Ole Opry with her until her retirement on Nov. 1, 2003.
Keeping busy with recording and mixing, Dick recorded and mixed audio in October 2002 and February 2003, for the syndicated television series "Nashville Country Connection" currently being shown in syndication across the U.S. That spring, he recorded, mixed and mastered Holly Dunn's new album, "Full Circle," containing 10 gospel songs. In 2005 he moved his residence and the studio to its present location in Goodlettsville, TN where he is currently working with state-of-the-art hard disc recording and digital computer editing technology.
Since 2003, Dick has focused most of his energy on LeDoyt and today wears many hats in LeDoyt's career including agent, manager, publicist, co-producer and bass player. "Since Travis is usually only out from Thursday-Sunday, it offers me the opportunity to see first hand what's going on with the live aspect of his career and to deal with the problems that arise on the road and maintain a presence in the office during the rest of the week," he says.
Dick is still as driven as ever and continues to make contributions to Nashville's music scene. He is an occasional contributor to Tour Guide magazine, an industry trade publication dealing with tour production, and continues to work on career development and publicity for promising unsigned acts. He has also recorded and mixed live events for CJM Productions in Nashville, which sells the shows to Great American Country (GAC) and the Gospel Music Channel.
And Dick's offspring seems to be following in his footsteps: his son, Richard McVey II, is the entertainment editor for American Profile magazine that is delivered in many Sunday newspapers and has a readership of nearly 7 million weekly. He was formerly managing editor at Music Row magazine and Music City News.
Experience & Advice
My mouth has gotten me in more trouble than anything so I've tried to control
my mouth and play the game as hard as it is to do sometimes.
How did your Musician's
Referral Service start?
I started the Musician's Referral Service in Nashville in 1986, and it has been
an effective tool for the working musician since that time. It's a safe
estimate to say I've placed over 10,000 musicians in jobs over the past 20
years.
Since the number of musicians in Nashville greatly outweighs the number of jobs, I found the only way to help the musicians who signed up with me was to place their information of the hands of the people doing the hiring. In the beginning we would put out a list each month of musicians who were available for work and mailed and faxed it to every agent, manager, nightclub, theater, record label, etc - basically if I thought if someone might hire a musician, I got a copy of the list to them. Over the years and with the advent of the Internet, the printed list has been replaced with my website at (http://www.dickmcvey.com) and most everyone in the music industry knows that the listing exists there. We've had great success especially in the late 80’s and early 90’s when the country music boom hit, but the live market in country music started to decline in 1995 and has continued to do so to this day. Any business is only as good as the market they serve so the past 12 years haven't has been as lucrative as the first 10, but the referral s ervice still generates jobs for working musicians and as long as that's the case I will continue to operate it.
What does the service
cost?
The annual fee of $125 covers all services for a full year. If you live in
Tennessee, there's a one-time application fee of $ 20 plus a $ 15 monthly fee.
Total for the first month is $35 and then $15 a month or less than 50 cents per
day. If you live outside Tennessee, there's a one-time application fee of $30
plus a $15 monthly fee. Total for the first month is $45 and then $15 per
month, less than 50 cents per day.
Why does it cost more outside of Tennessee?
Originally it was to help cover the cost of me making long distance calls or
sending faxes to those musicians, but it also helped eliminate competition for
the musicians who had made the sacrifice to move to Nashville.
What is the health of the
Nashville music industry as compared to five years ago?
As a person who has been around the industry here in Nashville for 25 years
now, I've been able to watch country and gospel music build their markets to
unbelievable heights. Country music surged on the coattails of Garth Brooks in
the late 80’s and early 90’s, but it seems a lot of the people in power who had
a vision for new ideas and concepts in the market lost that vision when they
over saturated the market with look a-likes and sound a-likes. By the mid 90’s
country music started its decline. The country industry took on a more hip
theme when MTV bought CMT, and the market all but abandoned their older, more
traditional demographic for a younger, more contemporary one. The music changed
from a more traditional country sound to more of a 60’s and 70’ s rock sound.
As far as country music, it seems there are a handful of acts that are doing
well, and everyone else is treading water hoping for another up trend in the
market that will incorporate what they do. Gospel music found a home in
Nashville and the upsurge in interest in Christianity around the millennium
seemed to lift gospel and contemporary Christian music to new heights.
Is Nashville still
insulated from its New York and Los Angeles counterparts?
There's a myth about Nashville being segregated from NY and LA. It's true that
for a long time Nashville was considered a necessary evil by the major labels.
Nashville sales were modest and people in power in Nashville were patronized by
their bosses in NY and LA. That all changed in the 80’s when country music
started selling records equal to or greater than the pop and rock markets.
Nashville finally got the respect of their peers in NY and LA. NY and LA based
booking agents and managers showed up in Nashville and opened offices, like CAA
and Monterey. NY and LA songwriters and artists started making regular visits
to Nashville to collaborate with the Nashville writers, musicians and producers
and some have even established working residences here.
How active is the
Nashville club scene as compared to a few years ago?
It's very active and contrary to the way most people think there's a thriving
rock market in Nashville. No matter what you like musically, you can find it
somewhere in Nashville. From blues and jazz to grunge and rap and some things
as obscure as Cajun music can be found here. There are also a lot of songwriter
haunts like world famous The Bluebird Cafe that attracts songwriters from all
over the world and all genres to Nashville.
What is your strategy for
LeDoyt?
Travis is primarily a casino act, but he has been successful at performing arts
centers, fairs, festivals and cruise ships. The plan for Travis is a gradual
move from tribute artist to his original material. Unlike a lot of Elvis
tribute acts, Travis is a great talent in his own right. He's an accomplished
pianist and writes wonderful melodies and lyrics. We're currently in the studio
working on these original songs that are similar to what John Lennon and Paul
McCartney might be writing if they were able to get together today.
First concert attended
I grew up in Beckley, WV, and our local armory hosted many great shows. The
first shows I went to see were Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars in 1964 and 1965.
They were package shows and featured acts like Tom Jones, Diana Ross and The
Supremes, B. J. Thomas, Billy Joe Royal and probably 10 more acts. Nearly every
act on the show had a hit record out at the time, and it was a wonderful
opportunity for a country boy like me to get his first taste of show business.
First concert worked and
year
I started playing guitar in 1965 at the age of 15, in a band called The
Rondeaus, and that's when I got my first taste of the music business. I booked
all our shows, handled the problems of transportation since only one of us had
a driver's license, took care of the internal problems with the band and the
problems with the buyers, did all the publicity and promotion work and for the
next five years. I got a good taste of the business side of the music business.
First industry job
Our band got busy, and I was having to turn down dates, so I decided to start
booking some other bands when we couldn't do a job. By 1971, at age 22, I was
booking 14 local acts. My first experience working a big concert was as a
roadie for the Sound Connection sound company working a B. B. King concert in
1971 near Charleston, WV.
Career highlights
Getting to play the Grand Ole Opry ,and I was able to do that off and on from
1982-2004 working with different acts including several country Hall Of Famers.
I was fortunate enough to have worked the Ryman Auditorium and the new Grand
Ole Opry house. In 1982-83, I had a big year as a frontman/bass player with
Little Jimmy Dickens, Nat Stuckey and RCA recording artist Tommy St. John. I
opened a number of shows for Merle Haggard and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1989, I got
the job as publicist for the great George Jones and worked three years with
him. In 2006 I was asked to play bass for a rock legends show sponsored by a
radio station in Jackson, Tenn., and was thrilled to play behind some of my
all-time heroes from the 60’s and 70’s. I got to perform hits with: Ace Cannon
- had the sax hit "Tuff"; Buzz Cason - writer of "Everlasting
Love"; Sonny Geraci - lead singer with The Outsiders--"Time Won't Let
Me" /Climax--"Precious and Few" / American Breed --"Bend Me
Shape Me"; Andy Kim - several hits including "Rock Me Gently";
Dickie Lee - several hits including "Patches"; Carl Mann - Sun
Recording Artist sang the hit "Mona Lisa"; Gary Miles - "Wish
For A Star"; Billy Joe Royal - "Down In The Boondocks"; Terry
Sylvester - lead singer with the Hollies--"Long Cool Woman"; Gordon
Waller of Peter & Gordon--"World Without Love"; Bucky Wilkins -
lead singer with Ronny & The Daytona--"Little GTO"; and Al Wilson
- several hits including "Show & Tell."
Career disappointment
In the mid 90's I was managing a duo using the stage name "Allen and
Austin" and co-partnered a deal with legendary manager Dale Morris to
attempt to get them a record deal. We had several face to face meetings
including one with Randy Goodman, the president at Lyric Street Records, who
all but told us he would sign the act. It didn't happen, and it was a great
disappointment to all of us. One of the members, Ross Horne, moved home to
Texas and is working locally there. The other member, Mike Lusk, has been
successful as a featured vocalist on the Billy Graham Crusades, a member of the
vocal band "4 Runner," a demo singer, and as a background singer for
Loretta Lynn.
Greatest challenge
Getting recognition for acts which are talented and truly deserve the
opportunity to allow the public to see and hear them.
Best business decision
Making the move to Nashville in 1982. I was playing in a band that was working
top 40 lounges, and one night I realized I was approaching 30 years of age and
hadn't accomplished my goals. Having grown up in West Virginia I had a good knowledge
of country music, and country music seemed to offer longevity as a musician. I
also felt I could be successful as a business person in Nashville.
Best advice you received
I worked with country singer Leroy Van Dyke who told me the secret to success
was to "find something you love to do and then get good enough at it that
people will pay you to do it."
Most memorable industry
experience
Working for Performance magazine in the late 90’s offered so many opportunities
for me to meet some of my industry heroes that work behind the scenes. I really
enjoyed interviews and time spent with people like Rick Shipp and Paul
Moore--William Morris Agency; Ron Baird, John Huie, Rod Essig, and Stan
Barnette--CAA; James Yelich and Steve Dahl--Monterrey Artists; Tony
Conway--Buddy Lee Attractions; Bobby Roberts-- Bobby Roberts Agency; Dale
Morris--manager for Kenny Chesney and Alabama; and Doc McGhee--manager for KISS
and on and on.
What friends would be
surprised to learn about you
I've a degree in Mortuary Science and have embalmed well over 1,000 people.
Industry pet peeve
A lot of industry decision makers aren't giving talent a break. There are a lot
of talented people who will never be seen or heard as a result.
If I wasn't doing this, I
would be...
...the most unhappy person in the world or as Nigel from Spinal Tap said,
"I could be in some sort of sales - perhaps shoes."
Industry mentor
I got my best advice from the artists I worked with on the road. They were a
wealth of information since they had all seen the ups and downs of the business
and made mistakes that they related to me. If I'd to pick one person who
influenced me and taught me a lot about the game, it would be Dale Morris who
guided the group Alabama through a 20+ year successful run and is now doing the
same for Kenny Chesney. I didn't spend a lot of time with him, but when we were
one-on-one, I can't tell you all the things he told me that made real sense -
not just the typical industry BS.
Dick can be reached at: 615-714-3637; e-mail: dickmcvey@comcast.net