Nashville Scene

ON THE MARX: Despite often being publicly vocal about his frustrations with the Nashville music industry, Richard Marx is, nonetheless, starting to become entrenched in it.

Best-known for such pop hits as "Hold On to the Nights" and "Right Here Waiting," Marx has been writing with Nashville artists and songwriters for several years and has added "country producer" to his résumé, with recent turns behind the boards for DreamWorks' Emerson Drive and Republic/Universal act the Marie Sisters.

Marx has often spoken about feeling "unwelcome" in Nashville. As evidenced by his recent successes there, however, not everyone makes him feel that way. He says of his supporters, "There are enough people in Nashville in decision-making positions who are as bored with a lot of country radio as I am."

Marx wonders, "Where are the country stars of tomorrow? What I'm seeing for the last two years are a lot of one-hit wonders." And he points out that that phenomenon doesn't just apply to country music. "Lack of artist development is a disease throughout the music business. The last thing in the world I'd want to be right now is a new artist, and Nashville is as guilty of throwing [them] out in the trash as anybody."

Marx doesn't mince words when it comes to his contempt for some of the Music Row establishment. "My personal experience with various record-company [executives] in Nashville is that it's the same sort of inept behavior—it's just constantly camouflaged with this good-old-boy thing that I could always smell from two miles away. When I come into Nashville, I am always having to decipher what is real.

"Country radio and many of the record-company executives in Nashville are constantly screaming about wanting something new, and, when faced with something new, they don't want it," he adds. "Look at what it took for Shania Twain to have a career."

Marx scoffs at record execs who "go to the press and say, 'We have to preserve traditional country,' then hang up [on those discussions] and call the West Coast office and say, 'Where's my pop remix?' "

He also takes issue with artists who pay lip service to country's roots without believing in what they are saying: "It's almost like these [artists] go to a camp where they are trained to say these things, and it's all so phony."

Marx may sound angry, but he says his musical experiences in Nashville have been "primarily good. Some of my greatest musical moments have happened there and, hopefully, will continue to. Some of the greatest musicians working are in Nashville. The musical part of it has been very nourishing for me."

While Marx owns Signal 21, the Navarre-distributed label he launched in 2000 with former Blood, Sweat & Tears drummer Bobby Colomby, he says his days as a recording artist are probably over.

"I'm kind of at a place where I'm so OK and comfortable with the fact that I had a great run as a singer and performer and lived all the dreams I had as a kid," he says. "I had six or seven years where it all worked . . . I still do a lot of benefits where I perform, but for the most part, I'm really happy being Richard Marx the songwriter/producer."



ON THE ROW: Ben Vaughn joins EMI Music Publishing Nashville as VP of writer and artist development. He previously was GM of Big Tractor Music.

Allen Brown has been promoted to senior director of media at RCA Label Group, where he will now head the media department. He previously was the company's director of media.

Audium Records has signed Bonnie Bramlett to its roster. She is best-known as half of the married duo Delaney & Bonnie in the '60s and '70s. She later recorded three solo albums for Capricorn Records. Her first album for Audium, I'm Still the Same, is due July 9.

Bobbie Eakes has been named host of Great American Country's daily request show, CRL, effective Aug. 5. Eakes portrayed Macy Alexander on day-time drama The Bold and the Beautiful and briefly was signed to Columbia Records, where she recorded a duet with Collin Raye. Eakes replaces Dallas Turner.