Last year at the Music Biz convention the music industry executives who toil behind the scenes making good records hit records decided to step on stage with the likes of Carmine Appice, Jim Peterik, John Densmore. They had so much fun that they're repeating it with even more recording artists at this year’s convention, to be held at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel on Monday (May 15).
This year, iconic recording artists like Carl Palmer, Felix Cavaliere, Mark Stein, Dennis Dunaway, Michael Bruce and Neil Smith, will play some of their songs, along with a house band of Nashville musicians; followed by an industry jam with some local Nashville artists sitting in. Among the industry executives expected to take part in the jam, John Esposito of Warner Nashville, Mike Gillespie of Concord, Joe Rapolla of Monmouth College, Fred Beteille of Facebook; Richard Storm of Record Archives, Adam Parness of Pandora and Scott Sellwood of Source 3.
“And don’t forget Steve Harkins of Baker & Taylor who is the producer, the director and the visionary for that event, who is putting it all together,” adds Music Biz Assn. president Jim Donio. “That event will benefit our scholarship foundation and it costs $20 to get in.”
Many of the iconic artists will receive awards, too, Harkins adds. Carl Palmer will play three Emerson, Lake and Palmer songs, with Vanilla Fudge keyboard player Mark Stein sitting in on one of the songs, probably “Welcome Back My Friends.” Also, the members of the Alice Cooper band will do five or six songs, and producer Bob Ezrin will be in the house too, adds Harkins, who also is a part of the Association’s physical music action committee, which hopes to engage the industry in ways of keeping physical music product relevant.
Getting back to the opening night party, Harkins says the event will also feature the Fisk Jubilee Singers from Fisk University who will sing spirituals, the Nashville Symphony Quartet, and the R.A.T (Rock Against Terrorism) band of industry executives.
Other happenings that evening will be a tribute to Glen Campbell with his wife and three kids in attendance; a tribute to the Doors; and a performance from Cathy Richardson, who has toured as the singer with Big Brother and the Holding Company and Jefferson Starship. The whole night “will be kind of like a three-ring circus,” Harkins says.
