Of all the post I ever held this is probably my favorite. The thrill of finding a song for an artist that millions of people will eventually hear is exciting to me. There have been moments in this process that I am literally the 4th or 5th person to hear a song that will be heard later on the radio.
I received my first A&R job in 1995 when Blake Chancey gave me a chance to do it at Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music. It was my responsibility to meet with writers and publishers and help in the song selection process of the next project for the potential artist. The hardest thing was not just hoping to find an amazing song, a HIT, but also find something that would help the artist grow in their careers. Something that would be completely different from the previous record but also stay in the vision of the artist and the message and torch that they wanted to continue to carry. You have to be able to sit and listen to thousands of songs. That's normally what you will hear in the length of time that it takes to find the top 10-12 that you eventually end up with. They say for every 100 songs you may find one you like they you feel will fit the project. I'm guessing I've listen to over 50,00 songs in the past 25 years. You either love it or hate it. I love it!
I feel that A&R started for me when I was young and would sit in my room and listen to my albums. I would try and figure out what the next single would be beyond that one that made me buy the record in the first place. I would more than likely be able to pick the next one. My kids do this now. It's like a game to them. They are pretty good at it too. Plus more than not I would gravitate toward the deep cuts that would never see the light of a radio dial. They were most times my favorite songs.
Some of my success stories as an A&R guy have been Rick Trevino's 1996 # 1 single "Learning As You Go". "How Long Gone" a number 1 single for Brooks and Dunn in 1998, "A Broken Wing" # 1 for Martina McBride in 1997, The 2001 # 7 single "Some Days You Gotta Dance" for the Dixie Chicks, Top 15 Ronnie Dunn single "Cost of Living" 2011. I've had several others songs cut but they were just album cuts.
I also missed a few. I was pitched and passed on "Every Light in The House is On" and it was eventually cut by Trace Adkins and was a hit single for him. I also was pitched "Traveling Soldier" for Patty Loveless, she passed on it and it eventually became a hit for The Dixie Chicks. The other big one I had a shot at was "Its Your Love". I remember hearing it and loving it but didn't feel I had an artist for it at the time so I let it go. It of course was a huge hit for Tim and Faith. Thats A&R for you. You win some, you loose some.
Right Now I'm currently at the end of the A&R process for Tracy Lawrence. We have been looking hard for about 8-10 weeks. This is one of the most important projects I've ever worked on. He has had tremendous success the past 20 years and we're looking at this project for him as the most important he'll ever do. We will be responsible for taking him back to the top of the charts and keeping him in the game. I believe we will succeed. Tracy, Producer Flip Anderson and I have all been in this game for more than 20 years each. We know a hit when we hear one.
It's time to make it count.
