Four weeks before the final date for return of the Country Music Association’s 1994 ballots, Arista Records held a huge “10 Million and Counting Party” last week on behalf of Alan Jackson.
The purpose was to give Jackson, CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee, a collection of plaques and to announce other sales adding up to 10 million throughout Jackson’s 4 1/2-year-old career. Doubtless, it also was to dramatize Jackson’s continually building momentum for the benefit of the CMA’s 7,000 country music-connected members.
About 650 invitees were joined at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville by a large crowd of fans who crammed the balcony floor for the evening.
Jokingly asked if Jackson’s record royalties financed the bash, his manager Gary Overton laughed and said, “I hope not. That wasn’t the deal I cut.”
Tim DuBois, Arista-Nashville boss and widely considered one of the city’s most astute record men, awarded Jackson a plaque representing 2 million sales for his first album, “Here in the Real World”; a 3 million plaque for his second album, “Don’t Rock the Jukebox”; and a 4 million plaque for his third album, “A Lot About Livin’ (And a Little ‘Bout Love).” DuBois also announced that a Jackson long-form video has sold a million copies, a Jackson Christmas album released last year has sold 500,000, and his just-released new album, “Who I Am,” already has sold 1.5 million.
“He alone represents almost 50 percent of the sales of Arista Records (Nashville),” DuBois added. “Believe me, folks, I love this man.”
As usual, the honoree entered the party appearing a bit shy and nervous, and looked even more so receiving the plaques. He repeated a DuBois observation that the enthusiasm of his career’s reception by country fans was “beyond all our wildest dreams.
“I never thought we’d reach 10 million when we started,” he said. “I never thought we’d reach 1 million.” Looking discomfited by talk of his achievements, he appeared very ready to move on to other business. “This is a party, so”-he paused in apparent uncertainty-“drink up and be somebody, I guess.”
He then got behind the microphone with his guitar and said that instead of doing a “regular show,” he was going to ask various writers and co-writers of his songs, as well as other colleagues, to come up and do some singing while he helped them out. Those who responded included hot studio guitarist Brent Mason, songwriter Jim McBride, producer Keith Stegall, songwriter Don Sampson, hot backup singer Susie Wills and the singer-songwriter duet act Zack Turner and Tim Nichols.
With McBride, who has written or co-written several Jackson hits, Jackson said he and the songwriter wanted to do “one of our favorite ones that we’ve written together.”
“I had to fight to get it on our album, and I even pitched it to George Jones, and he didn’t get it on his album. Now, this is real country music, people.”
They then sang a ballad whose title sounded appropriate on this night: “Who Says You Can’t Have It All.”
On the subject of real country music, Jackson made one wry observation. He said that since compilation albums (such as the “Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles” package) are now the rage, he and McBride were thinking of getting together with some peers and doing a compilation album with a unique concept.
“We thought we’d do `Country Artists Do Country Music,’ ” he said.
– Tanya Tucker, long one of Nashville’s more artful vocalists, will perform Sept. 17 and 18 at the Paramount Arts Centre in Aurora as part of the Hollywood Casino’s Stars of ’94 Entertainment series. Tickets are $25, $35 and $45.
– Clint Black is in the midst of a September tour of intimate venues rather than the coliseums of his 1993 tour with Wynonna Judd.
“I wanted to go to the other extreme and play in smaller venues to get that up-close and personal communication with my audience as if we were coming to your living room,” Black says.
Stops on the tour in the latter half of September include Searcy, Ark.; Greenwood, Miss.; New Orleans; Asheville, N.C.; and Roanoke, Va.
Black will continue to play some larger venues, too-state fairs in Oklahoma City, Richmond, Va., an Bloomsburg, Pa.
– Riders in the Sky have signed a contract with The Nashville Network to do four hour-long specials to be broadcast quarterly over the 1995 season, with the first to be taped this December.
The group’s manager, David Skepner, says the specials basically will be a TV version of the Riders’ weekly “Riders Radio Theater” show on National Public Radio.
