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INDUSTRY- February 2004
Music is as much a part of the Bluegrass State as horse farms and highlands, and the genres are as varied as Kentucky’s scenic landscapes. But until recently, music has been more a cultural asset than a business one. That now seems to be changing, however. Kentucky’s musical heritage is being tapped to help the state economy in terms of tourism and jobs. The potential is here. And so, apparently, is the vision to expand music’s role in Kentucky. Bringing it home “Music is a wonderful gift. Unfortunately, the business can take the joy out of the music,” Richardson notes. Richardson left Kentucky as a teenager for a job at Walt Disney World before auditioning for an Orlando-based group that would eventually become the phenomenally successful pop group known as the Backstreet Boys. Now Richardson, 31, and Keith McGuffey, a childhood friend and songwriter, have opened a music academy – The Music Workshop in downtown Louisville (www.themusicworkshop.net). “Our target audience is anyone in this state and surrounding states who is interested in the music industry,” Richardson told the media during the August opening. “You’ll learn everything from how to make a demo, shop a demo, read a contract and negotiate a contract, to what music publishing is, what production companies are, what points are – all the business-side things that a young artist can get lost in. “You can move to New York, L.A. or Nashville and try to learn the hard way,” Richardson said, “but the music industry is full of sharks and dead ends. I wish there was somebody who could have showed us the ropes back when. But there was nothing like this in Kentucky 10 or 15 years ago, and there’s nothing now. Well, not until right now.” “You can’t just make a demo, send it to a record company and expect somebody to listen to it,” McGuffey added. “You have to go about it in a certain way.” After eight years of touring and recording, the Backstreet Boys decided last year to call it quits. Richardson was based in Los Angeles; McGuffey was living in Boston. But when he told Richardson about his idea for The Music Workshop, there was no doubt that it would be based in Kentucky. Because of their success, Richardson and McGuffey wanted to give back to their home state and provide aspiring artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and engineers the foundation and tools that are essential to succeeding in the music industry. Although the classes will be open to every age group, the program focuses on teenagers. Richardson hopes to eventually build dormitories for out-of-state students. Further down the road, he hopes to get the courses accredited to count toward a college degree. “There’s a lot of talent here in Kentucky,” Richardson says. “We just want to cultivate the talent and help people achieve their dreams.” Creating a global hootenanny At 19, Johnathon moved from upstate New York to Texas to work as a late-night deejay. One night, he played “Turn, Turn, Turn,” by the ’60s folkrock group, The Byrds. By the time the three-minute song ended, he had decided to pursue a career as a folksinger. Two months later, he bought a guitar and a banjo and settled into the mountain hamlet of Mousie, Kentucky. For the next three years, he traveled up and down the hollows of the Appalachians, knocking on doors and enjoying the rich music of mountain people. A few years ago, Johnathon wrote a book and recorded a CD called WoodSongs, an entertaining mix of songs, poetry and social commentaries, featuring artists such as J.D. Crowe, Appalachian icon Jean Ritchie and mountain musician Homer Ledford. The success of that project resulted in the creation of radio’s only live audience program dedicated to brilliant but largely unknown artists. The “WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour,” which Johnathon writes and hosts each week, is now broadcast on over 400 radio stations in 32 countries. “It’s amazing that in Middle America, during downtown rush hour, hundreds of people will line up to get tickets to hear artists they don’t know sing songs they never heard before,” marvels Johnathon. “ It is a global compliment to our hometown that Lexington supports a show like WoodSongs. It proves the market is alive and healthy. Lexington, as venue-starved as it is, is slowly becoming a very artistic music hub for the central U.S. “I can’t stress enough how amazing this can turn out to be for tourism, local businesses and our national reputation. Look what the blues has done for Memphis, jazz for New Orleans, swing for Austin,” Johnathon notes. “Lexington sits at the crossroads of America’s folk and bluegrass music… and it is a huge worldwide audience. If our city leaders take advantage of the opportunity, it can bring millions of dollars into our local economy in the years to come. I still think that Southland Drive, with all of its music stores and small cafes, can become our Beal Street. “Almost 25 percent of our audience at the Kentucky Theatre each week are out-of-state fans. This number can grow dramatically as the show grows. I would like to reach 500 stations by the end of next year. WoodSongs is extending a very powerful invitation for travelers to visit Kentucky and our home community. We just can’t be the only business doing it. “WoodSongs is the ‘I Love Lucy’ of the Internet,” continues Johnathon with just a small hint of pride in his voice. “It is the first multi-camera weekly series to broadcast on the web. Over 30,000 people a month come to our Web site (www.woodsongs.com) to watch the live webcast or browse through our show archives. The webcast outreach is truly global and someday could prove to be very effective as a tourism/music tool.” WoodSongs will soon become the marquee Saturday night show for a new music/lifestyles TV network that is launching in July. Johnathon and the show’s supporters are betting that this new cable exposure will increase their audience tremendously and from that vantage point they envision new worlds to yet conquer. Building a music incubator Will and John Parks had an exciting idea for a new business venture a couple of years ago that just wouldn’t stop growing in size, scope and ambition. What began as a father’s desire to help his son achieve his professional dreams soon turned into the beginnings of a truly state-of-the-art recording complex. Currently being built in Lexington on a serene slice of beautiful Bluegrass meadowland, the facility will provide panoramic, large-frame views of the rolling central Kentucky landscape to complement and augment the high-technology components of the studio, which will house one of the largest recording rooms in the Midwest. Expected to be complete this year, St. Claire Recording Company hopes to entice major label recording artists from around the world to tap into the inspirational and relaxed vibe that is unique to the Bluegrass region. Will Parks, president and CEO of Citizens Commerce Bank in Versailles, had always supported his talented son ’s musical ambitions as a drummer and musician. In 1999, John completed an intense, accelerated program in professional audio recording technology and sound engineering and immediately moved to Nashville to hone his craft. The two initially looked to buy some property in or around Nashville to build their dream studio and go into the recording business for themselves. However, they just couldn’t seem to find the right opportunity. When John decided to move back to Lexington, it just made sense to move the project with him. “The technical aspect alone is something I don’t think you can find in any other studio in Kentucky: the ‘floating floors,’ bass traps, diffusers and the physical space dimensions of the recording room itself. Where else could you track a 30-piece string section? Our main recording room will be capable of doing that. We also think that the level of installed equipment we will be using is also significantly better than currently available regionally,” contends John. In order to back up such a tall order, the Parks flew to Toronto last year and enlisted the aid of Pilchner-Schoustal International, widely acclaimed as one of the recording industry’s best audio engineering studio design and consulting agencies. One of the first things they all agreed on was the desire to build a facility from the ground up as opposed to refurbishing an existing structure or space. This allowed Pilchner-Schoustal to fully develop their highly sought-after acoustical design concepts based on a sense of “zusamenfasung” – a tying together of project scale, detail, and installed systems that work together to create a unifying integrity and uniqueness to each studio they commission. It’s a recipe that has repeatedly brought gold and platinum level success to many of their projects. Will plans to devote most of his time and energy on managing the business affairs of St. Claire Recording once it opens for business. “Through out my entire banking career, customers have sought out my advice on opportunities for business ventures,” says Will. “Most people work to leave their kids an inheritance. I feel like I’m leaving him much more than that – I am helping him to fulfill his dreams.”
Richard Adkins is a staff writer for The Lane Report. Back to February Issue The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Growing up in central Kentucky, Kevin Richardson and Keith McGuffey dreamed of becoming huge rock stars. However, there was no school or outlet for information about the music industry anywhere in Kentucky. They had to leave home and experience first-hand the ins and outs of the sometimes unforgiving music industry. 
Johnathon claims that in one four-year stretch after he left the mountains and hit the road, he sang to over two million people. Billboard Magazine headlined him as an “Unsung Hero.” He has been featured on CNN, TNN, NPR, the Bravo Movie Channel and several syndicated radio shows. 
Almost as though they have heard Johnathon’s call to action, renowned R&B singer and writer Athena Cage, a Russellville native, has plans to open a recording studio in Bowling Green. On a larger scale, a multi-million dollar recording facility is being built in Lexington with plans to offer major label acts an alternative to crowded, noisy and expensive studio space in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles.
“We want artists to come here and immerse themselves in a totally creative environment,” says John, who will be the recording engineer and studio manager of the company.“We have envisioned that it’s not just a service we want to provide – it’s the entire experience.