Photographer Jim McGuire Shoots the Stars of Country Music
 

By Melissa Coker

© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.

Despite his protests, Jim McGuire just might be lauded by lovers of the visual and musical arts as one of the finest portrait photographers in the business. The proof is in Nashville's Frist Center for the Visual Arts, where many of McGuire's best-known portraits of Country performers are on display through Sept. 9. Yet McGuire - until recently, at least - often waved off this sort of praise, demurring that he began taking these pictures "just for fun."

"I've grown up with Country Music," he said. "I've always been a fan. I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but I can still remember the smell of the room I was standing in when I first heard Hank Snow sing 'Spanish Fireball.' I was a 12-year-old Boy Scout when I fell under the spell of his hypnotic guitar rhythms and that velvety voice coming out of that ratty loudspeaker. And just as he wrote 'I played the part and gave my heart to that Spanish fireball,' my love of Country Music started that day and has never left."

That day was in 1953, and while his love for this music would change his life in years to come, another passion left its impact first. In 1961, having survived high school and college, the Pennington, N.J., native landed in the U.S. Air Force. Shipped off to Vietnam in 1964, he was put to work as a military photographer, taking aerial photos and snapshots of conflicts involving American troops. His headquarters was a makeshift tent, which he transformed into a darkroom.

"It was actually a wonderful experience," he said. "I would not trade it as it was the first time I felt myself being able to 'see' things."

By the time of his honorable discharge, McGuire knew he would pursue photography full-time. He returned to New York for a three-year run as assistant to fashion photographer John Foote, from whom he learned how to print and take black-and-white portraits, among other skills. Foote introduced him to Irving Penn, whose "Small Trades" portraits exerted a powerful influence by finding something extraordinary in its depictions of "ordinary" people in their work clothes.

Music, though, drew McGuire to Nashville in 1972. "I moved here to produce albums," he confessed. "And I did produce two dobro albums by a fellow named Mike Aldridge. But along the way, this [photography career] just kind of happened. I made a living shooting album covers. I just wanted to hang out with some of these musicians that I admired. It took about 15 to 20 years until I realized that these 30 to 35 years worth of portraits are historic in a lot of ways."

A stroll through the "Jim McGuire: The Nashville Portraits" exhibit at the Frist makes these clear. Among the images that duel for attention are a dolled-up Dolly Parton; a striking shot of Johnny Cash with Billy Graham; a "what are you looking at?" glare from Chet Atkins; Carole King, clad in overalls; a classic image of Harlan Howard; and a couple of carefree captures of Benny Martin, who worked alongside Bill Monroe , Hank Williams and other legends.

A different take on today's image of Vince Gill, snapped in 1985, might evoke the "Grease"-era John Travolta. A mysterious Jack Ingram, pre-Big Machine Records, is included with a very much un-cowboy hat. Dr. Ralph Stanley and his banjo, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Rosanne Cash with Rodney Crowell, George Strait and other greats appear happily at home. And Tammy Wynette, with her widespread dress, seems to have found her wings.

"Jim made his living doing album covers and commercial work," said Katie Delmez, Associate Curator at the Frist. "But in these shots we're seeing the artists more purely, almost stripped down to the basics. The fact that he's using black-and-white photography also takes away some of the smoothness of the more commercial images. They're more raw, immediate and direct. To me, they seem to really be themselves."

By restricting himself to black-and-white format, McGuire was able to bring out the "color" in each of his subjects. For the same reason, he chose uniformity in his setting, positioning the artist before the same canvas backdrop, which he had painted a neutral gray in 1969. The fact that these sessions often occurred right after McGuire had done a color shoot for an album cover or publicity photos only makes the contrast between his art and commercial work more striking.

"After the commissioned photo shoot, Jim would ask the artists - many of whom are his close friends - to stand or sit in front of this canvas," Delmez observed. "The only accessory might be their musical instrument. That shot of Bill Monroe cradling his mandolin, for example, is so moving. He was obviously such a passionate artist, someone who felt so strongly about his craft, and I think McGuire captured that dedication beautifully in the way Monroe almost seems to be lovingly kissing his mandolin. That purity of emotion makes these images come alive for me."

McGuire has particular attachment to some of the portraits in the exhibition. The one that depicts John Hartford leaning over his banjo is one of his favorites because it was among the earliest to actually turn out.

"It was one of the first times I shot before that canvas," he remembered. "It was a nice moment too, where he was within himself, playing his banjo and not looking at the camera."

Second on the list would be Marty Robbins, who McGuire listened to throughout high school. And that Monroe image has special meaning too: "Someone told me that Bill Monroe had that portrait up on his wall."

"The bigger the star, the easier they seem to be to work with," McGuire added. "Marty Robbins, for example, was especially friendly. And when artists aren't onstage, it seems like that's when their guard is down. They're alone. They're not 'on.' So it's an honest image. And I always try to make them comfortable. I talk to them, put a guitar in their hand, whatever they need. I encourage them to bring their instruments - or their dogs. Whatever they show up with is fine with me."

Organized by Kevin Grogan, Director of the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Ga., who was Director at Nashville's Cheekwood Museum of Art when McGuire held his first exhibition there in 1981, this nationally traveling exhibition of 60 portraits will hang at the Frist first through Sept. 9; other viewings will be announced in the months to come. A Nashville Portraits book is set for release in October.

On the Web: http://www.nashvilleportraits.com/, http://www.fristcenter.org/

Jim McGuire; Photographer: Mark Tucker
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Bill Monroe (1989); Photographer: Jim McGuire
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Dolly Parton (1974); Photographer: Jim McGuire
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Johnny Cash and Billy Graham (1978); Photographer: Jim McGuire
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Unique and Compelling: The Story Behind the Lyric Street Phenomenom
By Bob Doerschuk

© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.

Lyric Street Records makes no secret of a short but revealing phrase that has guided it toward success over these past 10 years. Its essence lies in these simple words: unique and compelling.

The words crop up a lot in the conversations of Randy Goodman and Doug Howard, President and Senior VP of A&R respectively of Lyric Street. The label's 20 employees take them everywhere they go - literally, on cards tucked in their wallets and purses, in the unlikely event that anyone might forget the company mandate.

But this is only part of a larger formulation, the rest of which says just as much about why Lyric Street has elevated one act after another - Sarah Buxton, Bucky Covington, Josh Gracin, Marcel, Rascal Flatts, Lisa Shaffer, SHeDAISY, Trent Tomlinson - toward stardom.

"We want to sign artists who are unique and compelling, with unique and compelling songs that we can deliver to critical mass at Country radio," Goodman emphasized. "My job isn't to come in with something that's way too alternative and say, 'Country radio, you should be playing this.' My job is to build careers, sell records and create a sustaining base for Lyric Street Records."

Broken down, the Lyric Street mantra balances the pragmatic and the ideal. The two seem like oil and water: impossible to mix, at least until someone strikes the right match. That's when they ignite together, in a blaze of Platinum and Gold.

Since releasing its first album in 1998, Lyric Street has released 26 albums and sold nearly 20 million units.

Lyric Street is not the first Country subsidiary launched by a major parent company. But it stands alone now in what was once a crowded field, its identity enduring and intact. Talent and hard work have a lot to do with it. Investment helps too, but that $10 million that Disney pumped into opening Lyric Street a decade ago wasn't the first time a corporation poured ample funding into a startup.

Two more unusual factors play into this story, which began in a den at Goodman's home and culminated in June at a festive anniversary celebration at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The first traces back some 30 years, to when Goodman and Howard began their friendship as students at David Lipscomb University in Nashville.

"It was based from the get-go on our love for music," said Howard. "But the beauty of it is that we have different personalities and we would go on to have different experiences before the opportunity was right for us to begin our business relationship."

For Howard, those experiences took him to Belmont University, from where his song-based perspective led him to a position with Welk Music. As the publishing company morphed into PolyGram Music, Howard rose to the position of GM even as he returned to academics to earn a law degree from Vanderbilt University.

Goodman, meanwhile, emerged from Lipscomb with a degree in political science and economics, earned a music business degree at Belmont and then toured with a rock band as road manager. After a year and a half he traded the wanderer's life for a publicity gig at RCA Records, where he rose rapidly in the New York and Nashville offices.

He was Senior VP and GM in Nashville, working closely with RCA Label Group Nashville Chairman Joe Galante, when Disney offered him the reins of Lyric Street. Though he valued his 18-year run at RCA, Goodman took the gig.

"How many times in your career will the second largest media company in the world ask you to start a company for them?" he explained. "When I began to sit with that notion, I felt that if I didn't do it, I would regret it for the rest of my life."

His first step was to call Howard. Their achievements in the music business, on the record and publishing sides, gave the operation balance right from the start. And their personal ties invested the company's culture with the tolerance for candor and team spirit that drives it to this day.

"We all wear as many hats as we can," Goodman said. "I'll never forget, when we were setting up SHeDAISY, we decided to send out these film canisters with candy you could get at a movie theater. It was eight o'clock at night, and Doug, Greg [McCarn, VP Marketing], Kevin [Herring, VP National Promotion] and I worked at this long table until we could get those canisters out. That's still the spirit at Lyric Street. If a phone is ringing and somebody is walking by, they'll stop and answer it. That's a blessing."

With very few staff changes, aside from four positions added to the original 16, this stability and familiarity goes further at explaining the company's high batting average. But the picture isn't complete without that second and last ingredient.

"We got lucky too," Goodman admitted. "I can't stress that enough. But that wouldn't have been enough without everything else. We try to be smart. We work hard. We keep our overhead low by having a focused roster and having everyone wear as many hats as they can. And in the end, with all the right people onboard, I never looked back. I knew we were going to make this happen."

On the Web: www.hollywoodrecords.go.com/lyricstreetrecords

Randy Goodman, President, Lyric Street Records; Photographer: Glenn Sweitzer
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Lyric Street Records Staff. (front) Heather Conley, Marketing Director; Greg McCarn, VP Marketing; Kirk Boyer, Senior Director, A&R; Cindy Heath, Publicity Director; Renee Leymon, Senior Director, National Promotion; (back) Robin Gordon, Senior Manager, A&R Administration; Paula Eden, Executive Assistant; Dale Turner, VP, Promotion Administration; Kris Lamb, Promotion Coordinator; Kevin Herring, VP, National Promotions; Tonya Stroud, A&R Coordinator; Teresa Vinson, Senior Manager, Artist and Label Relations; Randy Goodman, President; Ashley Heron, Senior Manager, Marketing; Chris Palmer, Director, Regional Promotion/Northeast; Doug Howard, Senior VP, A&R. Photographer: Glenn Sweitzer
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NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: The Infamous Stringdusters
By Bob Doerschuk

© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.

Traditional music is a tradition in this deft and daring band. Dobro wizard Andy Hall's résumé includes work with Charlie Daniels, Dolly Parton and Earl Scruggs. Guitarist Chris Eldridge studied with Tony Rice, and banjoist Chris Pandolfi with Tony Trischka. It was also a family affair for Eldridge, who grew up on the road with his dad's band, the Seldom Scene, and Jeremy Garrett, who learned the fiddler's art while touring with his father in The Grasshoppers.

And each of The Infamous Stringdusters boasts ample stage experience, with bassist Travis Book laying the foundation of the band Broke Mountain, Jesse Cobb tearing it up on mandolin behind Jim Lauderdale and Lee Ann Womack, and the rest seasoned through gigs with Bering Strait, Bobby Osborne and other luminaries.

Their professionalism, tempered by deep feeling for the music and animated by youthful exuberance, resonates throughout Fork in the Road. "Dream of You" rides an express train straight for the heart of bluegrass, with phenomenal articulation from Cobb and Pandolfi. After this track, they offer "Moon Man," whose rhythmic twists help bring this current to a boil beneath the heat of Garrett's solo.

A sound that blends echoes and more adventurous extensions of the rustic past unfolds throughout their Sugar Hill Records debut. This broad range has won them respect, from the International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass Show to chic settings such as New York's Rodeo Bar and Boston's Passim. All of which suggests that there's nothing "infamous" about these guys at all - "amazing" and "unforgettable" come a little closer to the truth.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:

Who is your musical hero?
GARRETT: "Although I have many, my biggest musical hero is my dad. We have traveled literally thousands of miles together to play music and I could not begin to count all the songs we have played. Through it all he has taught me a lot about music and of course many other things."

PANDOLFI: "Béla Fleck inspired me to play banjo. There is no end to his creativity and musicality."

Which song would you secretly love to cover?
COBB: "'On the Road Again' by Bob Seger. I always thought it would make a great acoustic song, and almost everyone at one point in their lives can relate to it."

What CD is in your stereo?
ELDRIDGE: "Sky Blue Sky by Wilco. It's awesome."

Who is your dream duet partner?
HALL: "Tim O'Brien. And I may get my wish pretty soon."

What song do you wish you had written?
BOOK: "'Gentle on My Mind,' by John Hartford. It's one of my absolute favorites. The first time I heard it, Benny Galloway, one of my mentors, brought it to a band we were in and I was stunned.  It's so simple, beautiful, melodic and the message is clear."

What book is on your nightstand?
HALL: "'The Power of Now.' It's an amazing book that you can use like a guide in everyday life."

What do you sing in the shower?
HALL: "In the shower I've been rocking 'Hey Jude' quite a bit.  And the occasional Stringdusters tune." 

What word or phrase do you find yourself saying over and over again?
COBB: "'Git!' Git is probably the most used term in the whole band. Literally taken as, 'Get away from me.' It's usually used in a friendly manner but not always." 

What mode of transportation do you prefer?
COBB: "Ground. I love to drive to and from gigs, take in the scenery and such. You miss out on so much when you fly."

What actor would portray you in a biopic about your life?
PANDOLFI: "Jim Carrey. I think he might be an inch or two taller than I am, but Hollywood can fix that no problem."

On the Web: http://www.infamousstringdusters.com/

The Infamous Stringdusters; Sugar Hill Records
Photo: Kristin Barlowe

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