LEGENDARY PRODUCER TONY BROWN RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
North Carolina Music Hall of Fame Honoring Massive Contribution to Music
Nashville, TN (October 26, 2021) - Grammy Award-winning record producer and pianist Tony Brown received the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. This award recognizes a lifetime of achievements in the music industry and reflects a massive contribution to American music over several decades. Tony was honored for his lifetime achievement alongside Roberta Flack (1973’s “Killing Me Softly with His Song” and 1974’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love”).
Other inductees from the night include Jermaine Dupri (Kris Kross - known for such hits as “Jump” and “Warm it Up”) and Xscape (“Just Kickin’ It”), Tony Rice, Donald Lawrence, and Charles Whitfield. Also inducted were Michael Mauldin, former senior vice president of Columbia Record Group, and the late Robert Moog, known for inventing the synthesizer that bears his name (The Moog Synthesizer).
Tony Brown co-founded Universal South Records and is the former president of MCA Records Nashville — a title he held for nearly a decade. Brown produced numerous hits by artists like George Strait, Reba McEntire and Vince Gill. He has won seven Academy of Country Music awards, including Producer of the Year, multiple CMA awards and he has many gold, platinum and multi-platinum album credits. He has the respect of various label heads and shakers in the industry.
“Quite simply, Tony and Tony’s work as a producer and a music executive dominated country music for the better part of two decades,” praises Mike Dungan, CEO of Universal Music Nashville. “He possesses a unique ability to appeal to the common man in one moment and then turn right around and creatively challenge the hippest of the hip. Tony is the coolest cowboy I've ever known!”
An unshakeable pillar of the country music scene extending over 50 years, Tony Brown is still one of the most sought-after and highly acclaimed producers. Often credited as the founding father of the Americana country movement, Tony’s power for bending genres, establishing careers and tirelessly pushing the envelope has earned him numerous awards and recognitions.
“Tony’s Brown’s name has become synonymous with great recordings,” says the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. “His work transcends genres. His lifetime achievements will forever be recognized throughout the industry!”
Tony has yielded over 100 #1 singles and record levels of sales exceeding the 100 million records, while simultaneously building a pantheon of stars unparalleled in music history. Some of the artists he has signed include Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, The Mavericks, and more. In the last decade, Tony has produced the majority of tracks for Tuskegee, one of 2012’s highest grossing albums, with award-winning artist Lionel Richie featuring duets with Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw, Jimmy Buffett, Little Big Town, Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson.
Tony remains a heavy hitter in the music industry, with his latest projects: Gary Allan, Reba McEntire, and new rising talent from Broken Bow Records, Drake Milligan. Most recently Tony co-produced Big Machine Records’ Carly Pearce’s “Dear Miss Loretta” alongside Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.
The honors were commemorated in a live event at the historic Gem Theatre in Kannapolis, N.C. To learn more about Tony's incredible, more-than-50-year career in the music industry, pick up his book Elvis, Strait, to Jesus. To purchase a copy and discover all things Tony Brown visit: www.tonybrownenterprises.com .
