We'll have a full post here for you very soon-- meanwhile, here's an excellent excerpt from the latest edition of the Country Music Association's Close Up News, used with permission. (For the entire article, complete with quotes from Carrie Underwood, Josh Gracin and more, check out the prestigious Music Row magazine's website. More in a moment!--Winnie)TV Talent Contests Help Launch Country Acts
By Deborah Evans Price
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc. (Photo: Kristin Barlowe)
Competitions have long provided a talent pool for A&R executives at Country record labels. Sawyer Brown made its bow on CBS-TV's "Star Search" back in 1983 and became the first winner of the nationally televised show.
"It meant everything in getting jump started that fast," Sawyer Brown frontman Mark Miller recalled of the group's "Star Search" experience, which fans still remember as the band's springboard. "The TV show made such a big splash, especially back then for Country Music. Our first two albums went Gold and Platinum. Back in '85 for a Country act to sell 100,000 units was a big deal and we sold 250,000 albums the first couple of weeks, if I remember correctly."
Sawyer Brown still records for Curb Records and, in addition to his work with the band, Miller has several other endeavors. He owns Beach Street Records, a Christian label that is home to the Platinum-selling band Casting Crowns. He also produces other artists, among them Bucky Covington, who placed eighth on "American Idol" during its fifth season.
"He has a cool, cool sounding voice," Miller said. "I discovered Bucky because my son was his biggest fan. Literally, when Bucky got voted off, my son Gunnar made me call him. He said, 'Daddy, you have to help him.' That's literally the way the whole thing began."
Needless to say, Covington was pleasantly surprised when he got the call from Miller. "The day after I got voted off the show, Mark Miller called my hometown newspaper and got my phone number and called me up," said Covington, still sounding somewhat incredulous at his good fortune.
Miller and his son weren't the only ones taking notice of Bucky, which made things easier when Miller began looking for a label deal for Covington. "I really didn't have to shop him around," Miller said. "I knew Doug [Howard] and Randy [Goodman] at Lyric Street. I literally just made a phone call and they pretty much said 'yes.' Doug had seen Bucky throughout the show and was a fan."
Sawyer Brown has taken Covington out on the road, and Miller said he's seen first hand the recognition generated by the "American Idol" phenomenon. "It is mind boggling how many people saw that show," Miller said. "When we bring him out on stage, we don't even have to introduce him. They see that long blond hair and they start going nuts. They know exactly who it is."
Lyric Street Records President Randy Goodman is not surprised. "We've always known the power of network television," he said. "You'd have to be a monk to not know the impact 'American Idol' is having on the general population."
Goodman said "American Idol" exposure helps acts break more quickly. "With somebody like Carrie Underwood and Josh and Bucky, you've got acts that are already branded to a certain degree. Radio stations know who Bucky is or Kellie Pickler is or who Josh is, and they definitely know who Carrie Underwood is. So, you've got a built in awareness and that awareness creates interest. Radio is always going to be the primary way that I sell records and that I alert and activate the audience, but 'American Idol' has created an instant recognition and awareness."
Covington said "American Idol" exposure definitely helps put a new artist on the fast track. "One of the toughest things for a new artist is you have to put out three to four good songs before people know who you are," he said. "The greatest thing about the show is you've got fans before you put the single out. That's a great head start."
Goodman said that Covington getting to work with Miller is a major plus for the new artist because he understands what it's like to gain acclaim from a talent competition. "He went through that process," Goodman said. "What's great about Mark as a mentor is he came from a contest show. He won it. He understands that immediate love that everybody pours on you, but he also understands that to build a long term career, you have to take that foundation, that kind of branding, and build on top of that with great, great songs. Mark and Sawyer Brown did that and Mark has proven to be an extraordinary businessman. There is not a better person than Mark that Bucky could be working with."
Bucky's next appearance with Sawyer Brown happens at the Dekalb Corn Festival in Illinois on August 26th; head over to Bucky's official tour page for all the latest. More coming right up!
