AT 8TH ANNUAL AMERICANA HONORS & AWARDS
In a career spanning more than 50 years, veteran Nashville producer Jim Rooney's elegant musicality has established him as a most vital player in Americana music. Perhaps best known for his Grammy-nominated albums with John Prine, Iris DeMent, Tom Paxton and Peter Rowan – as well as his work on Nanci Griffith's Grammy-winning Other Voices Other Rooms – Rooney's contributions as an engineer, musician, producer and songwriter have graced close to 150 albums to date.
"Jim Rooney is the number one reason I have a career," says Nanci Griffith, who also worked with Rooney on the Grammy-nominated Last of the True Believers. "He gave me confidence in my writing, inspiration to write, and handed me the want ads to look for an apartment in Nashville."
Following his key role in the '60s folk revival, Rooney managed legendary venue Club 47 (now Club Passim) in Cambridge, Mass., and lent his talents to the Newport Folk Festival, serving as both its Director and Talent Coordinator. After handling tour and production management duties for both the Newport Jazz Festival and inaugural New Orleans Jazz Festival, Rooney moved to Woodstock, N.Y. in the early '70s to manage Albert Grossman's Bearsville Sound Studios.
At home in Nashville for the past 35 years, Rooney has released a handful of solo records while producing artists including Townes Van Zandt, Hal Ketchum, Bonnie Raitt and more. Rooney has also authored two books, Bossmen: Bill Monroe & Muddy Waters (DaCapo Press) and Baby Let Me Follow You Down: The Illustrated Story of the Cambridge Folk Years with Eric Von Schmidt (University of Massachusetts Press). He currently splits his time between Tennessee, Vermont and Ireland.
From September 16-19, 2009, the 10th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference will offer seminars, panels and networking opportunities at the Nashville Convention Center by day, and bring a stellar lineup of musical showcases each evening. Conference registrations currently at the early bird discount rate of $350 for members and $450 for non-members are available at the Americana Music Online Store:
About the Americana Music Festival & Conference
Americana Honors & Awards
About the Americana Music Association
TO REGISTER FOR MEDIA CREDENTIALS:
CLICK HERE
MEDIA CONTACTS
National Coverage – MSO: Mitch Schneider, and Todd Brodginski
mschneider@msopr.com
toddb@msopr.com
Festival and Conference – Jayne Rogovin-The Jayne Gang
jrogovin@mac.com
Americana Music Association | P.O. Box 128077 | Nashville, TN 37212 | 615-386-6936 | www.americanamusic.org
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