| Subject: Connie Bradley, former head of ASCAP Nashville |
Author:
She was 75
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: Wednesday, March 24, 12:23:56pm
Connie Bradley, a country music industry leader who spearheaded ASCAP Nashville for more than 30 years, died Wednesday at 75.
Bradley died Wednesday in Ft. Meyers, Florida, the performance rights organization confirmed to The Tennessean.
"Connie Bradley was a mentor to so many of country music's greatest songwriters and an indelible part of ASCAP's history," Paul Williams, ASCAP chairman and president, said in a statement. "She was a maverick leader in country music with an enormous heart who passionately advocated for the songwriters she loved so much.
"Our hearts go out to her family and the large community of songwriters who loved her."
Many in country music considered Bradley an inspiring force on Music Row. At ASCAP, she took personal stake in artists, aiding in developing of some of Nashville's leading voices. The organization signed during her tenure a number of defining songwriter and hitmakers: Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Rodney Crowell, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley ... and the list goes on.
As Kenny Chesney said during a 2019 CMA event honoring Bradley: "... she was one of the best friends that a dreamer could ever have."
Born October 1, 1945, and raised in Shelbyville, Tennessee, Bradley studied at Middle Tennessee State University, working at News Channel 5 and in the mortgage industry before building her influential career in music. She spent time at Music/Dot Records and RCA Records before joining ASCAP.
Bradley served on numerous boards in Nashville, including the Country Music Association Board of Directors from 1983 to 2012; she acted as CMA board president and chairperson in 1989 and '90. She also served on boards at St. Thomas Health Foundation and Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, among others.
“She was one of the many trailblazers, along with Frances Preston and Jo Walker Meador, for women in the Nashville music business," said CMA CEO Sarah Trahern. "Her passion for artists, songs and the Country Music industry as a whole paved the way for so many. Personally, I will miss her class, her stories and her humor."
In 2006, the Nashville Symphony honored Bradley with a Harmony Awards, the organization's highest honor. SOURCE, a nonprofit supporting women leaders in Nashville entertainment, inducted her into the SOURCE Hall of Fame in 2012.
She received the CMA Irving Waugh Award of Excellence in 2019, a surprise honor she accepted at a Q&A session alongside husband and Country Music Hall of Famer Jerry Bradley.
She retired from ASCAP in 2010 after 34 years with the organization.
Bradley is survived by her husband Jerry Bradley and two step-children, Clay Bradley and Leigh Jankiv. Funeral arrangements are to-be-announced.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2021/03/24/connie-bradley-ascap-nashville-obituary/6982115002/
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 