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There are a lot of parallels between the French wine industry and the country music industry. The vintners will cut back the vines to make them suffer in order to produce the best grapes. There is a part of this town that wants you to suffer a little bit. You’ve got to pay your dues. – Pam Lewis
Have you ever wondered about the role PR and marketing play in the development of a country music artist? Easy answer: it’s huge. That’s why we sat down with Pam Lewis, one of the PR queens of Nashville with offices right on Music Row. Born and raised in upstate New York, she attended Wells College and studied abroad to attend a program associated with The Sorbonne University. One of her very first jobs out of college took her to New York City where she was part of the original publicity and marketing team for MTV and sister channels Nickelodeon, the Movie Channel and A&E. In this interview, she tells the story of her move to Nashville in 1984 where she made the transition to country music at RCA Records and helped to shape the careers of stars like Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, The Judds & Alabama. Her partnership with Bob Doyle in 1987 formed Doyle/Lewis Management and their first client was an unknown artist named Garth Brooks. In addition to her work with Garth, Pam helped Trisha Yearwood land her first record deal which yielded the artist her first record-breaking single, “She’s In Love With The Boy.” The dissolution of her business relationship with Garth Brooks is well documented, and so is her determination and tenacity to get back on her feet through PLAMedia, Pam’s thriving PR and marketing agency. In this interview, we learn a lot about the business of country music and what it takes to succeed. For a birds-eye view into the life of a trailblazing powerhouse, hit that download button.