Work begins on new music commission

" The Shelby County Music Commission would promote our music and try to bring national business back to Memphis. "

Norm Shaw

The creation of a Memphis music commission took a big step forward at the Dec. 22 Shelby County Commission meeting.

A resolution to separate a music commission from the Shelby County Film, Tape & Music Commission was approved, and an annual budget of $150,000 was proposed. The Shelby County Music Commission would promote our music and try to bring national business back to Memphis.

The commission would be made up of 20 people, with 10 appointed by the city and 10 by the county. Commission members would serve two-year terms on a board of directors, and would be charged with hiring an executive director and staff.

County Mayor Jim Rout proposed the following nominees:

• John Fry, co-owner of Ardent Studios, one of the best-known studios in the country, and currently the studio with the most international clients in Memphis.
• Art Gilliam, president of Gilliam Communications and Gilliam Music.
• David Less, director of Gibson Entertainment, a division of Gibson Guitars, and former executive director of the Blues Foundation.
• Deannie Parker, vice president of communications and marketing at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis and a former employee of Stax, once one of the strongest Memphis labels and studios.
• Knox Phillips, a record producer and son of the legendary Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records.
• David Porter, one of the most successful songwriters of the past 30 years, who penned several Stax classics.
• Charlie Ryan, general manager of Ticketmaster, the nation's largest ticket seller.
• Jay Sheffield, co-owner of Huey's Restaurants and record label owner.
• Mary Unobsky, a songwriter with several hits to her credit, who also serves as executive director of Crossroads Music Expo.

The city will tackle the music commission issue this month. The county will vote on Rout's nominees at its Jan. 12 meeting.

Sheffield, who says he was unaware of his nomination until he saw it in The Commercial Appeal, has high hopes for the commission. He says he is honored to be included among the initial members, and has long been an advocate for such a commission.

"I've been an advocate for this type of quasi-governmental organization since I saw most of the efforts of the Film & Tape Commission were going to the film business. That commission has done an incredible job, and Linn Sitler is one of the best people you could get for the job," Sheffield says.

"I hope a chemistry and synergy comes from sharing ideas on the commission," says Sheffield. "You hope a critical mass develops in an organization like this. I think things will come from it that may surprise some people."

Sheffield says his main goal will be promoting the music that already exists and today's musicians who are making new music. But he says he has no preconceived notions other than "promoting what we've got, 'cause it will be here long after we're gone."

There have been two other attempts in the past 25 years to create a music commission for Memphis and Shelby County. Both failed, although the second attempt led to the creation of the highly successful Film & Tape Commission.