Country music manager Dale Morris dies aged 89
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Dale Morris, the Nashville manager credited with building the superstar careers of Alabama and Kenny Chesney, has died in his sleep at the age of 89. His death was confirmed by his longtime business partner Clint Higham, president of Morris Higham Management, who described him as having "never met a dream he couldn't build" and called his passing "the end of an era" for the country music industry.
Morris began his career as a songwriter before founding his management agency, taking on Alabama in 1979 and helping the group become the most successful band in country music history, with 33 No. 1 hits and multiple Entertainer of the Year titles. He later guided Kenny Chesney to similar heights, with 32 Billboard country No. 1s, and went on to manage acts including Martina McBride, Old Dominion, Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich; he sold his company to Paradigm Talent Agency in 2018 alongside Higham, who had risen from intern to partner.
- Nashville manager Dale Morris has died aged 89, in his sleep
- He built Alabama and Kenny Chesney into country music superstars
- Also managed McBride, Old Dominion, Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich
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Country music is a style of popular music with roots in the southern United States, often built around storytelling songs and instruments such as guitar and fiddle. Nashville, Tennessee, is its main business centre, where record labels, publishers, promoters and managers help artists make records, organise tours and build audiences.
A music manager guides an artist’s career, negotiating business deals and helping shape choices about recordings, concerts and public image. Dale Morris became known for working with Alabama, a band whose success in the 1980s helped country music reach a larger mainstream audience, and later with solo singer Kenny Chesney.
Both acts became major forces in country music through hit records and large-scale live touring. Their careers illustrate how the genre grew into a major commercial part of the American music industry, with awards and chart success often used to measure an artist’s standing.
More coverage
- Billboard — Dale Morris, Nashville Manager Who Guided Careers of Alabama & Kenny Chesney, Dies at 89
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Originally published by Variety as “Dale Morris, Titan of Nashville Management Who Forged Superstar Careers for Kenny Chesney and Alabama, Dies at 89”.