Nashville's first female country music execs reflect on a changing industry, their podcast
Legendary Nashville country music industry executives Susan Nadler and Evelyn Shriver exemplify Nashville's evolution through the global appeal of country music.
Known as the "Shady Ladies of Music City" among music industry insiders and, now, to the general public through their popular podcast, the Northeast-native duo boasts over four decades of experience running record labels, launching top artists and managing public relations in the ever-evolving music industry.
The Shady Ladies' tell-all podcast is returning for its fourth season under Morris Higham Management, following a hiatus after its initial release by Sony Records' Nashville office.
Like the podcast, a conversation with the duo could easily transition from casual banter to a profound discussion on the intricacies of the booming country music industry.
"All of our clients are dead," Nadler said, half-joking, during a Tennessean interview at Morris Higham Management's West Nashville offices. "So now we're focused on contemporary issues in country music."
She's exaggerating.
However, the duo represented George Jones and Tammy Wynette, two notable country icons who have died in the past two decades, alongside living legends like Lorrie Morgan and Randy Travis.
Storied careers breaking the glass ceiling
The pair became the first women to hold top positions at a major country-music label in Nashville when New York City industry executive Sylvia Rhone appointed them to run Warner/Elektra's country-focused Asylum Records from Apr. 1998 through Dec. 2000.
Their tenure as label executives is underscored by a note Wynette sent them upon learning of their entry into the industry:
"I would love to be a fly on the wall when the good old boys come to [Susan Nadler's] office and she turns them down," Wynette wrote. "[T]hey are going to abhor her and yet they'll have to like her."
Under Nadler and Shriver's leadership, Asylum Records earned Grammy awards for two 1999 releases — the George Jones album "Cold Hard Truth" and the collaborative project "Trio II" featuring Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt.
Shriver may have left the ranks of the music industry's C-suite but she still keeps her ear to the ground for trends. She's eager to share her skepticism about the increasing reliance on streaming data over physical album sales.
"How do 75 million streams for an album work now as opposed to when we would physically sell a million records and receive $10 from each unit sold?" Shriver said. "How does this translate into artists making any money for their work?"
She also reflects on the evolution of the genre's popularity, reminiscing about her time working with Randy Travis during his crossover success in 1987 with the hit "Forever and Ever, Amen."
Just 18 months prior to the chart-topping, Grammy-winning hit's release, Shriver recalls seeing a New York Times headline proclaiming: "Country Music In Decline."
"I thought it was the kiss of death [for the genre], but then Randy exploded in popularity and sold out arenas, pushing merchandise like you wouldn't believe and earning laundry bags filled with cash," Shriver said.
Travis's runaway success became even more clear one night when Shriver and Travis were approached by a street gang while walking between the East River and Times Square in New York City.
"We're about to have a nightmare of a scene," Shriver recalls thinking.
Instead, the gang lit up with smiles upon recognizing the Texas-born vocalist and began singing his country hit.
'Where are the Bob Dylans?'
Nadler and Shriver are unanimous when asked which artist could further elevate the genre beyond the heights of Garth Brooks and Randy Travis in the 1990s or Morgan Wallen in the current era — 2023 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Chris Stapleton.
"He's the best singer and writer — hell, he's the best everything," said Nadler.
Why is Stapleton such a strong bet? His authenticity.
Music Row has fallen guilty of copying popular trends and watering down the genre, they said.
"Eventually, we go from having these great songs to things feeling boring and confused," Shriver said, of country music's popularization.
They highlight the impact of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which led to the consolidation of country radio stations and subsequently affected the diversity of artists heard on the airwaves.
"Where are the new Bob Dylans, Bruce Springsteens, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Youngs or even the Kris Kristoffersons or Willie Nelsons, Lionel Richies and Michael Jackson-types coming into town and being originators?," Nadler said. "Nothing feels as memorable these days compared to [what those artists made]."
Preserving country music's history, looking to its future
Reflecting on their podcast's purpose, they emphasize their desire to preserve the stories and history that characterize Nashville's music scene while sharing insights into its evolution.
"We launched this podcast as a way to archive a lot of the stories about a town and industry we love," said Nadler.
Shriver adds: "Now that we're out of the day-to-day, we can talk about it in a different way that illustrates a lot of how things used to be and perhaps even answer why they are the way they are today."
In envisioning the ideal future for country music, Nadler said she would like to see more female artists rise to superstardom.
She cites popular country artists in the 1990s — Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Judds, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, Lorrie Morgan, Sweethearts of the Rodeo (sisters Janis Oliver and Kristine Arnold) and Trisha Yearwood — as having the tenacity to stand out in the middle of thunderstorms at state fairs while still appearing to flawlessly record top-ten singles and make multitudes of public appearances as important.
Also, Nadler said she hopes to see more artists "embracing the genre's history while still writing about their lives."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville execs reflect on 'Shady Ladies of Music City' podcast
