She Had it All

She felt a little silly at first in the garish get-up that Brad and Jake had helped her procure but soon realized that her outfit was an integral part of Opry lore. She was positive no one would recognize her---not even her mother.

Brad and his band had warmed up the crowd for half an hour before it was her turn to join them. The crowd greeted her warmly; Brad had been right. You could see their faces. Taylor's previous bouts with anxiety had always come about in anticipation of a performance, not during it. Give her a song, a mic and a good audience, and she was like a fish in water. The warm embrace and tender words of encouragement from the man she knew she loved removed the last vestige of butterflies.

Opry crowds tend to move around, get up and go to the bathroom or get a snack, move to the front and take pictures and talk among themselves at times. They'd agreed to kick it off with the up-tempo number, essentially a duet but one that favored the female singer. Thirty seconds into it the crowd was not moving around or talking. The sense grew that music history was being made---and it wouldn't have been the first time it had occurred at the fabled auditorium.

Taylor and Brad absolutely nailed the classic cover, probably doing it better than the original duo, now both dead but long since enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Brad had sung duets before with amazing female singers and had an uncanny ability to 'be there' vocally but let the better voice shine through.

The audience was smiling...grinning...clapping. They were on their feet...moving with the music. Taylor felt the energy...absorbed it. In response to the audience Brad whispered to her and signaled to his band that they needed to re-sing the first verse again---extend the song.

Taylor was not unlike many great singers; all of her doubts and insecurities melted away in the presence of a good crowd while singing a great song. She felt the love and gave it back to them. She held nothing back as they kicked into the extended number's final section. She stunned and awed; she left them breathless and wanting more. The off-stage teasers were crowded with the stars of yesterday and the hopefuls of today and tomorrow, all anxious to see what their ears told them was a landmark performance.

And it just got better. By the time Taylor and Brad got to the final duet---the one Jake had written---the crowd was in tears. And as if it couldn't possibly get any better---it did. The solo love song was a stunner by anyone's measure. All knew that they were witnessing music history; few doubted that they had just witnessed the birth of an incredible new country star. The crowd wanted more but they'd have to settle for the next act; Brad and Taylor had already run over and it was time to exit the stage and give someone else the limelight.

Taylor felt good; she felt proud. She knew she had left nothing in the dressing room; she'd given the audience everything she had in her and they adored her for it. The simple "wow" and the strong arms of the "man who had brung her" meant everything, even more than the love of the crowd.

Everyone backstage wanted to congratulate her. The little man who had been such a visible symbol of the Opry for decades greeted her warmly.

"Honey, with that voice and songs like you just did---and it sure doesn't hurt that you're such a pretty thing---you've got a bright future. Stay sweet and humble and don't let the bastards get you down. We'd like you to come back. How do we get in touch with your people?"

"I don't really have any people...just friends."

"Well, I suppose Brad's people know how to get in contact with you; we'll do it soon."

Brad had overheard the conversation. "Taylor, you just got invited back---as a solo artist. That's doesn't happen very often here after a single performance. Do not take that invitation lightly---and don't even think about saying no."

"I don't have a band anymore, or anything."

"Not really an issue here; there's always accomplished musicians available to help out a young artist. I knew you were good, hon, but that was as good a live performance as I've ever been party to. You're going to at least need to get an agent or manager---someone to answer the phone---because the phone is going to start ringing."

"Agents and managers...right up there with producers in my least desired list."

"Well, look. We're going to stay over. A good friend who is on tour has a big house here with lots of room. We're going to cook some food, drink some beer and play a little music. My manager/publicist/agent lives here; I think you'd like her."

"Her?"

"She's old enough to be your---and my---mother but she's a good soul."

"The last thing I want to do is get into another percentage based deal---any chance she'd agree to something short term and fee based?"

"You'll have to ask her. Most new artists don't have the cash for that kind of deal and of course agents, managers and such are betting on the come when they sign with a new artist."

"I just don't want to get locked in again...tied to something I can't live with."

An hour or so later Taylor met Brad's manager/publicist/agent who came by the borrowed house soon after they all arrived and well before the beer started to flow. Taylor had changed out of her stage costume by the time she was introduced. Margaret was not remotely like any one of her ilk that Taylor had ever met. She liked her instantly. She would come to honor and greatly appreciate her directness and her candor.

"Taylor, we need to clear the table, so to speak. I have no problem entering into a 'probationary' fee-based arrangement with you. It's unusual to say the least and most new artists don't have the luxury of proposing it---'cause they're broke. On the other hand, I can't tell you the number of times I wish I'd had just such a relationship when a promising new wannabe crashed and burned and I got stuck with the unpaid receipts.

"Before we even consider it, however, let's take a walk outside while you tell me what the hell you're doing, what you hope to achieve and why the canard---which will not hold up for long. I watched and heard you tonight on the TV---never miss it, particularly when my pride and joy is performing. There are thousands of pretty girls with decent voices in Nashville; most of them are tending bar, waiting tables and cutting hair while waiting for a break that is never going to come. While a career is certainly not going to fall at your feet based on four songs on a Saturday night at the Opry, it was one hell of a debut. So talk to me."

Taylor brought her up to date on her life, her hatred of what she had become in the pop scene, her exit from the West Coast and...Jake.

"So you are not now currently under contract with anyone?"

"As of midnight yesterday, no one. I do still have a financial advisor who handles my portfolio and an attorney on retainer, but he isn't remotely involved in the entertainment business. He's an old family friend."

"No problem there; if you trust them, keep 'em. Taylor, this country thing---and I admit to being very protective of it---are you sure?"

"I wasn't at first---wasn't sure. But I feel good when I sing these songs and tonight...I've never felt that comfortable and relaxed on stage."

"I'm sure someone else has already mentioned his, but your name---your pop name---will sell a shit-pile of records out of the gate."

"I don't want to do it that way, Margaret. Less than a month ago, I left LA convinced that I was done---my career was over and I didn't have a single regret about it. Even now, in spite of how good tonight felt---I'm not absolutely convinced I want to jump back into the music world. I want to sing; I want to perform. I love an audience. I suppose I even want to record because I think I have something worth sharing but it's all the stuff that goes with it that soured me on the business over the last five or six years---and terrifies me."

"Just my luck! A reluctant star. Okay, let's think about this. Brad already hinted that you guys laid down some impressive tracks. People make it in country because radio station managers play their songs---which they do because the fans call in and ask. There are miles of great tape by talented performers that no one is ever going to hear because they never got a deal, they never got promoted and they never built a fan base. Even a record deal is no assurance---ask the last four Nashville Star winners or Taylor Hicks!

"Video exposure is helpful and a good video can 'pressure' station managers. Download sites are a whole new approach to getting people to listen to your music. If you're sound is 'studio produced'---which yours definitely isn't---a concert tour will kill your career. I gather you've been invited back to the Opry but keep in mind that there is a reasonably talented girl with over 200 Opry performances who can't get a decent deal because she's not as good on tape as she is on a stage, doesn't have great songs of her own to sing, doesn't seem to have the right look---or whatever."

"Look, Margaret, I'm probably the most patient performer you'll ever work with but I get it. I understand enough to know that in this business if you can't make money for people no one gives a damn how good you are. So what are you recommending?"

"Okay. We can probably keep the charade alive for a while but I'm not sure if it will last long enough to build the kind of fan base that says, 'this girl's for real and not just another pop singer who has gone country.' If you agree that we should work together---I'm thinking something like six months with a renewable clause---I'll get the word out to the country radio clan that I'm managing your affairs.

"If they're interested---and they should be by tomorrow morning based on that televised Opry appearance---we need to send them a song immediately. The solo love song would be a good choice. Brad's album is coming out very soon and he wants to include the duet you guys did together---the one Jake wrote. You're going to have to do some call-ins with traditional country radio DJs but that's pretty painless. Some production stills and certainly a song to iTunes, based on potential radio airplay. Let's stay away from the video scene until CMT and GAC are absolutely begging because video close-ups will almost surely expose you for who you are---same with TV appearances."

"Okay. I'm comfortable with that."

"Concerts. You don't have a body of work or the exposure to even be the number two act for a headliner and the fifteen to thirty minute opener can be pretty dismal while people are finding their seats, chatting and getting their beer and such. On the other hand, there are always headliners on the road who realize their opening act isn't ready and bluntly sucks. On short notice they need a fill-in; if it works, they'd like to keep you on the lineup for four weeks.

"The problem is most of these young artists can't afford decent equipment and end up with some local band playing too loud and not that well. You can afford good equipment. If you keep it relatively minimalist and acoustic, you can get by with a couple of solid session performers backing you up---on your payroll. I wouldn't do it any other way. If you're lucky, it'll be a break-even proposition. There are always mall openings, county fairs and such---seldom break-even, but good exposure."

"I think I can handle all of that."

"We can let another single out down the road as demand warrants it. We don't want to just float an album out there until it's got a chance of being bought. What about a label deal?"

"No. Absolutely no."

"Okay, well, we can do the legal work for a few hundred bucks to create a label for you on paper. What would be best is if an established performer who also has their own label let's you piggy-back. You'd still have total artistic control but the horse power and name of the established star's label would open a lot of doors. Distribution has changed dramatically in the last few years. We've got major stars---Garth, Martina, Allison---selling directly through retail outlets such as Halmark, Walmart and Cracker Barrel. It's caused a bit of consternation among the traditional Nashville crowd but that's life. One more sensitive issue."

"Which is?"

"No matter how good you are, a CD needs a producer."

"That's a very sensitive subject with me."

"So I gathered. I'm totally of Brad's mind set when it comes to producers. What would be convenient would be if one of the established stars who has had success producing gets wind of you and offers to be a mentor. Let me work on that."

"Anything else?"

"Get ready for that interview which will sneak up and bite us in the ass when some major critic figures it out and demands the inside story. You're going to have to do it but hopefully not for a little while."

The rest of the summer went very quickly for Taylor. The initial single released to the country radio crowd did very well, slipping into the Billboard top ten. It did equally well on iTunes. A major star with his own label approached her to open for him on a four week swing through the Midwest. She hired two accomplished musicians to play with her and acquired some stage duds that kept with her country style.

She played the Opry twice more and sang several more songs from the budding album. Jake was occasionally able to travel with her but she knew that school would soon be starting and he would be tied down at work. She missed him when he wasn't with her; he was the one who could always recharge her batteries and keep her grounded.

They rode horses together, cooked together, played with the dogs and made love. As fall approached, her fears kindled by her past failures with men began to evaporate. It became more real and more wonderful with every passing day.

In August, an absolute icon of traditional country music with numerous awards as a performer and a producer approached her and offered to help produce her album. Brad's album was released and the duet he had done with Taylor raced to the top of the charts.

Taylor's album was finished in record time; it included a song which Taylor had written herself about "forgotten men" based on the men she had met at the VA hospital where she still volunteered at every opportunity. It was to be the surprise thirteenth track. The TV country channels wanted a video. Taylor and Margaret sat down to discuss it.

"I'm not ready to give it to them, Taylor, but we need to make it and have it ready to go when the album comes out. The minute the world sees it, the charade is over. There's no sense in trying to hide who you are so let's not get silly trying to disguise it. Simply costuming, no hats or sequins. Minimalist staging and backup. I've got a video producer in mind that I think you'll like. We can knock it out in a couple of days and keep the expenses down."

It was agreed; the project was in fact completed in a couple of days. Taylor had done videos before in her former life and knew the game. She surprised everyone by getting it right visually and in song with few retakes.

Brad believed that Taylor was almost ready to go on the road as the middle act---that she had a big enough body of work. He invited her to join his tour, which would begin in a few months at the start of the new year. The vexing issue became how and when to let the cat out of the bag.

One of her former nemeses from her pop days provided the solution, as Taylor was to find out one morning from Margaret. A major critic from a music publication which transcended all genres had figured it out and was threatening to run with it but had at least had the courtesy to ask for---or demand---an interview. It was the very same prick who had on more than one occasion dubbed her pop work forgettable and wannabe.

"We can't really say no, Taylor."

"I agree; let's talk terms. An exclusive interview---the whole kit and kaboodle. We use him to our advantage---give him the first listen to the CD but he holds the story and the review until we can crank up the release promo---a week or two. I'm not going to New York. We do it at my house. I've never met the man. Although he was often less than kind and as much as it hurt, I can't disagree with anything he ever said. Can we trust him?"

"In my experience, he'll play along---particularly for an exclusive. I'll set it up. You've got good instincts, hon. You may be somewhat embittered from your previous foray but you're tough and it will serve you well. I'm not letting you do this alone."

"Jake. Jake will be there for me. Jake's the only reason any of this has transpired. He's a big part of the story. I don't need anyone holding my hand...other than him."

Jake did more than hold Taylor's hand. He volunteered to pick up the critic and take him to Taylor' house.

"I'm honored to meet you, Jake; I am far more of a country fan than many people understand and I'm certainly a huge fan of your work. You're a hell of a songwriter. I also sense that you're part of this story. Care to share that with me?"

"Marvin, I'm pretty much an open book as anyone in this town can tell you. This is not my story you came here to write---it's hers. I have a great deal of affection for Taylor. All I ever intended was for her music to put a smile on her face---again."

"What's your business involvement?"

"I gave her some songs to record which I had never given anyone else; I helped her with her own writing and the first product of that collaboration is quite poignant. I'm not one of her 'people' but she is as precious to me as anyone on the earth other than my daughter. Taylor is finally finding herself---musically. Anything I had to do with that is incidental to her amazing talent and determination."

"Were you a fan of her previous work?"

"I hate pop music and didn't even know she had previous efforts the first time I heard her sing."

"I fell in love with her voice the first time I heard it; I hated what she subsequently did with it. She was born forty years too late; she should be singing the standards."

"They don't sell, Marvin---you know that. Country music has replaced that kind of popular music for those who want to hear good words and a good story well-presented as opposed to over-produced dance crap."

"Still, Jake, pop singers who attempt the cross-over are a dime a dozen. Will they accept her?"

"Have you heard her sing country?"

"On tape and just recently live. I have to admit, I was impressed."

"She was born to sing it, Marvin. She showed up here a few months back having essentially walked away from fame and fortune---prepared to never sing professionally again. She hated what she had been doing. She just lights up like a Christmas tree when she sings country. She's made some good friends in the industry in a very short time. This revelation may strike some people the wrong way---it's hard to tell. The public can be very unpredictable.

"Still, the country audience respects good songs and great voices. Taylor always had a bit of country in her---grandparents---but I'll let her fill you in. She loves the standards---won the competition singing them. Then a pop-oriented machine combined with her own naiveté got in the way. We're here! Taylor bought this place when she first got here and has been trying to fix it up but she hasn't had much time recently."

"Is that a horse in the backyard?"

"It's a little more than a backyard and, yes, it is a horse, two of them actually...one of mine. I gave it to her for her birthday. The other is, ah, still mine. Taylor learned to ride when she was a little girl. I raise horses—very small scale---and she took a fancy to that particular bay."

"You're in love with the girl---aren't you?"

"Are you asking as a journalist?"