Middle Tennessee State University will return to the Grammy Awards for the ninth year in a row to celebrate not only its eight former students with nominations, but also the 50th anniversary of its storied Recording Industry program.
MTSU College of Media and Entertainment’s traditional pre-Grammy event, set for Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Mama Shelter Hotel’s rooftop restaurant in Los Angeles, will also recognize the appointment of a new Recording Industry chair, associate professor Michelle Conceison, who assumed leadership of the department in January.
“We are honored every year to travel to the Grammys to celebrate the nominations of our former students, but also reconnect with our alumni and friends in the music industry,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. “We love painting LA with True Blue.”
Nominees with MTSU ties up for honors at the 66th annual ceremony, set for Feb. 4 in Los Angeles, include:
- Julien Baker, a 2019 English graduate, is up for five nominations as a member of boygenius, an indie supergroup with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. The group was nominated for Album of the Year, Best Alternative Music Album, Record of the Year, Best Rock Performance and Best Alternative Music Performance.
- Two-time winner Brandon Bell, a 2004 Recording Industry graduate, is part of three Grammy-nominated efforts this year for his engineering work: Brandy Clark’s self-titled album up for Best Americana Album; Allison Russell’s “The Returner,” also up for Best Americana Album; and Billy Strings’ “Me/And/Dad,” nominated for Best Bluegrass Album. He has five previous nominations
- Two-time winner Tony Castle, a 1995 Recording Industry graduate, is nominated for his engineering work as part of the team on Willie Nelson’s “Bluegrass,” up for Best Bluegrass Album. He has won two Grammys for engineering Nelson’s projects featuring the songs of George Gershwin and Frank Sinatra, respectively. He was also among the 64th annual Grammys’ best traditional pop vocal album nominees with “That’s Life,” Nelson’s second tribute collection of Frank Sinatra’s music, and in the traditional blues album category that same year for engineering Blues Traveler’s release “Traveler’s Blues.”
- Jason Hall, a 2000 Recording Industry graduate, and Jimmy Mansfield, a 2014 audio production graduate, are nominated for engineering, mixing and vocals work for Lainey Wilson’s “Bell Bottom Country,” which is up for Best Country Album. Hall and Mansfield have been part of past Grammy nominations for their work on albums for various artists.
- Two-time winner Lecrae, who, as Lecrae Devaughn Moore, attended MTSU through 2000, is up for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Your Power,” as well as Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for “Church Clothes 4.” His win in 2013 for Best Gospel Album was the first such for a hip-hop artist and he won in 2015 for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Messengers.” He has received eight prior nominations.
- Randy LeRoy, who attended MTSU through 1991, is nominated for Best Historical Album as part of the team that produced “Playing for the Man at the Door: Field Recordings from The Collection of Mack McCormick, 1958-1971.”
- Phillip Smith, a 2016 Recording Industry graduate, was honored for engineering work for Brandy Clark’s self-titled album, up for Best Americana Album.
While not singled out for a nomination, Josh Kear, a 1996 History graduate with a Recording Industry minor, was part of Wilson’s Best Country Album nominated project “Bell Bottom Country” for his composing work for the song “Watermelon Moonshine.”
Under Grammy rules, awards for best album and record of the year go to the winning artist, producers and/or engineers. The song of the year award goes to the songwriter, and performance awards go to the artist.
NBC News in 2019 began calling MTSU a “Grammy-winner factory” in the wake of its alumni, students’ and staffers’ multiple nominations and wins.
MTSU alumni, former or current students, and faculty from across the university have been a part of more than 149 Grammy Award nominations in the last two decades.
The number of MTSU-connected Grammy winners since 2001 currently stands at 19 people with a total of 39 Grammys, including nine repeat recipients, in categories from classical to pop to rock to country to gospel.
Students, faculty and administrators will take part of a long weekend of gathering with local alumni and attending backstage and pre-show Grammy events before attending the awards ceremony at the Crypto.com arena on Sunday, Feb. 5, from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Central on CBS and the Paramount+ networks.
“I’m so thankful that I was chosen out of so many students to go on this trip,” said Dalton Miksa, senior pursuing an Audio Production degree, from Morristown.
“I never thought I’d get the incredible opportunity to go to the Grammys. I am really excited to learn about LA’s history and explore one of the world’s entertainment capitals! I look forward to networking and making connections with some of the music industry’s most talented individuals.”
New chair takes over on anniversary year
Conceison, who joined the Recording Industry faculty in 2018, now leads the storied department, which recently marked its eighth year on Billboard’s latest international list of top music business schools, once again earning acclaim for the program’s diversity, depth and longevity. Conceison replaces 2008 Grammy nominee and professor John Merchant, who remains on the faculty.
Founded in 1973 and awarding its first degree in 1974, the department trains song creators and performers in its Commercial Songwriting Program, experts in recording live music and audio in its Audio Production Program, and music entrepreneurs, including managers and publishers, in its Music Business Program.
Conceison is also an artist manager and owner of MMGT, an integrated marketing and artist management company she founded in 2004 that specializes in managing international singer-songwriters and bands in folk, bluegrass, Americana, and roots music.
She has worked in advertising in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and New York with AT&T, Bank of America, General Motors, Saturn, Sirius/XM, and Musician’s Friend (Guitar Center). She bought some of the first search keywords Google sold in 1999 while working in San Francisco. Later, as vice president and director of media, she built and led search practices at agencies, including Arnold/MPG/Media Contacts and Digitas in Boston and Starcom Worldwide in Chicago.
MTSU Recording Industry’s dedicated alumni are active throughout the industry in both visible and behind-the-scenes roles and are likely to be found each year at the Grammys, as well as any music industry event.
“MTSU is truly a unique place where students are nurtured, inspired and challenged,” said Beverly Keel, dean of the college and former Recording Industry chair. “Quite simply, there is no other program like MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry, which is why we have attracted students from all over the world.”
Standout alumni include artists and songwriters. Among the artists with MTSU ties are HARDY, Tay Keith, Sam Hunt, Chris Young, Brett Eldredge, Amy Lee of Evanescence, Lecrae, Hillary Scott of Lady A, Secret Sisters, Brittney Spencer, Daisha McBride, Anderson East, Eric Paslay, HunterGirl, Luke Laird, Erin Enderlin, and Josh Kear.
The program’s alumni roster also features:
- Producers, including Michael Knox, F. Reid Shippen, Street Symphony, Clarke Schlietzer, James Porte, Randy Watchler, Blake Chancy, Jason Hall and Jimmy Mansfield;
- Engineers, including Chris Nelson, Jim Zumpano, Lij Shaw, Pablo Arraya, and Sean Sullivan;
- Managers, agents, promoters, recording, publishing, and production executives, including Traci Thomas, Kent Earls, Abby Baas, Cassie Petrey, Jade Driver, Cindy Watts, Alison Auerbach, Dustin Boyd, Daniel Miller, and Mike Molinar;
- And executives at companies, including UMG, Sony, CAA, CMT, CMA, Warner Music Group, Big Machine Label Group, Clear Channel, EMI, Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, Live Nation, Vector Management, Sony/ATV, and WME.
Keel said the department has prepared “several generations of music industry leaders by providing an educational foundation of all aspects of the industry, including music labels, publishing, talent agencies, music publicity, entertainment law, copyright administration and tour management.
“Our alumni have found tremendous success in rap, hip-hop, country, rock, pop, Christian music and other genres,” she added. “What is so special is that our alumni love to return to campus to share their knowledge with current students.”
For more information about the Department of Recording Industry at MTSU, visit https://mtsu.edu/recording-industry. More details about the 66th annual Grammy Awards are available at https://Grammy.com.
