Nation Radio Corridor of Famer Was 84 – Billboard

Nation Radio Corridor of Fame member Charlie Monk, recognized affectionately throughout the Nashville music trade as “The Mayor of Music Row,” died at his house in Nashville on Monday (Dec. 19). He was 84.

Throughout his 60-plus-year profession, Monk impacted the careers of quite a few artists, together with Randy Travis, Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert and Religion Hill. Monk was inducted into the Nation Radio Corridor of Fame in 2019.

Born Charles Franklin Monk on Oct. 29, 1938, in Geneva, Alabama, his profession in leisure started in highschool within the Fifties, when he began sweeping flooring at his hometown radio station WGEA. He shortly landed a weekend on-air shift as a disc jockey.

He went on to serve within the U.S. Military however was shortly drawn again to radio. He grew to become a DJ on WTBF radio whereas attending Troy State College, adopted by a stint on WKRG radio and tv in Cell, Alabama. He grew to become program director and afternoon character at WACT in Tuscaloosa, earlier than returning to Cell as a program director at WUNI. Monk would lead the station to develop into the top-ranking station out there.

Throughout his time at WUNI, he appeared as a visitor announcer on WSM’s Grand Ole Opry. In 1968, he moved to Nashville and WMTS radio in Murfreesboro, the place his free-form music and speak present for the station grew to become the primary every day radio broadcast from Nashville’s Music Row.

In 1969, he was a founding father of Nation Radio Seminar, an annual multi-day academic occasion which has supplied networking and profession development alternatives for the music trade professionals for greater than 50 years whereas additionally serving as a prime showcase occasion for brand spanking new and rising artists.

Monk produced and hosted the annual New Faces Present for 40 years and within the course of, helped launch the careers of artists together with McEntire, Travis, Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, McGraw, Hill, Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, Vince Gill, Lambert, Strait and lots of others.

Monk additionally joined the employees of performing rights group ASCAP in 1970 and commenced studying each facet of the music enterprise, whereas on the identical time establishing relationships throughout town’s nation and gospel music industries.

In 1977, Monk grew to become the Nashville chief of CBS Songs, which swiftly grew to become one in every of Nashville’s prime three publishers. He shaped his personal music publishing firm, Monk Household Music Group, in 1983. He took a go away of absence in 1988 to spearhead the return of Acuff-Rose Music to the higher echelons of the trade, changing into the primary writer to win each ASCAP and BMI “Most Carried out Music of the 12 months” in the identical 12 months.

In 1983, Monk signed a singer-songwriter by the identify of Randy Traywick—now generally known as Nation Music Corridor of Fame member Randy Travis. Different songwriters and artist-writers Monk signed embody Marcus Hummon, Holly Dunn, Jim McBride, Keith Stegall, Aaron Tippin, Chris Waters and Chesney.

Songs Monk revealed have been recorded by Travis, Tippin, Lonestar, McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Tracy Lawrence, The Mavericks, Low cost Trick, Kenny Rogers, Sandi Patti, Glen
Campbell, Otis Redding, Louise Mandrell, Trick Pony, Ike & Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin, and John Michael Montgomery. Monk additionally noticed his personal written music recorded by artists together with Jerry Reed, Eddy Arnold, Pat Boone, Mandrell, Jimmy Dean, Charley Satisfaction, Angelo Badalamenti, Travis and Charlie Chase.

After a greater than three-decade absence, Monk returned to radio in 2004 to assist launch SiriusXM in Nashville, internet hosting the morning present on Willie’s Roadhouse, in addition to a weekend music and interview present on SiriusXM’s Prime Nation till 2022. Monk additionally served on quite a few music organizations. He was an alumnus and board member of Management Music, a lifetime director of the Nation Radio Broadcasters, and a member of the Nation Music Affiliation, Academy of Nation Music, and the Gospel Music Affiliation. He additionally served as vp of the Nationwide Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, vp of the Nashville Songwriters Affiliation Worldwide, vp of the Gospel Music Affiliation and native president of the American Federation of Tv and Radio Artists.

Monk’s honors embody induction into the Nation Radio Corridor of Fame, The Alabama Music Corridor of Fame, the College of Alabama Faculty of Communication and Data Sciences
Corridor of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tennessee Radio Corridor of Fame. He acquired awards from the Alabama Home and Senate, Nation Radio Broadcasters, Inc.,
SESAC (1998 Writer of the 12 months), BMI (Writer for “Most Carried out Music”) ASCAP (Writer for “Most Carried out Music”) and Nashville Songwriters Affiliation Worldwide. He
earned a CLIO Award for business voice work, an Addy Award and awards and honors from the Cell Press Register, the Nationwide Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the
Nashville Affiliation of Expertise Administrators. In 2021, Monk grew to become solely the ninth recipient of the CMA’s Joe Talbot Award for “excellent management and contributions to the preservation and development of Nation Music’s values and traditions.”

A lifelong lover of College of Alabama soccer, Monk is survived by his spouse of 63 years, Royce Walton Monk; Sons Charles, Jr. (Sukgi) and Collin (Grace); Daughters Capucine
Monk and Camila Monk Perry (Scott); sisters in regulation Peggy Walton-Walker Lord (Larry) and Elsie Walton (Colin Hamilton); Grandchildren Sam (Christina), Nathan, Christabel, McKenna,
Theodore, Ella, Walton & Douglas; Nice-grandchildren Alexis and Sophia and nieces Clara and Linda and nephews Wayne, Brian and Chip.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions could also be made to MusiCares, Neighborhood Care Fellowship, Calvary United Methodist Church, Rochelle Heart or CreatiVets.