[271] NEW YORK GRAMMY TRIP HITS THE HIGH NOTES FOR MTSU

NEW YORK — Even before The Recording Academy opened the red carpet Sunday for the 60^th annual Grammy Awards, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said his university walked away a winner.

McPhee, reflecting on the fifth annual Grammy trip by MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, said this year’s venture again helped raise the profile of the university among recording industry leaders and reconnect with alumni.

“The quality of our Recording Industry program speaks for itself, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it in person while we’re with executives and artists at the biggest weekend for the music business,” McPhee said.

McPhee, Dean Ken Paulson and Recording Industry Chair Beverly Keel had even more opportunities to tell MTSU’s story, as the university again helped present a pre-Grammy concert with partner Americana Music Association honoring music great Emmylou Harris late Saturday night.

A host of Americana artists, including Keb’ Mo’, Brandi Carlisle, Jennifer Nettles, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Steve Earle, performed Harris’ music in a tribute revue before a sold-out, standing-room-only crowd at New York’s City Winery.

McPhee hosted an MTSU Alumni Association reception before the concert, which attracted graduates from Media and Entertainment and other colleges. Attendees included alumna Carla Moore, a vice president for Home Box Office, and Jasmine Sanders, co-host of the nationally syndicated D.L. Hughley radio show.

Paulson, who brokered MTSU’s partnership with the Americana Music Association, appeared on stage to start Saturday night’s concert, extending the university’s congratulations to Harris and telling the New York audience about his college.

“This weekend’s events, and our similar outreach throughout the year, are critical to engaging the industries that hold the future for our talented graduates,” he said.

Jed Hilly, the association’s executive director, said the annual pre-Grammy concerts, also co-presented by Vector Management, have “really become a wonderful tradition.” He also applauded the Americana format that MTSU’s public radio station, WMOT, adopted in 2016.

“MTSU has a great program for students, simple as that,” Hilly said. “The Americana Music Association could not partner with a better institution than MTSU to support the next generation of artists and music business professionals.”

Also, MTSU alumnus Garry Hood, who has spent the last three decades as the head stage manager for the biggest award shows on TV, was in charge behind the scenes at Sunday’s Grammys event.