Nick the Stick Hunter, 67; Nashville Promoter (Willie Nelson, Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam, Hank Jr., etc)
Bill Schenley
FROM: The Tennessean ~
By Anita Wadhwani and Pete Cooper
Nick Hunter, a gruff-around-the-edges Music Row executive who juggled two
improbable careers at once, launching the careers of big-name country music
stars while moonlighting as the wisecracking "Nick The Stick" baseball
expert on local sports radio, died Tuesday. He was 67.
Mr. Hunter spent more than four decades in the record business, serving in
marketing, promotions and management positions at record labels CBS, Epic,
Warner Brothers, Electra, Giant and Atlantic before launching his own
company, Audium, in 1999 - a label one Country Music Television commentator
called "the most adventurous label in town."
He had a hand in developing the careers of a crop of singers such as Willie
Nelson, Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam, Hank Williams Jr. and Johnny Paycheck.
In Paycheck's case, Mr. Hunter traveled to Los Angeles to find the
down-and-out singer in 1971, cleaned him up and brought him back to
Nashville, where he signed him to Epic Records. Not long after that,
Paycheck released his big hit, "Take This Job and Shove It."
"Nick had a huge role in the resurgence of neo-traditional country," said
music industry veteran John Lomax III.
Mr. Hunter retired from his label (renamed Koch Records) in 2005 but
continued to work as a consultant.
'Nick The Stick' On Radio
He also spent more than 20 years as a fixture on Nashville sports radio,
most recently on announcer George Plaster's sports show on 104.5 The Zone.
Mr. Hunter was diagnosed with cancer in September. His last on-air
appearance was Nov. 4.
On Plaster's show, Mr. Hunter was the outspoken "Nick The Stick," arguing
baseball for the enjoyment of audience members who were largely unaware of
his role in the music industry.
"I had so little knowledge of the music business that for a while I didn't
understand Nick's impact in that world," Plaster said. "Then I got to know
him and realized that baseball was a love and a hobby for him but that he
was right in the middle of what was happening on Music Row."
Mr. Hunter's contacts in baseball were as impressive as his contacts in
country music. He maintained relationships with St. Louis Cardinals Manager
Tony LaRussa, Cincinnati Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty and many others.
Off the air, friends described Mr. Hunter as "opinionated" and "blunt."
"He always did things his way," said Neal Spielberg, a former vice president
at Warner Brothers who got his start in the music industry when Mr. Hunter
hired him decades ago. "He was not what you'd call politically correct. He
didn't sugarcoat anything. And he had a great, great gut for good music."
His wife of nearly 30 years, Margie Hunter, said there would be no funeral
at her husband's request. Friends are organizing a memorial service after
the new year. Mr. Hunter also is survived by two children, Kate and Sam.