The Awful Truth: Lucky Music

One of my favorite mentors in the music business was Dan Brock—former president and founder of Forefront Records.

Dan had been an artist manager who teamed up with one of the acts he managed—DeGarmo & Key—and they formed their own record company. Early on, they signed a silly little rap trio out of Liberty University called dcTalk. Everyone in the Christian music industry laughed at he and Eddie DeGarmo…saying, ”What a bunch of dumb long-hairs…it’ll never work!” But it did…and they signed many more acts that worked too...and they eventually sold the label to EMI and cashed out for millions.

Dan was a risk-taker. A true baller! In fact, he hired me straight off the tour bus to be his VP of Artist Development.

Some music industry folks here in NashVegas would debate if that was a good hire...but I’ll always be grateful.

A sad fact about us humans is that we can all be guilty of pulling out the guns of jealousy and envy at the drop of a hat. You see, lots of folks in Nashville hated on guys like Dan & Eddie because they were perceived to be no-good long-haired rock & roll miscreants who beat the system. Right on!

I remember one of my first executive meetings at Forefront…

There was a heated discussion over a comment that a rival label executive had made that Dan & Eddie had just been lucky with an act like dcTalk.

I was the newly-minted ex-rocker turned record executive. In fact, I was probably sitting in this meeting still wearing black leather pants.

I remember Dan turning in his chair at the head of the boardroom table, looking over at me and saying “You know what, David? I have been lucky! But there’s one thing I’ve learned…”

“Hard work brings luck”.

Amen!

Oh wait, what have I been drifting on about lately?

Oh yeah…youth football!

…coaching my son’s team.

We had been written off from the beginning. Our team didn’t get formed until three weeks into the pre-season.

8-0, Baby!

#1 seed going into the playoffs!

Have we been lucky?

Fo’ Sho’!

…But you know what?

Hard work brings luck.