09.27.2006 - Tom T. & Dixie Hall Bequeath Good Homegrown Music Publishing to IBMA

Tom T. and Dixie Hall surprised attendees at the Sept. 27 Showcase Brunch during World of Bluegrass in Nashville last month by announcing they had included IBMA in their wills. Specifically, they plan to donate the royalties from their bluegrass publishing company, Good Homegrown Music.

"Bluegrass music has enriched our lives," Miss Dixie comments. "'Grassers are our family and the songs we create are our 'children.' By entrusting our creations to IBMA, we are keeping them in the family where they can live on."

In the eight years the company has existed, Good Homegrown Music has already amassed several hundred compositions. In addition to songs written by Tom T. and Miss Dixie, co-writers include Jimmy Martin, Paul Williams, Jeff Orr, Billy Smith, Heather Berry, Troy Engle, Lorraine Jordan, Don Rigsby, Joe Isaacs and Charlie Sizemore. The entire Bobby Cyrus catalog, (Billy Ray's brother) is also published by Good Homegrown Music.

The Halls' songs have been recorded by an expanding list of bluegrass artists in legendary to emerging categories: Josh Williams, Dale Ann Bradley, Alecia Nugent, James King, Larry Sparks, The Lewis Family, Charlie Waller, James Monroe, Longview, The Circuit Riders, Jeanette Williams & George Jones, Mark Newton, Chris Jones, Melvin Goins, The Bluegrass Brothers, The Daughters of Bluegrass, Linda Lay & Sammy Shelor, Carolina Road, Larry Stephenson, Paul Williams, Don Rigsby, Joe Isaacs Family, The Boohers, Michelle Nixon, Slim Dusty, Josh Crowe, Jimmy Martin, Doyle Lawson, Stoney Point Quartet, The VW Boys, Nothin' Fancy, Dave Evans, Janet McGarry, Valerie Smith, Heather Berry & Mac Wiseman, Mickey Harris, Ralph Stanley II, David Peterson and more.

"We would like the publishing company to provide an opportunity for education of bluegrass songwriters and would-be publishers," Miss Dixie adds, mentioning how important it is for songwriters to understand legal matters and how the music industry works. "We'd like to see other writers following with their music," she challenges. "This could provide income and an educational vehicle for teaching [through IBMA]."

Tom T. and Dixie Hall have become extremely strong supporters of bluegrass music and its artists in recent years, after long, successful careers in country music. What caused the change of focus and energy?

Bluegrass is "the music I love and have always loved," Dixie explains. "Tom T. began his career playing bass in a bluegrass band in Kentucky, and it's always been close to us. Retirement has presented the opportunity to do what we wish. We're doing what we enjoy; we're not doing it to make a living."

It's about "doing something you love," she continues. Although speaking for herself and not her husband, Dixie says, "Tom T. would say, 'Country music got so loud,' and things have changed. I hope and pray bluegrass music will never get that loud and commercial."

In addition to the music itself, a big draw for the Halls is the sense of community that bluegrass music offers. "We've got a huge 'family' now," she says. "Country music was never that close. Tom T. remembers when he was on a country tour once and the artists were hiding out in the motel rooms, and the only guy who showed up for breakfast in the restaurant and walked around in a pair of golf pants and a t-shirt, talking to people, was Vince Gill. Of course he's a bluegrasser, too."

Regarding their generous donation, Miss Dixie says, "Why not? And maybe others will, too. Cindy Walker did it for CMA and I said, 'Well, I'm bluegrass, so it's got to go to IBMA.'"