Author Jake Brown is back again with another book, this time Behind the Boards: Nashville. The book takes an in-depth look at the stories behind some of Music City’s biggest songs, through the eyes of the producer.
Music industry veteran Tony Brown, whose numerous credits include Reba McEntire, Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Brooks & Dunn and more, gave the story behind George Strait’s “Cheyenne,” in a clip shared exclusively with Everything Nash.
“Sometimes songs just pop up, like ‘Cheyenne,'” Tony revealed in Behind the Boards. “Erv Woolsey co-wrote that, and I knew it was a good song, and it did have a hook, but I had no idea how important that song would be. To this day, when I go somewhere, and someone will say, ‘You know, my favorite George Strait song you ever produced?’ I’ll say, ‘What?’ and they’ll say ‘Cheyenne.’ I’m always amazed, because I think they’re going to say ‘Give It Away’ or ‘Run’ is a good one. ‘I Cross My Heart,’ those obvious ones.
“But ‘Cheyenne’ made pretty much of an impact. One, it’s about a cowboy. George is really a cowboy. He’s not all hat, no cattle. He’s all hat and cattle. He’s a real cowboy. I think that song really, to everybody who knows him, he owns that song. It’s really about him.”
Behind the Boards: Nashville marks the author’s 50th book, and one he is extremely proud to have completed.
“I began this 600-page literary journey two years ago with the aim of, for the first time, gathering the most legendary and influential producers in country music over the past 40 years in one book,” Jake explained. “[I wanted] to give fans both the stories behind the studio creation of their favorite hits by their favorite stars, how those stars worked behind-the-scenes in the studio, and most importantly, the personal stories behind how each of these multi-platinum producers first found their way to Nashville, onto Music Row and into the recording business.
“Readers can stream along as they read about how over 300 No. 1 hits were created,” he continued. “As my 50th published book, I couldn’t be happier to have it be about my hometown and our native genre!”
Behind the Boards: Nashville also includes contributions from numerous other producers, including Shane McAnally, Dann Huff, Buddy Cannon, Clint Black, Michael Knox and more. The stories behind some of the biggest hits of the past few decades are featured in the expansive book, including songs by Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, the Dixie Chicks, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, and several more.
The book will be released on June 23. It is currently available for pre-order at Amazon