James Rae Denney (later Denny; 28 February 1911 – 27 August 1963) was an American executive in the country music recording and broadcasting industry in the 1940s and '50s. He was head of the Artists Service Bureau for powerful Nashville-based radio station WSM beginning in 1946, served as general manager of the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

, and launched Cedarwood Publishing Company with country star

Webb Pierce Michael Webb Pierce (August 8, 1921 – February 24, 1991) was an American honky-tonk vocalist, songwriter and guitarist of the 1950s, one of the most popular of the genre, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the ...

in 1954. Upon his 1966 posthumous induction, Denny was the first non-musician to be named into the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...

Early life and education

On 28 February 1911, Denny was born in

Silver Point, Tennessee Silver Point is an unincorporated community in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. Geography Silver Point is mostly scattered around the intersection of Tennessee State Route 141, Tennessee State Route 56, and Interstate 40, about halfway b ...

, and raised alongside two brothers. At the beginning of the 1920s, Denny moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

and worked as a courier for

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company chang ...

. For his post-secondary education, Denny went to

Watkins Institute Watkins College of Art at Belmont University is an art and design college of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. It is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and offers Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degr ...

to study accounting.

Career

Denny started his career at the

National Life and Accident Insurance Company The National Life and Accident Insurance Company is a former life insurance company that was based in Nashville, Tennessee. National Life and Accident began in 1900 as the National Sick and Accident Association, a mutual company. It was reorgan ...

in 1929, working in various departments including mail and as an

actuary An actuary is a business professional who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty. The name of the corresponding field is actuarial science. These risks can affect both sides of the balance sheet and require asset man ...

. The insurance firm had launched WSM radio in 1925, and its signature program, the

, had become a national platform for country artists. While with National Life, Denny worked side jobs with the Opry including selling tickets and souvenirs between 1939 and 1946. In 1946, Denny began working at '' WSM'' as the head of its Artists Service Bureau. While holding the head position at the radio station, Denny became the general manager of the Opry in 1951. In 1954, Denny partnered with Webb Pierce to create Cedarwood Publishing Company. Denny left his WSM Artists Service Bureau position in 1956 after WSM raised conflict of interest issues, and created the Jim Denny Artist Bureau while continuing working at Cedarwood. Denny hired multiple songwriters to write for Cedarwood, including

Marijohn Wilkin Marijohn Wilkin ( Melson; July 14, 1920 – October 28, 2006) was an American songwriter, famous in country music for writing a number of hits. Wilkin won numerous awards over the years and was referred to as "The Den Mother of Music Row," a ...

and

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

. He also signed a publishing contract with

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

. Denny ended his music executive career in December 1962 after he was diagnosed with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel mo ...

Awards and honors

In 1955, Denny was named the 1955 ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Country and Western Man of the Year. Denny became the first non-musician to be named into the

after his posthumous induction in 1966.

Personal life

Denny was married and had three kids.

Death

Denny died at

Saint Thomas - West Hospital Saint Thomas West Hospital, formerly Saint Thomas Hospital, is a 541-acute-care-bed health care facility located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The hospital sees 21,388 total admissions and 32,000 emergency department visits annually. ...

in Nashville from cancer on 27 August 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denny, Jim 1911 births 1963 deaths American music managers Country Music Hall of Fame inductees