Mickey Jack Cones (born in

San Antonio, TX ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

) is an American record producer,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, singer and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

. Raised in a musical family, he is the grandson of Glenn Gray Orchestra singer Jane Cones and son of Jackie Cones of The Cones Sisters; Produced by

Barry Beckett Barry Edward Beckett (February 4, 1943 – June 10, 2009) was an American keyboardist, session musician, record producer, and studio founder. He is best known for his work with David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, and Roger Hawkins, his bandmates in th ...

for

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

during the late 80's. Cones moved to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

in 1996 to finish his BBA (with an emphasis in studio production) at

Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...

Early life

Cones grew up in San Antonio, Texas in a musical family. His grandmother sang in the Glenn Gray Orchestra; his mother performed as part of The Cones Sisters. When he was 8, Cones started taking guitar lessons and manipulating the family tape deck to make multi-level tracks at home. As he started writing songs and singing in bands, he'd go into a local studio to record his music. Though he was making a good living as a bandleader in Texas dance halls in his 20s, Cones opted to move to Nashville in December 1996. Cones earned a degree at Belmont University and landed a job as a waiter at Planet Hollywood. He stayed focused on breaking into the Nashville industry and signed on as a staff engineer with David Malloy and J. Gary Smith at Malloy Boys in 1998. As his career developed, Cones also learned to become adept at the roles of producer, from finding the songs to working with the label to booking the musicians.

Musical career

After graduating from Belmont, Mickey produced, engineered, wrote and played all of the music that landed Joshua and Jacob Miller/"

Nemesis Rising ''Jacob and Joshua: Nemesis Rising'' is a reality television program originating on the LGBT network Logo. It follows identical twin brothers Jacob and Joshua Miller, who together comprise the pop duo Nemesis, as they seek success in the music bus ...

" a recording contract with

Curb Records Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of ...

(LA). He also produced Curb Recording artist

David Kersh Charles David Kersh (born December 9, 1970 in Humble, Texas) is an American former country music singer who made his debut in 1996. His first album, ''Goodnight Sweetheart'', was released that year, producing four singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

in early 2000. Cones signed a 5-year publishing agreement with EMI Nashville that same year and has had songs recorded by artists such as

Trace Adkins Trace may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Trace'' (Son Volt album), 1995 * ''Trace'' (Died Pretty album), 1993 * Trace (band), a Dutch progressive rock band * ''The Trace'' (album) Other uses in arts and entertainment * ''Trace'' ...

Matt Stillwell Matt Stillwell (born in Sylva, North Carolina) is an American country music artist. He lives in Knoxville, TN with his wife, Lindsey, and two daughters, Carolina and Ruby. During college, athletics was Matt's priority, not music. At Western ...

, Chad Hudson,

Anson Carter Anson Horace Carter (born June 6, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for eight teams, most notably with the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. He was la ...

Julie Roberts Julie Roberts (born February 1, 1979) is an American country music singer. Signed to Mercury Nashville in 2003, Roberts made her debut with the single "Break Down Here" in February 2004, a Top 20 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & ...

and others. In 2002, Cones toured with

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

recording artist

as her

band leader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...

(

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

) and

road manager In the music industry, a road manager is a person who works with small to mid-size tours (in terms of personnel involved, based on the size of the production). Job responsibilities include (but are not limited to): *advancing show dates *making t ...

. He toured with Roberts for 2 years and performed on

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

, the Country Music Awards,

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

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousi ...

' "Here's To You" tour. In 2017, Cones landed his eighth No. 1 single as a producer with country artist Dustin Lynch's "Seein' Red." That release was the fourth consecutive No. 1 single for Cones and Lynch, following "Where It's At (Yep, Yep)," "Hell of a Night," and "Mind Reader." Cones produced

Dustin Lynch Dustin Charles Lynch (born May 14, 1985) is an American country music singer and songwriter, signed to Broken Bow Records. Lynch has released four albums and one EP for the label: a self-titled album in 2012, '' Where It's At'' in 2014, '' Curren ...

's second studio album '' Where It's At , which was released via

Broken Bow Records BBR Music Group (formerly Broken Bow Records) is an American record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in July 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music. The label's executive vice president is Jon Loba. Craig Morgan ...

September 9, 2014 and features the #1 hit single " Where It's At (Yep, Yep)"''.'' The second single " Hell Of A Night" hit #1 on the Billboard Country Charts and went Gold in February 2016. In addition, Cones secured back-to-back No. 1 hits with

Joe Nichols Joseph Edward Nichols (born November 26, 1976) is an American country music artist. Between 1996 and 2001, he held recording contracts with the Intersound and Giant labels. In 2002, he signed with Universal South Records, now known as Show Dog-U ...

with 2013's "Sunny and 75" and 2014's "Yeah." On Spotify, these six songs collectively have been streamed more than 210 million times. Cones' mantle also includes a 2016 Producer of the Year trophy from the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) for

Brett Kissel Brett Kissel (born May 27, 1990) is a Canadian country singer. He has had four number-one hits on the Canadian country chart with " Airwaves", " Drink About Me", "A Few Good Stories", and " Make a Life, Not a Living". Early life Kissel was born ...

's album ''Pick Me Up'', featuring the No. 1 singles "Airwaves" and "Pick Me Up." "Pick Me Up", was nominated for a

JUNO Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for Country Album of the Year. Cones is well known for producing

' " Love Will..." (CD) and "

Something's Going On ''Something's Going On'' is the third solo album by Swedish singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida), one of the founding members of the Swedish pop group ABBA, and her first album recorded entirely in English. Her previous two albums had been recorded ...

Jeff Bates Jeffery Wayne Bates (born September 19, 1963) is an American country music artist. Signed to RCA Nashville in late 2002, Bates released his debut album ''Rainbow Man'' in May 2003. In 2005 he released his second album, ''Leave the Light On'', ...

Kristy Lee Cook Kristy Lee Cook (born January 18, 1984) is an American country music singer and television personality. She was the seventh place finalist on the seventh season of ''American Idol''. In 2005, Cook released her first album called ''Devoted''. In ...

Randy Houser Shawn Randolph Houser (born December 18, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Universal South Records in 2008, he charted the single "Anything Goes". It was a top 20 hit on the '' Billboard'' country singles chart a ...

's "Wherever Love Goes" (single),

Craig Campbell (singer) Craig Campbell (born February 10, 1979) is an American country music singer. He signed to Bigger Picture Music Group and has released two albums: '' Craig Campbell'' (2011) and '' Never Regret'' (2013). He has had eight singles on the country cha ...

's single "Outskirts of Heaven",

' "

Never Gets Old ''Never Gets Old'' is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Joe Nichols. It was released on July 28, 2017 by Broken Bow Records, Red Bow Records. The album includes the singles "Never Gets Old" and "Billy Graham's Bible". Content ...

" and "

Crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets, and, more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 8 ...

" album and its No. 1 single " Sunny and 75". He has also produced projects for

Mitchell Tenpenny Mitchell Tenpenny (born August 17, 1989) is an American country pop singer and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released three studio albums and five extended plays through Riser House Records, with the first being '' Telling All My S ...

("Linden Ave"),

(" Current Mood"), Jameson Rodgers' single "Some Girls", Vanessa Marie Carter's debut single "Bless My Heart",

Runaway June Runaway June is an American country music group consisting of Stevie Woodward (lead vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica, autoharp), Jennifer Wayne (guitar, vocals), and Natalie Stovall (guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, vocals). Wayne co-founded the g ...

("Lipstick" and "Wild West"), Trace Adkins and

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

Kiss You All Over "Kiss You All Over" is a 1978 song performed by American group Exile, written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. It was included on the band's third album, ''Mixed Emotions'' (1978), and featured lead vocalist Jimmy Stokley and guitarist J.P. Penni ...

"), the

Act of Valor ''Act of Valor'' is a 2012 American action film produced and directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh, and written by Kurt Johnstad. Starring Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sánchez, Nestor Serrano and Emilio Rivera, as well as active duty U.S. Navy SEALs an ...

soundtrack ("If The Sun Comes Up"),

James Wesley James Wesley Prosser (born March 9, 1970) is an American country music singer. In 1999, Prosser released the album ''Life Goes On'' through Warner Bros. Records. Ten years later, he signed to Broken Bow Records under the name James Wesley. Wesley ...

(

Average Joes Entertainment Average Joes Entertainment Group is an American record label specializing in alternative country, country rap and country music. The label was founded in 2008 by country rap artist Jason "Colt Ford" Brown and producer Shannon Houchins. Ford has r ...

), Chad Hudson (

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

), Nicky Barot (UK),

Damien Leith Damien Leo Leith (born 18 January 1976, in Dublin) is an Irish-Australian singer–songwriter. He was the winner of the Network Ten music contest ''Australian Idol 2006''. Since winning the title, Leith has released nine studio albums, four of wh ...

(

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program ''Pop Idol' ...

winner) and

Jimmy Fortune Jimmy Fortune (born March 11, 1955) is an American country music singer from Nelson County, Virginia. Fortune sang tenor for The Statler Brothers for 21 years, and wrote the song "Elizabeth" for the group. After The Statler Brothers retired, he c ...

(

Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers fo ...

). As a publisher, he landed a No. 1 country single with

Luke Combs Luke Albert Combs (; born March 2, 1990) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Born and raised in North Carolina, Combs began performing as a child, most notably performing at Carnegie Hall. After dropping out of college to pursue a ...

' " When It Rains, It Pours," co-written by Combs, Ryan Fulcher, and COR Entertainment writer Jordan Walker. Also under the COR Entertainment umbrella, Cones is overseeing the launch of new duo Walker McGuire (composed of Jordan Walker and Johnny McGuire). Cones negotiated a record deal for the duo with

; after that, he entered into a co-management deal with Vector Management. The duo released their debut EP in January 2018. As a recording engineer, Cones has worked on multiple albums with

Jason Aldean Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams; February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 ...

. This led to Grammy nominations as an engineer on 2010s "

My Kinda Party ''My Kinda Party'' is the fourth studio album released by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on November 2, 2010 by Broken Bow Records. The songs were written by various songwriters including Neil Thrasher, Brantley Gilber ...

" and 2012's " Night Train". Some of his works include:

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...

's " Love Is Everything" (CD),

Thomas Rhett Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

's " It Goes Like This" (CD),

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

's " Alabama & Friends" (CD),

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recordi ...

's " Tuskegee" (CD), and

' "Crickets" (CD). Other artists that Cones has engineered are:

Luke Bryan Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music, country singer, songwriter, and television personality. He began his music career writing songs for Travis Tritt and Billy Currington before signing with Capitol Reco ...

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...

Kellie Pickler Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of ''American Idol'' and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed ...

, Buck Cherry,

Blake Shelton Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single " Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...

Montgomery Gentry Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo founded by singers Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, both Kentucky natives. They began performing together in the 1990s as part of two different bands with Montgomery's brother, John Michael Mo ...

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

Kristen Kelly Kristen Kelly is an American country music singer from Lorena, Texas. While signed to Arista Nashville she released her debut single, "Ex-Old Man". The song was the first from her self titled ep, produced by Tony Brown and Paul Overstreet. “E ...

Andy Griggs Andrew Tyler Griggs (born January 31 1973) 1973) is an American country music artist. He has released three albums for RCA Records Nashville ('' You Won't Ever Be Lonely'', '' Freedom'', and ''This I Gotta See'') and a fourth ('' The Good Life'' ...

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

, 3 Doors Down,

Julianne Hough Julianne Alexandra Hough (; born July 20, 1988) is an American dancer, actress, and singer. In 2007, she joined the cast of ABC's ''Dancing with the Stars'' as a professional dancer, winning two seasons with her celebrity partners. After leaving ...

Eric Church Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's '' Sinners Like Me'', produced three singles on the ''Billboar ...

, the cast of "

" and many others. His soundtrack work includes ''

Country Strong ''Country Strong'' is a 2010 American drama film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, and Leighton Meester. The film, about an emotionally unstable country music star who attempts to resurrect her career, was directed and written ...

'' and ''

''. Cones not only produces and engineers records, he plays, programs and sings on them as well. Mickey has played

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, keys, synthesizer,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, programmed and sung

on major album projects for

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

Billy Gilman William Wendell Gilman III (born May 24, 1988) is an American singer. Starting as a young country artist, he is known for his debut single " One Voice", a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and a top 20 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country ...

(soundtrack),

Heidi Newfield Heidi Kay Newfield (born October 4, 1970) is an American country music artist. She was lead singer, rhythm guitarist and harmonica player for the group Trick Pony, alongside Keith Burns and Ira Dean from 1996 until 2006, when she left in pursuit ...

Katrina Elam Katrina Ruth Elam (born December 12, 1983) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Universal South Records in 2004, she released her self-titled debut album that year, charting in the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & T ...

(soundtrack),

Chuck Wicks Charles Elliott Wicks (born June 20, 1979) is an American country music artist and radio personality. He was one of the participants on the American reality series ''Nashville (2007 TV series), Nashville'', which aired on Fox Broadcasting Compa ...

Kevin Fowler Kevin Fowler (born May 11, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter. He has released five studio albums, and has charted four singles on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including the top 40 hit "Pound Sign (#?*!)". In addition, he wr ...

and more.

COR Entertainment

After more than 20 years of experience in the country music industry, Cones has gained recognition in the music publishing community through his venture, COR Entertainment. Cones founded the company in 2015 because he wanted to impart the knowledge he's acquired through experience in the studio and beyond. He recognizes that everyone on an artist's team is now responsible for artist growth, from producers and engineers to managers and publishers. To that point, the company's initials stand for Creating and Operating Real Entertainment. COR Entertainment includes the subsidiaries COR Music Publishing and COR Artist Services. Co-written by COR Music Publishing songwriters, Jordan Walker and Johnny McGuire, along with Brian Carper and Trey Matthews, Walker McGuire's first single, "Til Tomorrow" hit top 40 on country radio. "When It Rains It Pours", released by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

/ River House artist,

, was COR Music Publishing and Jordan Walker's first No. 1 song on country radio. Co-writers included Luke Combs and Ray Fulcher. Through COR, Cones is producing Walker McGuire, along with new artists Jameson Rodgers and Vanessa Marie Carter.

Personal life

Cones currently resides in College Grove, Tennessee with his wife, Shannon, and son, Jackson Daniel Cones.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cones, Mickey 1973 births American country guitarists American male bass guitarists American country bass guitarists American country keyboardists American country record producers American audio engineers Living people People from San Antonio Country musicians from Texas Record producers from Texas 21st-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American male musicians