The Producer’s Chair: Michael Knox

By James Rea

Michael Knox

It’s no secret why Michael Knox was one of Billboard’s 2010 Hot Country Producers. He has offered the production magic behind Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, Chuck Wicks, Montgomery Gentry, Josh Thompson, Frankie Ballard, Hank Williams, Jr., the Billboard 3 week No. 1 hit duet with Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson “Don’t You Wanna Stay” and the collaboration between Jason Aldean and Ludacris “Dirt Road Anthem.” According to Knox however, “Single record sales don’t pay squat,” and that’s the reality record producers are trying to live with today. Low pay coupled with the ever-looming great artist/producer team break-ups that happen during a down moment are likely what have inspired Knox to diversify. All Knox can say is, “Thank God for my PA Shalacy Griffin, who organizes my insanity while I find myself bouncing all over music row.” The current climate has inspired producers to wear multiple hats and Michael is no exception, but few wear them all as comfortably as Knox.

Michael knows that the fundamentals still apply and continues to exhibit his passion and determination to not fall victim to the times. Last year when Michael accepted the position as Senior Creative Director for Peer Music, it likely wasn’t as large of a disparity as one may think because publishing keeps him where he wants and needs to be, in the trenches with the real artists and the right songs. That determination is evident from the first production job Michael had (thanks to Jimmy Bowen) with his father Buddy Knox, to today, where Knox has even thrown his artist management hat into the ring with RCA/Sony Recording Artist Bush Hawg.

For Michael, growing up offered the advantage to watch producers who actually hung out in the studio with the engineer, artists and musicians everywhere on the scale from Don Everly to KISS. Knox learned involvement, work-ethic and determination in the record-making process as opposed to only showing up when it was time to check vocals. The success of this model is evident as seen by Knox and engineer Peter Coleman’s achievements – they’re simply knocking it out of the park. Montgomery Gentry‘s current single “Where I Come From” is a perfect example of this successful camaraderie. Perfection is not the goal. Real is the goal, and Michael consciously looks for the genius buried in imperfection, “The songs and artist we love from the past weren’t beat to death in over-dubs.” No one can argue that the Knox and Aldean 13 year partnership also proves that theory. Knox loves spending as much time as he can listening to the artists he works with perform live before they start recording because “If you don’t dig what you’re doin’, you can’t finish. You might turn it in to the label but you didn’t really put everything you had into it, I can’t do that.”

James Rea

Although one of Michael’s goals is to eventually run a label, he sees the industry still using formulas that don’t work today. Nevertheless, Knox believes that part of the reason pop and rock do so well is because they hire creative teams, “We don’t really do that in Nashville. So the greatest challenge is still making sure you have a song that is who the artist is.” He knows that fans care about Jason Aldean and the lifestyle around him and nothing has changed in that regard since Waylon, Willie and Kris. Knox’s father passed down a little tidbit, “You can’t learn how to be talented and no one can teach an artist who they are. So why sign an act we have to turn into something else? just find the right artist.”

Recently, NARM reported that overall music 2011 sales (including albums, singles and music videos) are up 8.5% over the same period from 2010, 756 million to 821 million, respectively. According to Knox, one of the reasons is that “We’re finally getting back to artists that have a lifestyle bigger than the songs they sing.”

Knox knows that his approach to the industry somewhat unorthodox, maybe somewhere between the time he gets to spend with his wife and two daughters (14 & 11) and his Sunday NASCAR passion, he’ll start that record label he dreams of running. When I asked Michael what he listens to in his spare time, “I don’t listen to anything current or new in my spare time or on holidays, just classic 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.” When asked if he’d ever given himself a raise, he just laughed and said “Never.”

Michael is currently looking for songs for those of you who think you have the perfect “Aldean” song. And if you feel like hangin’ out with Michael for an hour, don’t miss his third appearance on The Producer’s Chair on Thursday, July 28 at Douglas Corner at 6 o’clock.

About The Producer’s Chair—For the past five years, The Producer’s Chair has drawn an enthusiastic audience of songwriters, un-signed artists, musicians, publishers, local producers & engineers, songpluggers, studio owners, students and music business professionals of all genres—all eager to meet and learn from the most celebrated record producers on the planet. Created and hosted by James Rea, The Producer’s Chair gives the music community the opportunity to kick-back, have a drink and rap about everything from “tricks of the trade” to the future of the industry and laugh at the stories and experiences shared by the producers about their lives, their careers, their mentors and their relationships with the biggest artists, musicians, songwriters and music execs on the planet.