We went to The Record Plant and remixed the song, and then had it mastered at Sterling Sound.
I had no idea how to make a record, but I quickly learned. Two weeks later, Al called me and told me that I need to make a 45 RPM record and get them into the local record stores, because listeners were calling the station asking where they can buy it. Al said, "You have the gig, and we are going to start playing your song on WKRZ!" That was HUGE! No local bands EVER got on the radio at WKRZ. Al heard it and flipped out! I'll always remember that day. Jeff told me that I would have to play our song for their PD, who at that time, was Al Brock, who now lives and works in Nashville. Jeff told me that the station did not have an opening act, so I told Jeff that our band would play for free.
So, when I heard about the show, I pulled over to a phone booth (remember those?) and called the radio station asking Jeff if the station had an opening act for Bon Jovi. Back pedal a bit here: I had played a demo of "Where Are You Now?" for Jeff about two months prior, and he loved it.
One of those songs was a song I co-wrote with Rich Congdon called, "Where Are You Now?" About two days after we recorded the song, I heard Jumpin' Jeff Walker, afternoon drive DJ, announce that Bon Jovi was coming to town for a free show sponsored by WKRZ-FM in Wilkes-Barre. Right before I was about to attend graduate school, my four friends and I recorded two songs at a 24-track studio in 1985 that was a big deal back then. In high school, I switched to drums, which led me to auditioning for bar bands. In no time at all, I was taking guitar lessons as well as playing clarinet and trumpet in the elementary school band. The talent company hosted live shows all over the Northeast including Atlantic City on the Steele Pier. People told my mom that she should take me to this talent scout in Wilkes-Barre, PA by the name of Tony Grant - "Stars of Tomorrow." I sang everything from current hits of the day to show tunes to jazz. I cheer on my mom here, because even when passengers started filling up the bus, I kept singing, and she never told me to stop. One day I started singing, "The Ballad of the Green Berets." I was so intrigued by the reverberation on the empty bus and how it made my voice sound. It wasn't a long ride - maybe thirty minutes from my hometown of Plymouth, PA - but, when we first got on the bus, my mom and I were usually the only passengers for the first 10 minutes. I used to sing on the bus when my mom took me shopping in Wilkes-Barre, PA. I've been all things music since I was 5 years old. I'm going to take a trip down memory lane that encapsulates some of those 10,000 hours. Would you say all those combined experiences provided you with the "10,000 hours" that Malcolm Gladwell says are required for success in your current role?Ībsolutely. As I looked back at the path you took to your current job, it covers pretty much every aspect of the music biz - artist/musician, regional record promotion, artist management, VP level promotion, producer, and now, label head. Obviously, with an extensive background in radio promotion, I also spend a good amount of time with our amazing promotion teams. I have my hand in wide variety of all our label group initiatives. As EVP of The Big Machine Label Group, my day-to-day activities vary. I am surrounded by the best and brightest executives in the business at Big Machine Label Group who continue to educate, support, and inspire me on every level. Jimmy, thanks for taking on "10 Questions." Let's start by getting a sense of your duties with Big Machine - as Executive VP, tell us about your basic job description.Īs President of BMLG Records, I report directly to Scott Borchetta and am responsible for day-to-day operation of the label. In 2012, Harnen added EVP stripes for the Big Machine Label Group, a role which involves him in BMLG's sister labels, Big Machine and Valory Music Company.ġ. Those successes ultimately led to his role as President for Republic Nashville (now BMLG Records), where he signed and broke The Band Perry, Florida Georgia Line, and Brett Young.
As SVP/Promotion for Capitol Nashville, Harnen was instrumental in building careers for Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, and Eric Church. As an artist, and member of the band Synch, Harnen scored a Top 10 hit on AC radio with 1989's "Where Are You Now?" On the business end, Harnen's experience is just as diverse, with a background in artist management, regional record promotion, and National and VP level leadership roles in promotion. On the creative side, he's a musician, songwriter, and producer. Jimmy Harnen's career in the music business can truly be described as a 360-degree, all-encompassing experience.