Jack Stapp

Jack Stapp ( born December 8, 1912 in Nashville, † 20 December 1980) was an influential American manager in the country music and founder of the Tree publishing music publishing.

Life

Stapp grew up in Atlanta and began as a teenager to work as a radio presenter. At the age of seventeen he was America's youngest program director. After several years as a manager in the New York CBS headquarters in 1939, he returned to his native city of Nashville back. Here he was program director of the national WSM transmitter, the weekly records of the Grand Ole Opry show aired. In this capacity, he made ​​major contributions to a cautious modernization of the Opry.

In 1951 he founded together with Lou Cowan Musikverlag Tree Publishing. Since he left his work with WSM and the Opry little time, he commissioned Buddy Killen with the management. After a few years, Tree rose to become the most important Nashville music publisher. In 1964, Stapp to his other duties, in order to concentrate on his thriving company. After purchasing the competitors Pamper Music in 1967 and the opening of several offices abroad 1969 Tree Publishing rose finally to the undisputed major music publisher of country music. Since 1965, Stapp was a board member of the Country Music Association.

Jack Stapp died on 20 December 1980. His company Tree Publishing was successfully continued by Buddy Killen. 1989 Stapp received the highest honor of country music: He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.