A Life Well Lived

I have been blessed the be in the music business for close to twenty-five years (I wrote that, and I have to admit that it kind of jolted me just a little) now. Even so, I can't say that I have been to many memorial services of people in the industry. I have known a lot of people who have passed on, but unless I know them well - I don't usually go. That being said, I made an exception this morning and went to remember David Haley.

Unless you worked in the business, you probably had no idea of the heart and passion this man had for his career and his friends in the industry. For close to three decades, he was one of the top record promoters in town, carving out a legendary run with MCA Nashville - where he was responsible for promoting well over 150 records to the top of the charts. He was class personified - and one of the sharpest dressers in the business. 

I don't want to give the wrong impression, and make you think we were the closest of friends. But, I do have to share with you a story that shows what a gentleman he was. Back in 1994, I had just became Music Director at WDKN in Dickson. I had no training to know what a MD actually did. But, I knew I was tired of playing music from my own cassettes on the afternoon show. So, i called record company after record company. it was a different world than today. WDKN wasn't a Music Row chart reporting station as it became in 2002, so there wasn't anyone in Nashville waiting to hear from one Chuck Dauphin. Heck, the person at RCA even told me unless I was a Billboard station, I needed to buy them. 

But, I kept calling. And, finally got to MCA Nashville. This wasn't going to go well. MCA was the home of names like Reba, George, Vince, Wynonna, and so on and so forth. But, I called  - and wound up getting a voice on the other end of the line - David Haley. I told him - probably in my highest pitch I could register - who I was and what I was calling about. He said, 'Have you put in a product request?' Nope, didn't know what that was. So, over the next ten minutes, David Haley - in the midst of promoting who knows what classic record at the time walked me through what to do. He didn't have to take the time to be nice to a novice. Few others did at that time. 

I would develop a good working relationship with him over the years. My name wasn't Coyote or Moon, so I didn't bug him too much, but if I requested CD's I got them. Over the years, he watched my career, and would always greet me at CRS, Fan Fair, etc, like I mattered. I appreciate that to this day. In fact, in 2011, when I was hired by Billboard , one of the first people I emailed was David Haley.

David passed away last month, and today many of his friends and co-workers turned out to remember him at a Memorial Service. There were tears flowing freely, but they were mixed with so many funny memories of a man who touched so many lives. To survive radio, records, journalism, you have to develop a sense of humor - bordering on the strange, perhaps. And, listening to these stories was proof that Good Guys sometimes finish first. Anyone should be so honored to have the send-off that he did today. Whether it was his love of family, friends, or work, one more time David Haley taught us to laugh, to smile, and to just be nice.  After all, Marty Stuart and Vince Gill don't just perform at anyone's memorial, do they? "Big Daddy," keep working on that VIP list up there. Hope to see you again....and by the way, you were great as "King" David on the Marty Stuart Radio Show......