Joe Galante, whose work as a longtime record label chief did much to modernize country music business practices and expand genre’s commercial horizons, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last night.
A native of Queens, New York, Galante started his career as a budget analyst with RCA Records in New York in 1971. He moved to the label’s Nashville office three years later and, although initially viewed as an outsider, took charge of RCA Records Nashville in 1982-the youngest person ever to lead a major label’s Nashville division. After twenty-eight years in record label leadership, Galante retired as chairman of Sony Music Nashville in 2010.
Under Galante’s leadership, RCA Nashville was the top-selling country music label for eleven consecutive years. With his aptitude for recognizing and developing talent, Galante also played a crucial role in advancing the careers of Alabama, Kenny Chesney, the Judds, Miranda Lambert, Ronnie Milsap, and many other artists across four decades.
Galante was inducted in the year’s class of new Country Music Hall of Fame members, along with Jerry Lee Lewis and Keith Whitley.
To learn more about Galante, visit his Hall of Fame member web page: www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/joe-galante
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