Ashley Atz, Doyle Lawson, and Donna Ulisse at the Tall Oaks Music launch – photo © Dawn Kenney
This article is a contribution from bluegrass songwriter and performer Dawn Kenney.
Tall Oaks Music, a new music publishing company under the Turnberry Records umbrella, officially launched Wednesday with bluegrass icons Donna Ulisse and Doyle Lawson at the helm.
The venture is rooted in Ulisse’s lifelong passion for songwriting, and, as she said, “this just seemed like a natural progression for me…if I could dream, I would ask Doyle Lawson” to be her business partner. “I really honestly never dreamed he’d say yes. I was just so excited when he did.”
Lawson, since retiring from touring in 2021, was ready to embrace a new venture. “It’s a challenge, but I do like the challenge…we want to go back to the days when publishing companies were the big thing.”
Tall Oaks Music plans to bring back the classic, in-person song listening sessions and informal pitching style that defined Nashville’s golden age of publishing. As Lawson explained, “We envision a place where the writer can come and present his songs, or where an artist can listen to something he wrote. It’ll be very relaxed, so artists and writers feel comfortable, not intimidated. That way we can help along the way.”
At the heart of Tall Oaks is a commitment to nurturing both new and seasoned writers. “We also want to develop young writers and turn them around,” Lawson noted. “And don’t forget us old writers too—we need the seasoning in there as well.”
Ulisse echoed this, describing the partnership as one that blends experience with fresh perspectives, determined to “bring a little bit of romance and the big picture back to publishing, because it used to be king on Music Row.”
You can contact Tall Oaks Music online.
