Longtime Nashville music industry exec Jody Williams has taken on management duties for country singer/songwriter Vince Gill.
Williams, founder/CEO of independent music industry publishing company Jody Williams Songs (JWS), has worked with Gill for four years as his publisher and will now manage him at his newly established management entity, Little Guitar Management, overseeing all aspects of the legendary singer’s career. Williams will continue as CEO of JWS in addition to managing Gill.
Larry Fitzgerald, Gill’s longtime manager for more than four decades, will remain as a consultant to Williams. Fitzgerald’s longtime colleague, Jennifer Templeton, will stay on as Gill’s day-to-day manager.
Nina Jenkins Fisher will continue to oversee all day-to-day aspects of JWS, which is a joint venture with Warner Chappell Music.
“Taking on this new role with Vince feels like a calling and a natural evolution,” Williams said in a statement. “My motivation is to ensure that Vince’s career aspirations for the near future are realized and his long term legacy includes milestones he has not yet reached. Nobody does Vince Gill like Vince Gill. His unique musical aesthetic has served him well his whole career. I’m honored to work alongside Vince, and very grateful for Larry and Jennifer’s support.”
“Throughout my career I’ve put great care into putting teams together around our artists, yet it was only recently that I used those skills one final time for my buddy Vince,” Fitzgerald says. “I’ve always admired Jody’s vision, organizational, and decision-making skills, and he has an ability to engage with talent in meaningful ways. Already a member of Vince’s team as his publisher, we know his passion is unparalleled.”
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Fitzgerald teamed with Mark Hartley in 1977 to launch Fitzgerald Hartley Management, and over the next 42 years, he managed the careers of artists including Gill, Glenn Frey, Toto, Rufus, Patty Loveless and Brad Paisley. In 2019, he dissolved Fitzgerald Hartley and opened Hey Buddy Management, with Gill as the sole client.
Williams previously served in roles as vp of creative for BMI and president of MCA Music Nashville. He is the former chairman of the board for the Country Music Association and is currently board chairman of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where he is also a trustee.
Earlier this year, Gill signed a lifetime recording agreement with his longtime label home, Nashville’s MCA Records. He has also begun releasing an EP of new music each month, as part of his series 50 Years From Home.
