Jo Walker-Meador

Jo Walker-Meador. . As executive director of the Country Music Association (CMA) from 1962 until 1991. Jo Walker-Meador's career mirrored the growth of the industry she led. She became a tireless proselytizer for country music. Under her leadership, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the CMA Awards, and Fan Fair (later the CMA Music Festival) were established, in addition to many industry initiatives., Born Edith Josephine Denning in Orlinda on February 16, 1924. she later married local radio executive, Charles "Smokey" Walker. He died in 1967, and 14 years later she married business executive Bob Meador. She held a number of positions after moving to Nashville, becoming the CMA's first employee upon its launch in 1958. Among the CMA founders was Capitol Records' head of country music, Ken Nelson, who said that, while he couldn't remember who suggested Walker-Meador, "whoever did deserves a medal." He added, "Without her aptitude, devotion and dedication. I don't believe CMA would have survived.", At a time when radio stations were dropping country music programming in favor of Top 40, the CMA was formed as an advocacy group. As such, it was the first to promote a genre of music. The first executive director left in 1959, and the position went unfilled until Walker-Meador was promoted in November 1962. Under her leadership, the CMA produced promotional kits and demographic research extolling the benefits of country programming for radio stations. The number of stations featuring country music began to steadily increase. Walker-Meador took care of many associated day-to-day issues, such as ensuring record distributors carried country music in markets where stations switched format to country., In 1961, the CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame. Plaques were displayed in the Tennessee State Museum until the opening of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 1967. The CMA's annual awards show also began in 1967, and television coverage began the following year., Walker-Meador also played a significant role in the creation of Fan Fair. Seeing the number of fans who attended the annual Dee Jay Convention in Nashville, the CMA and the Grand Ole Opry saw the potential in creating a parallel event for fans. The first Fan Fair was held in 1972 at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium, and its growth forced a move in 1982 to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. (In 2004, after Walker-Meador's retirement, the event was renamed the CMA Music Festival.) Most of Walker-Meador's activity involved behind-the-scenes advocacy, but she was renowned throughout the industry. Upon her retirement in December 1991, longtime CMA board member Bill Denny noted that she was a talented statesperson. "[She was] able to negotiate the troubled waves to be able to get agreement among so many different people, all of whom were leaders in their own right.", When the CMA was formed, there were just 81 full-time country radio stations. By 1901. there were over 2,400., After retirement, Walker-Meador continued to assist with projects that enhanced country music's standing. In 1995, she was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame., Jo Walker-Meador died on August 16, 2017.