Nine-O-One Network Magazine

Nine-O-One Network Magazine was a bi-monthly music magazine published in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1986 to 1989.

October 1986

Beginnings

The magazine originated during the heralded 1986 “Class of '55” recording session in Memphis with Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. Producer Chips Moman asked James L. Dickerson, a reporter with The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, if he would create a magazine that could be used as part of a sales package for a telemarketing campaign for the album. Dickerson agreed to do it without fee if Moman would allow him to name the magazine, copyright it, and use it to launch a bi-monthly music magazine. Moman agreed, and the magazine was named Nine-O-One Network, the name derived from Memphis’s telephone area code, 901.^[1] Dickerson resigned from The Commercial Appeal to publish the magazine so that he would not have a conflict of interest.^[2] The first subscription check to arrive in the mail came from Johnny Cash. Soon afterward a subscription check arrived from Jerry Lee Lewis.^[3]

By the end of the first year, the full-color, slick paper magazine had newsstand circulation in fourteen states. By the end of 1987 it was sold on newsstands in all 50 states and throughout Canada, and in selected cities in Portugal, Japan, Australia, and the Soviet Union. The distributor was Capital Distribution Co. of Derby, CT. At its peak, the magazine had a circulation of 100,000 which made it the third largest music magazine in the U.S., behind Rolling Stone and Spin.^[4]

Initially, the magazine was financed by Dickerson, who used his savings and cashed in his life insurance policy to live on and pay start-up costs. The magazine was incorporated in the State of Tennessee and preferred common stock was offered, all of it purchased by 25 Mississippi and Tennessee investors.^[5]

The first issue featured a photo of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The second issue featured Rolling Stone Ron Wood as the cover story, with inside articles about Belinda Carlisle, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Steve Warner, and Sweethearts of the Rodeo. The eclectic mix reflected the magazine’s philosophy that a true American music magazine should contain articles about all the major forms of native music—rock 'n' roll, country, blues, and jazz.^[6]

Magazine Highlights

• The first magazine published in the South to obtain nationwide newsstand circulation

• The first music magazine to do feature articles on sexual harassment in the music industry^[7]

• The first music magazine to routinely publish glossy, full-color photographs of country artists

Covers

Issue 1 – Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins

Issue 2 –Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones

Issue 3 – Deborah Allen

Issue 4 - Aimee Mann

Issue 5 – Robert Cray

Issue 6 – Gregg Allman

Issue 7 – Elvis Presley

Issue 8 - David Bowie, Ringo Starr

Issue 9 – The Bangles, B.B. King

Issue 10 – Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Waylon Jennings

Issue 11 - Dan Fogelberg, Willie Nelson, Yes

Contents

Issue 2 Sept./Oct. 1986

Cover story on Rolling Stone Ron Wood written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on Belinda Carlisle and Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go's written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on the Fabulous Thunderbirds written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on Steve Wariner written by Bill Stuart (Brown Burnett)

Interview with Sweethearts of the Rodeo written by Robert Jenkins (James L. Dickerson)

Interview feature on Rob Jungklas written by Dawn Baldwin

Interview feature on the making of Carl Perkins' video for "Birth of Rock 'n' Roll" written by James L. Dickerson

Issue 3 Nov./Dec. 1986

November 1986 issue with Deborah Allen on Cover

Cover story on Deborah Allen written by James L. Dickerson

Q&A with EMI music executives Michael Barackman and Dick Williams

Interview feature on the Main Attraction written by Dawn Baldwin

Interview feature on Bobby Womack written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on Marty Stuart written by Robert Jenkins (James L. Dickerson)

Interview feature with guitarist Lonnie Mack written by Angela Fox (Brown Burnett)

Interview Feature with Lacy J. Dalton written by James L. Dickerson

Issue 4 January/February 1987

Cover story on 'Til Tuesday's Aimee Mann written by Dawn Baldwin

Q&A interview with CBS Records/Nashville chief Rick Blackburn

Interview feature on T. Graham Brown written by Dawn Baldwin

Interview feature on Jim Weatherly written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on Jason and the Scorchers written by Dawn Baldwin

"The Next Memphis Thing" written by James L. Dickerson, a feature on the women of Memphis music: Klaudia Kroboth, Pam Childs-Davis, Susanne Jerome Taylor, Reba Russell, Vicki Tucker, and Ella Brooks

Interview feature on Journey written by Dawn Baldwin

Interview feature on Rodney Crowell written by James L. Dickerson

Issue 5 March/April 1987

Cover story on Robert Cray written by James L. Dickerson

Q&A interview with Gregg Geller, vice president of RCA Records' international A&R division

Feature on Trader Jon's (Part 1), Pensacola nightclub written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on country artists The O'Kanes written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on heavy metal group Europe written by Luann Williams

Interview feature on the hard-rock band Cinderella by Robert Thomas (James L. Dickerson)

Interview feature on The Shooters, a Muscle Shoals recording group written by Dawn Baldwin

Issue 6 May/June 1987

Cover story on Gregg Allman written by James L. Dickerson

Feature on Trader Jon's (Part 2), a Pensacola nightclub famous for being the unofficial cradle of American naval aviation written by James L. Dickerson

Q&A interview with Mose Allison

Interview feature with Asleep at the Wheel written by Nancy Oates

Interview feature on the Fabulous Thunderbirds' Memphis album written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on country artist Ricky Van Shelton written by Nancy Oates

"Radio Women of the South" written by James L. Dickerson

Issue 7 July/August 1987

Cover story on Elvis Presley, 10 years after his death written by Nancy Randall

Q&A interview with MTV founder Robert Pittman

"The Men Who Shot Elvis" by Nancy Randall, about photographers Ernest Withers, Dave Darnell and Bill Speer

Interview feature on the Georgia Satellites by Robert Thomas (James L. Dickerson)

Interview feature on Cutting Crew written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on T. G. Sheppard written by Robert Thomas (James L. Dickerson)

Interview feature on Judy Rodman written by Nancy Randall

Interview feature on Jimmy Davis written my Nancy Randall

Interview feature on Omar & the Howlers written by Bill Stuart (Brown Burnett)

Issue 8 October 1987

Cover story on David Bowie written by Carinthia West

"America's favorite Morning DJs" written by Nancy Randall

Interview feature on Rosanne Cash written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on Charlie Daniels written by Nancy Randall

Interview feature on David Sanborn written by James L. Dickerson

Feature on Ringo Starr written by James L. Dickerson

"Where Are They Now?" written by Nancy Randall, a look at the Box Tops, the Gentrys, the Kingsmen and the Mar-Keys

Interview feature on Stevie Ray Vaughan written by Bill Stuart (Brown Burnett)

Interview feature on Jennifer Rush written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on Survivor's Jimi Jamison written by Nancy Randall, with a photo by James L. Dickerson

Issue 9 December 1987

December 1987 issue

Bangles lead guitarist Vicki Peterson in Memphis. Photo by James L. Dickerson, copyright 1987

Cover story feature on the Bangles written and photographed by James L. Dickerson

Feature on Don Nix's photographs of George Harrison, Joe Cocker, Albert King, and Furry Lewis written by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on B. B. King written by James L. Dickerson

Q&A Interview with Chet Atkins

Feature on the importance of hair in the music business by Nancy Randall

Feature interview on country artists Exile written by Nancy Randall

Feature interview on ex-Blaster Dave Alvin written by Nancy Randall

Issue10 February 1988

Cover story on Heart written by James L. Dickerson

Feature on Sexual Harassment in the Music Industry written my Nancy Randall

Interview with RCA Records/Nashville chief Joe Galante

Profile on Otis Redding written by Bill Stuart (Brown Burnett)

Interview feature on Jackson Browne written by Holly Gleason

Interview feature with Waylon Jennings written by Katy Bee

Interview feature on Nanci Griffith written by Nancy Randall

Issue 11 April 1988

Cover story on Dan Fogelberg written by James L. Dickerson

Interviews with Tanya Tucker, Kathy Mattea, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, and Willie Nelson by James L. Dickerson

Interview feature on Ry Cooder written by Holly Gleason

Interview feature on YES written by Holly Gleason

Interview feature with Kenny G written by Linda Enis

Interview feature with the Radiators

Interview feature with Guadalcanal Diary written by Michele Hargis

Review of Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets' album "Sins" reviewed by Winton Washington

Feature on Rick Nelson written by Bill Stuart (Brown Burnett)

Information for music scholars

Back issues of Nine-O-One Network Magazine are available at:

Memphis, Tennessee, Public Library

Benjamin Hooks Central Library http://www.memphislibrary.org/about/libraries/central.htm

Magazine Spin-off

Pulsebeat--Voice of the Heartland announcers (left to right) George Hays, Kim Spangler, Sunshine Sonny Payne and Henry Nelson.

In 1988, the magazine formed a spin-off company to produce a radio syndication called Pulsebeat—Voice of the Heartland. With James L. Dickerson as executive producer, the company produced two programs—a 30-minute, weekly country music program that was carried by about 60 radio stations from coast to coast, and a 60-minute blues program that was produced in partnership with Helena, Arkansas, radio station KFFA-Am, which had broadcast since 1941 the universally acclaimed King Biscuit Time show.^[8] Both syndicated programs featured radio personality Kim Spangler. Veteran King Biscuit announcer "Sunshine" Sonny Payne, KFFA general manager George Hays, and Memphis radio personality Henry Nelson also hosted segments on the blues show.^[9] The weekly blues show was broadcast by 40 stations from New York to the Yukon. Featured guests included Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Melissa Etheridge, and Little Milton, to name a few. Pulsebeat—Voice of the Heartland ceased operations in 1990.

References

1. ^ Dickerson, James L. (1996) "Goin' Back to Memphis: A Century of Blues, Rock 'n' Roll, and Glorious Soul," Schirmer/Simon&Schuster. ISBN 0-02-864506-5
2. ^ Wiley, Rob (April 1988) "Introducing Memphis' International Music Magazine," Memphis Magazine.
3. ^ Dickerson, James (1996) "Goin' Back to Memphis: A Century of Blues, Rock 'n' Roll, and Glorious Soul," Schirmer/Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-02-864506-5
4. ^ Grantham, Lee (August 27, 1987) "Nine-)-One Network Emphasizes Memphis Music," The Daily News (Memphis), p. 1
5. ^ Wiley, Rob(April 1988). "Introducing Memphis' International Music Magazine," Memphis Magazine.
6. ^ Wiley, Rob (April 1988) "Introducing Memphis' International Music Magazine," Memphis Magazine
7. ^ "Goin' Back to Memphis" and "Introducing Memphis' International Music Magazine," Memphis Magazine
8. ^ Wynn, Ron (May 6, 1988) "Magazine Begetting Offspring for Radio," The Commercial Appeal
9. ^ Lee, Larry (November 26, 1988) "Blues Show to Go Big-Time," The Commercial Appeal

External links