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“ALLEN REYNOLDS, I OWE YOU MY LIFE” GARTH BROOKS MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE TO INDUCT PRODUCER ALLEN REYNOLDS INTO THE ARKANSAS MUSIC HALL OF FAME
Garth Brooks welcomes every opportunity to shine the spotlight on the people who have made his career possible. Surprising his longtime producer, Allen Reynolds, at the 9th Annual Arkansas Country Music Awards is a moment he will always cherish.
Garth presented Reynolds, who produced 13 of his record-shattering albums, with the Lifetime Achievement Award and officially inducted him into the Arkansas Music Hall of Fame.
“I would not be here tonight if it weren't for Allen,” Brooks said. “I'm not even sure I'd still be alive. I certainly wouldn't have lived even a fraction of the life I've been blessed to live because of Allen Reynolds.”
Garth praised the quiet strength of his friend, someone full of love who stands up for those who can’t defend themselves.
“My dad used to tell me, ‘Son, a lion doesn't have to roar,’” Garth said. “Allen Reynolds is a lion.”
In addition to his personal virtues, Garth lauded Allen’s contributions to the music world. “He's changed careers. He's changed the face of country music.”
Allen Reynolds is a native of North Little Rock, Arkansas. He began writing songs with his classmate, Dickey Lee, at Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) in Memphis. They met Sun Records engineer Jack Clement, opened a recording studio with him in Beaumont, Texas, and later started a production and publishing company in Memphis. Reynolds moved to Nashville in 1970 to be a producer and manager for Clement’s JMI Records. Reynolds’ songwriting credits include “Catfish John,” “Five O’Clock World,” “Dreaming My Dreams,” “Ready For the Times to Get Better,” and “Wrong Road Again.” In addition to Brooks, he has produced Don Williams, Crystal Gayle, Kathy Mattea, and Emmylou Harris, among others. He is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame.
Joining Reynolds in the class of inductees were The Whites and the husband-and-wife duo of Jimmy Doyle and Patsy Gayle Doyle. Crystal Gayle and Ricky Skaggs were among the performers honoring the new inductees.
