Just one of the many country music heads who made the transition from performer to executive, Tony Brown took a unique road to the top. Born the son a preacher, Brown was forbidden to listen to secular music during his youth, his musical education coming solely at the hands of gospel music. It was this that helped land Brown a touring gig with the Oak Ridge Boys, a country gospel act popular throughout the '70s. Brown went on to play with Elvis a year before the king's death, as well as country crooner Emmylou Harris. It was Harris who, during late-night listening sessions on the tour bus, caught Brown up on much of the music he had missed as a child.
