Sole Survivor of Music Row Murder Secures Representation

Former Country artist and survivor of the infamous "Murder on Music Row," Sammy Sadler, is returning to the entertainment fold the same way he left--with a bullet. Sadler, whose promising career was stopped short on March 9, 1989 when he was shot by former Cash Box magazine employee, Richard D'Antonio, has been working quietly behind the scenes to assemble a team to support a number of projects that will be announced in the coming months.

Sadler secured CN Productions for exclusive management by industry veteran Cathy Nakos, whose clients have included Andy Griggs, Dave Gibson, Hal Bynum, Elizabeth Eckert, Buddy Jewell, Beatlemania 64 Live, and The Ultimate Garth Brooks Tribute, just to name a few.

"Sammy is an amazingly gifted country singer whose career was literally stolen at gunpoint," Nakos explained. "Despite his horrendous ordeal, he has NEVER given up on himself, Nashville, the industry, or his dream. Most people would have walked away. That says a great deal about his character. This business requires not only talent, but resilience...he has both."

Nakos made it one of her first orders of business to secure a booking agency for Sadler, who, from 2012 - 2016, established two successful tours on his own under the title, "Taking the Country Back." These tours produced well over 200 dates and featured co-headliners, Jeff Carson, Ken Mellons, Buddy Jewell and others. Armed with this data, Nakos tapped WBA Entertainment (Larry Carlton, Paul Brown, Remembering Hee Haw, The Highwaymen Live Brothers Brown, Mark Newman, etc.) to represent him.

"Sammy brings a lot to the table," states his agent, Whitney Crabtree. "Not only were we extremely impressed by his talent and his story, but his sheer determination. Not everyone can put together a tour like he did, enlist the talent that he did, and manage all the pieces and parts that go into it," she explains. "With all he did on his own, it's exciting to think what he could do with a great agency behind him. He certainly deserves that chance."

Sadler's ongoing tenacity has allowed him to continue his career in the music industry despite his tragic past. He is currently putting the finishing touches on projects that he hopes will capture the country world's attention once again.

"I am so excited about these projects, one of which I have been working on for over a decade," states Sadler, "The business has changed a great deal since the late 80s and it's taken me some time to wrap my head around it, but, there's a lot of opportunity for guys like me to reach my audience more than ever before. It will be interesting to see how the country community reacts."

Photo: Left to Right: Sammy Sadler, Whitney Crabtree of WBA Entertainment

(Photos courtesy of ProMO Image)