Murder on Music Row from The Tennessean

The Tennessean
  • 4.4 (63)
  • TRUE CRIME
Murder on Music Row from The Tennessean

This deep-dive, 8-part true-crime podcast is investigated and written by Tennessean reporter Keith Sharon. It focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals. The podcast features never-before published reporting on the crime that not only defines Nashville of the 1980s and 1990s, but also shines light on a singer and one-time suspect who has demanded an apology from a detective who refuses to give him one. For an exclusive, eight-part companion narrative series, become Tennessean subscriber. For more, go to Tennessean.com/murderonmusicrow.

Episodes

  1. Episode 8: Bury me in Georgia

    AUG 2

    Episode 8: Bury me in Georgia

    Thirteen years after the murder, it took an investigative miracle for Nashville detectives to finally get an arrest warrant. And all these years later, the tentacles of the Murder on Music Row are still alive. Recently, a huge country music star released a song on a new album that was written by one of the men who police believe was involved with the murder of Kevin Hughes.

    55 min
  2. Episode 7: Life of sin

    JUL 30

    Episode 7: Life of sin

    Thanks to a tip from an unexpected source, the Nashville police turned their focus to a shady small-time music promoter. He was a guy from California who had tried, unsuccessfully, to make it as a singer/songwriter. No matter how much the police believed they were looking in the right direction, the case went cold.

    42 min
  3. Episode 6: If you don't know me by now

    JUL 23

    Episode 6: If you don't know me by now

    After the murder, Sammy Sadler said his singing career was ruined. But was it, really? In the Cash Box magazine country music charts, Sadler was more successful after Kevin Hughes died than he had been when his friend was still alive.

    40 min
  4. Episode 5: It ain't my fault

    JUL 16

    Episode 5: It ain't my fault

    The phone records from the day of the murder offer a clear picture of the movements of the people closest to the crime. Bottom line: A man in ski mask with a gun was waiting for Kevin Hughes and Sammy Sadler as they left Evergreen Records at about 10:25 p.m. on March 9, 1989. How did he know they would be there?

    47 min
  5. Episode 4: Tell it like it is

    JUL 9

    Episode 4: Tell it like it is

    Detectives from the Metro Nashville Police Department developed an alternate theory of the Kevin Hughes murder case. What if his position in the music industry had nothing to do with his death? What if he was killed because he was mistaken for another man with a scraggly beard and a mullet?

    40 min
  6. Episode 3: Chasing that neon rainbow

    JUL 2

    Episode 3: Chasing that neon rainbow

    Sammy Sadler came to Nashville to become a star like Garth Brooks and Faith Hill. But the path he chose was very different. He didn't play any gigs in town, and he didn't sell any records. He chose to make independent or "custom" singles, 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl records that he hoped would be played on country radio stations.

    48 min
  7. Episode 2: Who shot Sam?

    JUN 25

    Episode 2: Who shot Sam?

    Kevin Hughes wasn't the only person shot on Music Row on March 9. The other victim, an up-and-coming singer named Sammy Sadler, has made a career out of being the guy who survived the Murder on Music Row. But his story doesn't always match the police account of that night.

    49 min
  8. Episode 1: There ain't no justice in it

    MAY 6

    Episode 1: There ain't no justice in it

    On March 9, 1989, Kevin Hughes was shot twice, execution style, in the middle of one of the most famous streets in America, known as Music Row. As the crime was reported by local news outlets, more than a few people thought they knew immediately who the killer was. The police, however, didn't have a clue.

    46 min
  9. Introducing — Murder on Music Row: A true crime podcast from The Tennessean

    APR 29

    Introducing — Murder on Music Row: A true crime podcast from The Tennessean

    This eight-part deep-dive from The Tennessean focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals. The podcast features never-before published reporting of details of the crime that not only defines Nashville in the 1980s and 1990s, but shines light on a singer and one-time suspect who has demanded an apology from a detective who refuses to give him one. (Contains adult language.) Episode 1 is available now. Episodes 2-8 debut exclusively for Tennessean subscribers. For more on this series, visit Tennessean.com/murderonmusicrow.

    3 min
  • 9 Episodes

4.4
out of 5
63 Ratings

About

This deep-dive, 8-part true-crime podcast is investigated and written by Tennessean reporter Keith Sharon. It focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals. The podcast features never-before published reporting on the crime that not only defines Nashville of the 1980s and 1990s, but also shines light on a singer and one-time suspect who has demanded an apology from a detective who refuses to give him one. For an exclusive, eight-part companion narrative series, become Tennessean subscriber. For more, go to Tennessean.com/murderonmusicrow.

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