As the go-to guy at Waco's division of Word Records in 1977, Michael Blanton ('74) was accustomed to grunt work.
He became familiar with the copy room and took what assignments came to him as the assistant artist and repertoire (A&R) person for the Christian record label. He discovered and developed artists as his experience grew, namely one young woman who had been in his youth group back in Nashville: Amy Grant.
But his break didn't arrive until 1978, when Word put him in charge of musician David Meece's final album. Meece was known for his piano skills, but his first two records weren't successful. The axe was about to drop, but with the help of ACU classmate and producer Brown Bannister ('75), Blanton chose to steer Meece's record in a different direction. This time, they'd focus on Meece's vocals - he sounded like the Bee Gees' contemporary Christian second cousin, Blanton said.
Meece's Everybody Needs a Little Help was released that year with the lead single "I Can't Believe It's True," which was picked up by pop radio stations and declared a hit. Meece was re-signed to the label, but both he and Blanton became stars.
"I went from being this little nobody at Word Records in Waco, Texas, to a genius because of what I did for David Meece," Blanton said. "All of a sudden, I'm somebody."
Blanton first called Nashville home in 1974, living with ACU alums Chris Christian ('73), Gary Pigg ('76), Ron Anglin ('74) and Bannister. He worked various jobs, including a role as a youth minister. Blanton had always felt called to ministry, and his move back to Nashville for Word in 1978 with new wife, Paula (Mayfield '76), was a continuation of his career working with and for young people.
He wanted to create music and entertainment that was uplifting and encouraging, and his return to Nashville - that glistening buckle of the Bible belt and the center of the recording universe – set him on a path to put contemporary Christian music on the map.
He formed Blanton/Harrell Entertainment Inc. in 1980 with friend Dan Harrell and signed Grant as their first client to manage. In 1981, the two founded Reunion Records with Bannister and immediately launched the careers of Michael W. Smith, Kathy Troccolli and Rich Mullins.
The flagship artist was Grant, and as her star rose (five Grammy and 25 Dove awards, and six No. 1 singles), so did the profile of Blanton/Harrell and the Christian music scene in general. Grant's album Heart in Motion (1991) helped her cross over to the pop charts, producing five hit singles, reaching No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and selling more than five million copies.
Now, all of the major labels were paying attention. "They were asking themselves, ‘Who are these guys? Do we need to be signing their artists?'" Blanton said. "Now, artists knew that if they wanted to be legitimate, they wanted to sign with Reunion."
The 1980s and 1990s were the golden years for Blanton and his friends, all of whom were key players in a cultural shift that saw Christians entering the mainstream through entertainment. The movement had its growing pains, but Blanton knew the time was right for believers to embrace their art along with their faith.
"The youth market was ready for Christians to say ‘You can have fun … let's make music that's fun,'" Blanton said. "Where's the balance where we can walk as strong believers and still be creative?"
Blanton's businesses expanded with the Christian music scene. Reunion Records was bought by Sony BMG in two parts in 1993 and 1995, and Blanton/Harrell became Blanton Harrell Cooke & Corzine (www.bhccmgt.com) in 2001. Blanton still manages Grant and Smith and has clients such as Bebo Norman, Point of Grace, and Aaron Shusts, but has extended his repertoire to all facets of entertainment, signing songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick (Eric Clapton's "Change the World") and author Frank Peretti (This Present Darkness). He worked with Jordin Sparks the past three years, before she entered and won the season six artist contest on "American Idol."
Bringing Christian entertainment to the pop culture consciousness of America and to its teens brought Blanton full circle to his years spent in ministry.
"I still love working with kids in the entertainment industry who have a heart for God," he said. "They have a hunger to be great entertainers, but also a hunger to be encouraging and not destructive.
"The enjoyment I have now is still the same joy I had back in college working with kids and telling them how to be people of character. I'm still that college kid back in Abilene wondering ‘How can we change the world? How can we affect the culture of our kids today?'"
