Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 2025 inductee, Tony Brown is one of country music’s most influential figures, with a career spanning more than forty years. As an acclaimed record producer, co-founder of Universal South Records, and former President of MCA Records Nashville—a role he held for nearly a decade, Tony has worked with some of the biggest names in music, including George Strait, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, and Lionel Richie.

​

Often credited with shaping the Americana-country movement, Tony pushed genre boundaries and championed musical innovation. He played a pivotal role in launching the careers of artists such as Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, and Nanci Griffith. Over the course of his career, he has produced more than 100 No. 1 singles with total record sales exceeding the 100 million. George Strait’s Troubadour earned Tony a Grammy Award for production and is credited on several Grammy-winning singles and albums. His achievements also include 7 Academy of Country Music Awards (including Producer of the Year), multiple CMA Awards, ACM Icon Award, a Dove Award for Best Instrumentalist with The Oak Ridge Boys, the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, and numerous Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum albums.

​

In 1994, he co-produced Rhythm, Country and Blues with Don Was, the first country album to highlight African American crossover artists, which debuted at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart and #15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. He produced Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee, featuring duets with Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw, Jimmy Buffett, Little Big Town, Kenny Rogers, and Willie Nelson.

​

In 2014, Tony appeared in Dave Grohl’s television docuseries Sonic Highways. Four years later, in 2018, he released his award-winning coffee table book, Elvis, Strait to Jesus: An Iconic Producer’s Journey with Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Country, and Gospel Music. The book was recognized as a Distinguished Favorite at the New York City Big Book Awards and received the Gold Award from the International Design Awards.

​

Over the course of his monumental career, Tony has signed and produced a wide range of artists across genres, including Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Marty Stuart, Rodney Crowell, The Mavericks, Todd Snider, Allison Moorer, and Shooter Jennings. He has also collaborated with music legends outside the country genre, such as Billy Joel, Train, and Barbra Streisand, further showcasing his remarkable versatility as a producer.

 

Other notable projects include producing Reba McEntire’s 2015 album Love Somebody, Cyndi Lauper’s acclaimed country album Detour, Sara Evans’ No. 1 single “A Little Bit Stronger,” Carly Pearce’s ACM-nominated “Dear Miss Loretta,” and Diane Warren’s Oscar-nominated song “Somehow You Do” from the motion picture Four Good Days.

​

Most recently, he produced George Strait’s Cowboys and Dreamers—his 20th album with the iconic artist—and the collaborative track “Trailblazer,” featuring Lainey Wilson, Reba McEntire, and Miranda Lambert, and the 2023 album Gaither Tribute: Honoring the Songs of Bill & Gloria Gaither, featuring performances by Reba McEntire, Susie McEntire, Alabama, The Oak Ridge Boys, CeCe Winans, Ronnie Dunn, Josh Turner, Jamey Johnson, Ronnie Milsap, Lee Ann Womack, The SteelDrivers, Sonya and Becky Isaacs, and Hillary Scott & The Scott Family.

​

Tony Brown’s extraordinary legacy has been honored at the highest level, cementing his place among the legends of the American music landscape.