Joe Galante
{{short description|American music industry executive}}
Joe Galante (born December 18, 1949, New York City, NY) is an American music industry executive. He is noted for his role in developing the careers of Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Alabama, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Vince Gill, Clint Black, Miranda Lambert, and The Judds, among others.{{cite news|last1=Evans Price|first1=Deborah|title=Nashville Exec Joe Galante Receives Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-615/6465949/nashville-joe-galante-bob-kingsley-living-legend|accessdate=19 August 2015|publisher=Billboard|date=February 11, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Paulsen|first1=Dave|title=Sony Music Nashville chairman Joe Galante announces departure: updated|url=http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2010/04/14/sony-music-nashville-chairman-joe-galante-announces-departure/|accessdate=19 August 2015|publisher=The Tennessean|date=April 14, 2010}}
Galante was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame by Kix Brooks in 2022 alongside Keith Whitley and Jerry Lee Lewis.{{cite web | url=https://eu.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2022/05/17/country-music-hall-fame-class-2022-inductees/9805843002/ | title=Keith Whitley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Joe Galante are headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame }}
RCA
Galante began working at RCA Records in New York in 1971. He was transferred to RCA Nashville in 1974; although originally intended to be a temporary stay, Galante remained in Nashville as a director at the label.{{Cite web|title = Joe Galante Announces Exit From Sony Music Nashville|url = http://theboot.com/joe-galante-leaving-sony-nashville/|website = The Boot| date=14 April 2010 |accessdate = 2015-10-15}} During the early years of his career, he was criticized because he lacked a traditional background in the music industry. Galante continued to be promoted at the label, becoming vice president of promotion and marketing. In 1982, he was named head of RCA's Nashville division; then 32, he became the youngest person ever named to run a major country record label, succeeding Jerry Bradley.
In 1990, Galante returned to New York to become national president of RCA Records. He returned to Nashville in 1995 to run the RCA and BNA labels in Nashville as chairman RLG/Nashville.{{cite news|last1=West|first1=Kay|title=They Barked, He Bit Back|url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/they-barked-he-bit-back/Content?oid=1189085|accessdate=19 August 2015|publisher=Nashville Scene|date=November 6, 2003}} He was named chairman of Sony Music Nashville in 2007 and served in that position until 2010.
With Galante as president, RCA Records was the number-one country label for 11 years in a row. He was presented with the Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award by the Opry Trust Fund to honor his work for country music and RCA on February 10, 2015.{{Cite web|title = Opry Trust Fund Honors Joe Galante|url = http://www.cmacloseup.com/2015/02/opry-trust-fund-honors-joe-galante/|website = CMA Close Up Magazine|accessdate = 2015-10-19|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304235142/http://www.cmacloseup.com/2015/02/opry-trust-fund-honors-joe-galante/|archive-date = 2016-03-04|url-status = dead}}
See also
References
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{{2020s Country Music Hall of Fame}}
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Category:American music industry executives
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