Murder on Music Row

Step into the captivating world of Murder on Music Row by Stuart Dill, an electrifying thriller that plunges intern Judd Nix into the perilous depths of the country music scene.

Set against a backdrop rooted in Stuart Dill's extensive three-decade tenure in the music industry, this tantalizing tale unravels a web of power, ambition, and danger. When gunfire shatters the stage, targeting superstar Ripley Graham and Judd's mentor, Simon Stills, a sinister conspiracy comes to light.

Stuart Dill's intention with Murder on Music Row was to craft a narrative that not only entertains but also peels back the layers of the entertainment world. Drawing from his insider experience, Dill dives into the intricacies of the industry, where alliances are fragile, and secrets hold immense power.

Through this high-stakes thriller, Dill’s masterful storytelling grips readers on a rollercoaster journey through a maze of twists and turns that connect Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, and London, where there are no limits in the pursuit of money, power, and fame.

  • When I finished writing Murder on Music Row in 2011, I didn’t know that it would mark a place in time … but it did. I moved to Nashville in 1984 and started working in the music business on Music Row that summer and have driven down the famed 16th Avenue nearly everyday since. Nashville was just beginning to claim the lexicon of “Music City”. And for a quarter century, Music City sounded the same, looked the same, moved the same, and felt the same, until the time I finished the novel.

    But, in the years since, everything changed … seemingly overnight we’ve become the “IT City” with 100 new residents moving here daily. Construction is on every corner. Traffic! The once unassuming row houses on The Row have been abruptly razed and rapidly replaced by high-rise condominiums, hotels and expansive apartment complexes. For those of us who worked on 16th and 17th Avenues since the 80’s, who knew which hit songs had been written in which row houses or demoed in which cramped basements – suddenly felt like an old friend had slipped away in the night without saying goodbye.

    Novels are like memories. They are bookmarks in time.

    I set out to tell a story with three layers. The first, to hopefully trace a compelling account of a lowly intern thrown into the crosshairs of the cutthroat music business. A fictional narrative of intrigue. The second, an accurate description of the music industry from my personal experience. A realistic backdrop of the music business - true in its texture – on how things sounded, looked, and had been on Music Row for the 25 years prior. The third layer was purely psychological. I wanted to explore the dark character of power and fame. Why people want it, go to any lengths to keep it - and then ask, why as a society do we seem to have an insatiable appetite to create and idolize it.

    When I finished writing the last paragraph, for that fleeting moment, the novel was cutting-edge current. And now, in a historic blink of an eye, Nashville has been dramatically transformed. The condition of Music Row, constant for all those years, is now relegated to a bookmark memory. However, not surprisingly, the human condition remains untouched. We have not lost the ravenous desire to create, keep and idolize power and fame at all costs … and as you read Murder on Music Row, I hope you find it more intriguing and relevant than ever.

    -Stuart Dill

  • For Discussion:

    1. Is fame a product of our ever-exploding technological media advancements, or has it always been part of the human experience?

    2. You can’t be a celebrity without fans, but which comes first, the celebrity or the fans? Does one need the other more?

    3. Why do you think there is such an immense curiosity to know what it’s like behind the scenes of the entertainment business?

    4. Is it symbolic that Ripley is the only one not wearing a mask at his Mardi Gras party? Is the game Who’s Who an effective tool by the author to explore how we see fame and celebrity?

    5. Does our society have a double standard when it comes to the treatment of celebrities?

    6. In the book, Simon has a theory about artists. He says that, from birth, we all feel separated and are looking to find our safe place. But he goes on to say artists feel that separation even more than the rest of us. What do you think about that theory?

    7. Is there a compelling parallel subplot between Ripley and the record company? Is the record company guilty of corporate violence?

    8. Culturally, why do people want their picture taken with famous people? Why do we ask for autographs?

    9. At the end of the book, the world replays the dramatic ending over and over – all captured on video. We live in a YouTube society where everything is documented and exploited. Is there due process in a trial by the media? Is perception now absolute reality?

    10. Ultimately, is fame good or evil?

Stuart Dill

Stuart Dill’s debut novel, Murder on Music Row, won the Independent Book Publishers (IPPY) Award’s Gold Medal in 2012. It was reprinted in 2019.

A 30-year music industry veteran, Dill served as an artist manager on Nashville’s Music Row. During his career in the entertainment industry, he managed and helped guide the careers of notables such as Minnie Pearl, Freddy Fender, Dwight Yoakam, Jo Dee Messina, Rodney Crowell, The Wreckers, Sister Hazel, Laura Bell Bundy, Point of Grace, Billy Ray Cyrus, and many others.

Currently, Dill is the Chief Marketing Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In this role, Dill is responsible for the brand identity and marketing strategies for the seven-billion-dollar not-for-profit academic health system.

Originally from Mobile, Alabama, and a graduate of The American University in Washington, D.C., Dill has been a resident of Nashville since 1984 and is a longtime member of the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, NARAS (Grammy’s), ASCAP and Leadership Music. Dill is married to Maral Missirian-Dill and together they have two grown children, a daughter-in-law, a three-year-old granddaughter and two sister golden retrievers.

  • I’ve had a curiosity about fame my whole life. As a youngster, I went on a church trip to New Orleans, and by pure coincidence, we saw the academy award nominated actor James Mason (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) walking alone through Jackson Square. It was my first brush with fame. My best friend’s father was a chaperon and in startling exuberance yelled to us, “Boys, quick, come over here and get a picture and autograph—it’s James Mason!” At that moment, I remember thinking, I don’t want to meet Captain Nemo like that!

    The memory of my strong reaction still surprises me to this day. In time, I became a student of fame. I’ve studied it, observed it, and became an artist manager for 30-years working with some top names in entertainment. And I’m here to tell you fame is elusive, mystical, thrilling, and can be terrifying. I think often of the difference between fame and fanaticism. The truth is you can’t be famous by yourself. Fame is a communal exercise.

    On one hand, it has been said that artist managers are the midwives of dreams. Managers help artists launch their careers and amplify their talent, so they can use their God-given gifts to spread love and happiness to those around them – a seemingly noble profession. On the other hand, many say artist managers do nothing more than help a subculture become rich and famous. We turn them into a highly egotistical lot, lacking any moral compass who are completely out of touch with reality. This in comparison seems like a far less admirable craft.

    Either way, our society’s insatiable desire to know what famous people are really like never ceases to amaze me. Equally amazing is the tremendous hope for them to be good. If someone found out that I had managed artists in the music business, without fail the first question was always, “Who did you manage – anybody I would know?” And if I said yes and named someone, the next question was always the same, “What is he like?” Followed by the remarkably universal assumption: “He seems like a really good guy!”

    The irony is that we as a society create these idols, these little gods, bombard them with an extraordinary sense of entitlement, and hope they turn out to be normal.

    Many years later, I realized what was going on in Jackson Square. As a kid, I was cognizant that I wasn’t ready to meet Captain Nemo … not in that setting. The truth was, I did want to meet the man that my best friend’s father was so exuberant to see – but I did not want to meet him as a fan. At a young age, I instinctively wanted the meeting to be purposeful. And because that was obviously not the context of the introduction … I chose not to get in the photograph. I’ve pondered that sentiment for years. My first brush with fame and I consciously opted not to participate in the communal exercise that has been practiced for ages. Murder on Music Row grew out of a long personal fascination and later professional occupation with fame.

    -Stuart Dill