New Zealander Grace Kelly scores BIG with “San Jose” produced at Nashville Trax.
Posted: July 30, 2021 Filed under: Client News, Music Industry News, Samples of Our Work | Tags: Grace Kelly, New Zealand, San Jose Leave a commentIt’s the city’s NEW theme song!
The City of San Jose Tourism Bureau has officially replaced the song used to promote the city for the last 43 years, Dionne Warwick’s “Do You Know The Way To San Jose,” with Grace’s original, San Jose. San Jose was produced, mixed and mastered here at Nashville Trax, and is the track used in the City of San Jose’s vids posted here.
The third time recording here was the charm that landed New Zealander Grace Kelly major kudos, a lifetime coolness brag, and possible lifetime royalties from the use of her song by the San Jose Tourism Team. She also landed a show with Blake Shelton and has a major rap producer wanting the stems from her song for a rap remix!
San Jose credits:
Drums: Jim Riley (of Rascal Flatts)
Bass Guitar: Bill Watson (Nashville Trax producer)
Guitars: Tom Wild (B.J. Thomas, Mindy McCreedy, Brenda Lee)
Fiddle/Mandolin: Jenee Fleenor (Blake Shelton, Steven Tyler, The Voice)
Keyboards: Steve King (Keith Urban)
Vocals & Acoustic Guitar: Grace Kelly (songwriter)
Produced, Mixed and Mastered by Bill Watson for Nashville Trax.
To get YOUR project started and begin YOUR journey to success Text us at 615-319-8616
Grace has been tapped to open for country star Blake Shelton when Blake plays in San Jose on Sept. 13th.
Our production gets a cameo at 2:50:
Grace’s San Jose story on Auckland’s News Now
Check out That Girl, another of Grace’s original’s produced at Nashville Trax:
That Girl credits:
Drums: David Northrup (of Rick Derringer, Travis Tritt)
Bass Guitar: Bill Watson (Nashville Trax producer)
Guitars: Tom Wild (B.J. Thomas, Mindy McCreedy, Brenda Lee)
Fiddle/Mandolin: Jenee Fleenor (Blake Shelton, Steven Tyler, The Voice)
Keyboards: Steve King (Keith Urban)
Vocals & Acoustic Guitar: Grace Kelly (songwriter)
Produced, Mixed and Mastered by Bill Watson for Nashville Trax.
Serious? Need your song produced for real?
Text:
615-319-8616
E-mail:
nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Music Production Client, Sean Morton Cashes $4,900 + Royalty Check, “Thank you Nashville Trax!”
Posted: December 8, 2018 Filed under: Client News, Client News, Home Music Production, Songwriting and Career Promotion, Songwriting Tips, Testimonials, Tracks Online | Tags: how to obtain radio airplay, Royalty Check, royalty cheque, song msrketing Leave a commentOur music producer, Bill Watson, has been cutting tracks for various clients to add to their already-started projects for many years now. Most order repeatedly..
Sean Morton is one of those clients who hails from Canada, Nashville Trax has been supplying specific tracks for his projects for about two years now.
We have added drums, bass guitar, fiddle, guitar and more to his projects, whatever he thinks it needs, or he’ll send our producer, Bill Watson, a stereo mix and ask for Watson’s input on what might be beneficial.
When Sean started mentioning that he was receiving royalty checks for these projects, enough to fund additional track work on multiple songs, we became curious, thinking it might benefit our other clients and potential clients to know how he achieved this.
Sean gladly and unselfishly obliged.
We didn’t ask for it, we really just wanted to know the facts of how he went from recording at home to getting substantial airplay, but we received a bonus, it reads like a testimonial of our work:
“When I finished my EP (using a blend of my own work and tracks by the world class Nashville Trax musicians) I published it through CD baby which enabled me to get it onto all professional download and streaming services. The last step I took was to release it to country radio in Canada through DBDS service.
They picked it up and started playing it on satellite. That picture is the very first royalty cheque I received and I have received even more cheques since then.”

Songwriter Sean Morton. He can now preview the word “songwriter” with “Successful!”
Sean continues, “Utilizing Nashville Trax and getting the privilege of having some of the greatest studio players in the world play on my material ( I’m a country player “hack” up in Northern Alberta ) they inspired me to start writing again and more. They gave me the gift of recording and writing professional sounding music that was only made possible by having a cadre of professional artists readily accessible at a reasonable cost.
They gave me the confidence to risk pushing and exposing my music to the world because of the level to which they elevated things.
Even if I didn’t get those royalty cheques, Nashville Trax was worth the investment into myself. They allowed me to achieve a goal that was always on my bucket list for life. Release some quality sounding songs that I could be proud of.
I look forward to continue making great music together with Nashville Trax!”- Sean Morton, Northern Alberta, Canada
Would you like to contact us about YOUR project? E-mail:
nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Nashville Trax Produced Jingle Airing to Millions Daily!
Posted: October 31, 2018 Filed under: Client News, Client News, Music Industry News, Nashville Session Musicians, Testimonials Leave a commentTune in to the nationally syndicated Ellen K Show on KOST 103.5, Los Angeles, CA to hear The Swansons’ jingle opener for Rllen’s Thought of the Day segment. It was produced here at Nashville Trax and will play every morning moving forward until it wears out.
“I finished getting Jenee’s tracks on the project about 2 p.m. on Sept. 25th,” explains producer, Bill Watson.
“I wanted The Swansons songwriter, Joe, to hear how well it turned out. They had already supplied me with their vocal tracks so I did a quick mix, applied a little mastering, and Dropboxed it,” Watson continues, “As luck would have it Joe and Angie were still in a meeting at the radio station when they downloaded. The Program Director flipped over it and scheduled it daily starting the next morning, on the 26th.”

Jenee Fleenor of Blake Shelton’s band, a regular on NBC’s, The Voice, and fiddlist on several Billboard #1 country hits, figuring out her part on “Thought of the Day”.
“No way would I have thought the tracks we were cutting Tuesday would be heard on radio by millions of people within less than 24 hours, it’s crazy. God is good.”
“Thought of the Day”
Written by Joe Finley of The Swansons
Vocals: Joe and Angie of The Swansons
Fiddle and mando: Jenee Fleenor (NBC’s The Voice/Blake Shelton’s band)
Guitars: 12 xs ACM’s Guitar Player of the Year, Brent Mason
Drums and percussion: Rascal Flatts drummer, Jim Riley
Bass Guitar: Nashville Trax producer, Bill Watson
Produced, engineered and mixed by Bill Watson, Nashville Trax
Would you like to contact us about YOUR project? E-mail:
nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Nashville Icon, Mike Curb, Showers High Praise on The Swansons, in Vegas, accepting Country Album of The Year, Bill Watson, producer. Cut @ Nashville Trax!
Posted: April 4, 2018 Filed under: Client News, Client News, Music Industry News, Studio News, Testimonials | Tags: Bill Watson, Curb Records, Mike Curn, The Swansons, Word Records Leave a commentThe Swansons had quite a night in Las Vegas this past Saturday, April 7th, 2018!
Opening the evening with a live performance, winning the “Country Album of the Year” award for the Nashville Trax produced, Country This and being singled out several times by the legendary Mike Curb of Curb Records in Nashville, during his acceptance of his Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mike Curb’s contributions to country radio and The Nashville Music Industry are far too numerous to mention here but he has written Billboard charting hit songs for everyone from The Four Seasons to The Osmonds to Hank Willians Jr, Tim McGraw, Chris Young, The Judds, Kenny Chesney and dozens more. The Four Seasons Curb-produced “Oh What A Night” was the very first single in music history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and remain for over a full year.
He founded Curb Records which now also owns the world’s largest Christian label, Word Records.
Here is one instance of several where Mike mentions The Swansons.
Could a deal with Curb Nashville be in the works?
Nashville Trax producer, Bill Watson, produced Country This and is currently producing The Swansons’ follow up album. Update 2-17-19: Mr. Watson is now several songs into producing The Swanson’s third country album done at Nashville Trax.
e-mail: nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Interested in having your record produced?
Contact Mr. Watson direct at 615-319-8616
Sample of Our Work: The Swansons NEW Video Released, Music Recorded at Nashville Trax!
Posted: April 1, 2018 Filed under: Client News, Samples of Our Work, Uncategorized Leave a comment
I Can’t Wait written by Joe Finley
Drums: Jim Riley
Bass Guitar: Bill Watson
Guitars: Brent Mason
Fiddle and Mandolin: Jenee Fleenor
Piano and B3 organ: Steve King
Harp: Michael Douchette
All music produced by Bill Watson at Nashville Trax
© 2018 The Swansons
“The Swansons were blessed a year and a half ago when Mr. Watson returned our phone call. We were looking for a change in our music and thought very highly of #Nashville and the great music they make here. Bill Watson produces records in Nashville and has a stellar reputation. I listened to his work and asked if he would be interested in working with the #Swansons. Thankfully he said yes and we are right in the middle of a really cool dream. Thank you Bill for EVERYTHING!! You are a super natural talent!! Absolutely Brilliant!!”– Joe Finley
Purchase the Swanson’s Country This album containing I Can’t Wait and 13 other Swansons original songs, all produced at Nashville Trax here: TheSwansonsMusic.com
Interested in doing your single or album at Nashville Trax?
e-mail:
nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Phone:
615-319-8616
NashvilleTrax.com
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The Swansons To Perform With The Nashville Trax A Team LIVE SHOW at Rev-el-ry.
Posted: August 9, 2017 Filed under: Client News, Client News, Music Industry News, Studio News, Testimonials, Uncategorized | Tags: Brent Mason, Jenee Fleenor, Los Angeles, Nashville, nashville trax recording studio, show, The Swansons Leave a commentATTENTION Singer/Songwriters!! What better way to give your band a career boost than an album, video and show package featuring the same Nashville Trax A Team musicians who played on your album?
You get a stellar album recorded, mixed and mastered, footage of your rehearsal, your first single promoted on social media platforms and all footage from a two camera crew of the show that you can use for promotion for years to come!
A single release and vid starting under $2,000, yes, really! Complete 10 song album/show/video packages start as low as $15,000 and 20 song deluxe packages top out at under $45,000! Payment options are available. Get a quote TODAY: nashtrax@bellsouth.net
Note that the complete Nashville Trax A Team Players are only available to play live on release party shows playing your album of at least 10 songs and subject to the player’s schedules.
Here’s a Nashville Trax A Team rehearsal Tuesday evening, 9-19-17:
And footage from the show on 9-22-17:
The Nashville Trax A Team: The sound of guitar on country radio for the last couple decades, Brent Mason: guitar; Rascal Flatts long time drummer, Jim Riley; Steve King (Keith Urban) keys; Nashville Trax producer, Bill Watson, bass guitar and band leader; Jenee Fleenor (Blake Shelton & The Voice) fiddle and mandolin; Steel guitar legend Mike Doucheete, all backing the highly entertaining, high octane Joe and Angie Finley of The Swansons!

Joe and Angie: The Swansons
The Swansons have achieved considerable notoriety in the Los Angeles area. They have pop/rock albums out, winning awards and have built a large fan base. But after starting their latest recording project they felt the urge to “go country”. They wanted a country album and wanted to do it in the Nashville area. After careful research, they decided Bill Watson of Nashville Trax was the best choice to produce them.
The album was started about six months ago and 18 songs have been cut.
This is their first country live performance, announcing their turn toward country music and releasing their new music to the public. Some of the musicians who will back them on the show:

Nashville Session Guitar Player, Brent Mason at Nashville Trax Recording Studio

Jenee Fleenor, fiddle, mandolin, vocals

Band leader, Bill Watson, and his ’78 Fender Precision Bass Guitar

Jim Riley Playing the studio drum track to The Swansons song, Getting Ready 5-16-17

Jim Riley Cymbal swells
Footage clip from the show, 9-22-17:
Valentine © 2017 Joe Finley of The Swansons, published by Listen Again Music (BMI).
Los Angeles Band, The Swansons 1st (and 2nd) Country Album In Progress At Nashville Trax!
Posted: June 15, 2017 Filed under: Client News, Music Industry News, Now Tracking | Tags: Joe and Angie, The Swasons Los Angeles Leave a commentDay One of a full week lockout to cut vocals on 14 songs for the band that won The Producer’s Choice Award, Best Band In Los Angeles, 2017, The Swansons:
The Swansons meet The Nashville Trax A Team. Left: The Swansons with our fiddle player, Jenee, Middle: guitarist Brent Mason, producer & bassist Bill Watson, Joe Finley of The Swansons, Right: Joe plays Brent Mason the new song he wrote during his stay here.

Joe Finley of The Swansons trades stories with long time Rascal Flatts drummer, Jim Riley. Here telling Jim, he has sometimes been mistaken for Rascal Flatts’ lead singer, Gary LeVox.

Day One: Angie Finley meets Nashville Trax producer Bill Watson. Time to add Angie and Joe’s vocals to the songs Mr. Watson has been cutting music tracks on for several months. “Playing over 2,000 live shows I learned there’s a vast difference between a ‘danceable’ song and the next level,” says Watson, “The tunes on this album are the prized ‘pull ’em out of their seats’ dance tunes every artist wants to cut and radio loves. People are going to dig this album!”
Be sure to pick up a copy of The Swansons country album when it’s released in late Summer/early Fall of this year!!!
Update 3-6-18: We have already started The Swanson’s album #2 and have about 5 sides tracked!
Ready to cut your own “for real this time” album? e-mail: nashtrax@bellsouth.net. Or call producer Bill Watson @ 615. 319. 8616.
Nashville Trax Produced Song Takes First Place At 2017 Christian Film Festival
Posted: June 8, 2017 Filed under: Christian, Client News, Music Industry News, Testimonials | Tags: 2017 Christian Film Festival Leave a comment“Only Prayer By The People” won several awards at the Christian Film Festival (August 2017) including best song, best video and best artwork.
Congratulations to our cient, Songwriter: Michael Rourke
Lead Vocals: Nashville Trax Producer, Bill Watson
Background Vocals: Angela Derrington
Acoustic guitar: Bill Watson
Keyboards: Sammi Watson
Bass Guitar: Bill Watson
Produced, Engineered, Arranged, Mixed and Mastered by Bill Watson
Nashville Trax Produced “Lighthouse” debuts at #1 on Southern Gospel Charts.
Posted: April 13, 2017 Filed under: Client News, Music Industry News | Tags: Lighthouse, Southern Gospel Times, The Grestest Gift, Weekly Top 40 Chart Leave a commentUpdate: It’s no longer on the charts but what a feather in the cap of this singing trio.
The single, “Lighthouse” by The Greatest Gift debuted this week (second week of April, 2017) at the #1 spot on The Southern Gospel Times Weekly Top 40 chart.
Congrats to these musicians who played on it:
Drums/Percussion: Jim Riley, William Ellis
All Acoustic and Electric Guitars: Tom Wild
Keyboards: Steve King, Mike Biason
Violins: Jenee Fleenor
Horns: John Heinrick
Bass Guitar: Bill Watson
All music tracks on Lighthouse and the album it’s from, “Fishers of Men” were produced and arranged by Bill Watson of Nashville Trax.
The Greatest Gift career is taking off in other ways as well, recently just about sweeping the Christian category at the 2017 national NACMAI competition with multiple #1 awards.
.

The Greatest Gift
When The Geatest Gift started making independent albums with Nashville Trax a few years they were performing at local churches. Fourty plus Nashville Trax produced songs comprising four albums later, they have a record deal, multiple TV appearances scheduled and will be touring the Southern U.S. starting this fall (of 2017).
Congrats to this fine and dedicated Christian vocal group!
Dan Thompson Single “A Day Without Progress” Produced by Nashville Trax, Distributed By Sony… 28 Weeks on Sirius XM. Give A Listen!
Posted: April 9, 2017 Filed under: Client News, Client News, Music Industry News | Tags: Dan Thompson Band A Day Without Progress, Sony Distribution Leave a comment
Singer/songwriter Dan Thompson performing at the George Jones Entertainment Complex. downtown Nashville on Feb. 2, 2016.
Dan Thompson’s followup single, A Day Without Progress” has released to radio and is enjoying lots of radio play… April 3rd, 2017 marking 28 straight weeks on Sirius.

A Danny Thompson fan’s shot of “A Day Without Progress” cranking out on Sirius XM 171.
In fact, the Nashville Trax produced Dan Thompson album is finished and Dan signed an agreement that even prior to completion, saw the first single Miles And Miles” released and distributed to 242 territories through Sony.
Miles was actually released midstream, about three months ago, before the full album was finished and even prior to the deal with Sony being finalized. It’s absolutely blew up on radio, receiving over 2,000 spins per week on hundreds of stations in Australia and the U.K. (including on the BBC).
Now “Miles and Miles” is starting to gain traction on radio in Dan’s home country of Canada:
CJFN in Peguis, MB – ADD – “Danny Thompson Band has been added to rotation.”
CFBW in Hanover, ON – ADD – “Danny Thompson Band is now in our system.”
“Miles and Miles is being played on a country radio station in Owen sound. One of my drivers heard it twice Saturday while working on his truck!!!!”
CHMM in Mackenzie, BC – ADD – “Danny’s song is now in full rotation.”
Glad to see our hard work and Dan’s investment in doing quality work is paying off!
And here’s the followup single:
Why? Because Dan’s kids love the way the harmonica sounds like a duck quacking in the intro; they want to hear it over and over. Now there’s a scientifically sound method. Why bother with demographic research and test marketing when you have quacking ducks, lol!
“A Day Without Progress”
Lead Vocals: Dan Thompson
Drums: William Ellis
Bass Guitar: Bill Watson
Acoustic and Electric Guitars:
Tom Wild
B3 Organ: Steve King
Harmonica: Mike Douchette
Background Vocals: Angela Derrington
Tracking engineering:
Bill Watson
Mixing and Mastering engineering:
Bill Watson, Shawn Conley
Written by: Dan Thompson
Arranged and produced by Bill Watson
Okay, there was more to it than a quacking duck! A Day Without Progress is uptempo, has the “bro country” rap portion near the end (bro country is super popular right now). Plus it’s a “pull ’em out of their seats” dance tune.
A Day Without Progress © 2016 by Dan Thompson, posted here for demonstration purposes only. Any other use is a violation of U.S. and international copyright law. The songwriter currently retains the right of first release until the projected release to radio April 10th, 2016 after which, requests sent to nashtrax@bellsouth.net by parties interested in recording* either song; program directors interested in airplay or by producers interested in using the songs in TV/film projects will be forwarded to the songwriter and/or publisher.
*A Compulsory Mechanical License must be filed by parties planning on recording “A Day Without Progress The current royalty rate is 9.1 cents per copy. Advance payment for 1,000 copies ($91 U.S.) must accompany the filing, payable to the music publisher.
Play It Again Demos client, Bobby Layton, Signs Publishing Deal
Posted: February 16, 2017 Filed under: Client News, Songwriting and Career Promotion, Testimonials | Tags: Exile, Mark Gray Songwriter Nashville, Songwriter Close Enough To Perfect Alabama Leave a commentJust before his death in December, Bobby Layton’s good friend and sometimes co-writer, Mark Gray, writer of #1 hits by Alabama (Close Enough To Perfect For Me) and most of Exile’s hits, heard a demo produced @ Play It Again Demos for Bobby Layton and said,”That’s the best demo you’ve ever had done, Bobby, this producer, Bill Watson, is the guy you need to stick with.” Here’s Bobby yesterday, signing a contract on the second song produced by Play It Again Demos for him, That Ain’t Country Music, to Listen Again Music, (BMI).
The Swansons band from Los Angeles… going country in Nashville?
Posted: February 10, 2017 Filed under: Client News, Now Tracking, Studio News | Tags: The Sswansons Los Angeles Band country album Leave a commentThe popular Los Angeles area based band, The Swansons, have been secretly working on their first country album with Nashville area music producer, Bill Watson, of Nashville Trax.
How will their original tunes sound with fiddles, banjos and steel guitar?
Pick up their album expected to be released by the fall of 2017 and find out! (rumor has it the tracks rock!!!!) or Country? er…country rock???? hmmm….anyway, meet The Swansons: