Living Her Dream

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At Big Machine Label Group in Nashville, Allison Jones is responsible for discovering and signing new talent, often taking them to the top of the Billboard charts.

Growing up, Allison Brown Jones was uncertain if she wanted to be a country singer like her idol, Crystal Gayle, or an actor in a Broadway musical. Either way, she knew music was in her future. “I loved country music but I also loved U2 and Madonna. I just loved music in general,” she says, confessing, “I was that weird kid who would sit there in my room and record the Casey Kasem Top 40 countdown on my cassette player and make my mom play it in the car. I was obsessed with it,” she recalls.

Today, as senior vice president of artists and repertoire (A&R) at Big Machine Label Group in Nashville, Jones is responsible for discovering and signing new talent, often taking them to the top of the Billboard charts. Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire, Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts and Thomas Rhett are just a few in a lineup that reads like a who’s who of country music stars.

Jones grew up in Vero Beach, which, for such a small seaside town, has produced quite a few notable talents over the years. “Vero Beach is such a wonderful and unique place,” she says. “I grew up with Scott Emerick, who’s a great country artist and songwriter. And then there’s Jake Owen, of course.” Then she adds, laughing, “I love coming home because just going to Bobby’s is like a high school reunion.”

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