Sammy Sadler came to Nashville to become a star like Garth Brooks and Faith Hill. But the path he chose was very different. He didn't play any gigs in town, and he didn't sell any records. He chose to make independent or "custom" singles, 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl records that he hoped would be played on country radio stations.

Sammy Sadler came to Nashville to become a star like Garth Brooks and Faith Hill. But the path he chose was very different. He didn't play any gigs in town, and he didn't sell any records. He chose to make independent or "custom" singles, 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl records that he hoped would be played on country radio stations.

This deep-dive, 8-part true-crime podcast is investigated and written by Tennessean reporter Keith Sharon. It focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals. The podcast features never-before published reporting of details of the crime that not only defines Nashville of the 1980s and 1990s, but also shines light on a singer and one-time suspect who has demanded an apology from a detective who refuses to give him one.

This deep-dive, 8-part true-crime podcast is investigated and written by Tennessean reporter Keith Sharon. It focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals. The podcast features never-before published reporting of details of the crime that not only defines Nashville of the 1980s and 1990s, but also shines light on a singer and one-time suspect who has demanded an apology from a detective who refuses to give him one.

Murder on Music Row: The story two bullets stopped Kevin Hughes from telling

This deep-dive, 8-part true-crime podcast is investigated and written by Tennessean reporter Keith Sharon. It focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals. The podcast features never-before published reporting on the crime that not only defines Nashville of the 1980s and 1990s, but also shines light on a singer and one-time suspect who has demanded an apology from a detective who refuses to give him one.

For an exclusive, eight-part companion narrative series, become Tennessean subscriber. For more, go to Tennessean.com/murderonmusicrow.

This deep-dive, 8-part true-crime podcast is investigated and written by Tennessean reporter Keith Sharon. It focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals. The podcast features never-before published reporting on the crime that not only defines Nashville of the 1980s and 1990s, but also shines light on a singer and one-time suspect who has demanded an apology from a detective who refuses to give him one.
For an exclusive, eight-part companion narrative series, become Tennessean subscriber. For more, go to <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2024/05/21/murder-on-music-row-nashville-kevin-hughes-podcast/72898249007/">Tennessean.com/murderonmusicrow</a>.

Murder on Music Row from The Tennessean

This deep-dive, 8-part true-crime podcast is investigated and written by Tennessean reporter Keith Sharon. It focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals. The podcast features never-before published reporting of details of the crime that not only defines Nashville of the 1980s and 1990s, but also shines light on a singer and one-time suspect who has demanded an apology from a detective who refuses to give him one.

Episode 1 is available now. Episodes 2-8 debut exclusively for Tennessean subscribers. For more, go to Tennessean.com/murderonmusicrow.

This deep-dive, 8-part true-crime podcast is investigated and written by Tennessean reporter Keith Sharon. It focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals. The podcast features never-before published reporting of details of the crime that not only defines Nashville of the 1980s and 1990s, but also shines light on a singer and one-time suspect who has demanded an apology from a detective who refuses to give him one.
Episode 1 is available now. Episodes 2-8 debut exclusively for Tennessean subscribers. For more, go to Tennessean.com/murderonmusicrow.

Murder on Music Row

Episode 3: Chasing that neon rainbow

Coming soon: The sheriff called him an evil genius. Fellow inmates called him Einstein. In January 2020, just 10 days before a shiny new Nashville jail was set to house its first inmate, a jail officer noticed two keys missing. What they didn't know is that Einstein had snuck into the jail at least 20 times while it was being built. He had stolen the two keys. If that's all he had accomplished in his stealth jail breaches, then we might never have heard of Einstein. But his plan was so much larger than that. His plan involved deadly weapons. This is Chasing Einstein, a four-part series from The Tennessean.

Coming soon: The sheriff called him an evil genius. Fellow inmates called him Einstein. In January 2020, just 10 days before a shiny new Nashville jail was set to house its first inmate, a jail officer noticed two keys missing. What they didn't know is that Einstein had snuck into the jail at least 20 times while it was being built. He had stolen the two keys. If that's all he had accomplished in his stealth jail breaches, then we might never have heard of Einstein. But his plan was so much larger than that. His plan involved deadly weapons. This is Chasing Einstein, a four-part series from The Tennessean.

Chasing Einstein: The chase to catch a master criminal

Thirteen years after the murder, it took an investigative miracle for Nashville detectives to finally get an arrest warrant. And all these years later, the tentacles of the Murder on Music Row are still alive. Recently, a huge country music star released a song on a new album that was written by one of the men who police believe was involved with the murder of Kevin Hughes.

Thirteen years after the murder, it took an investigative miracle for Nashville detectives to finally get an arrest warrant. And all these years later, the tentacles of the Murder on Music Row are still alive. Recently, a huge country music star released a song on a new album that was written by one of the men who police believe was involved with the murder of Kevin Hughes.

Episode 8: Bury me in Georgia

Thanks to a tip from an unexpected source, the Nashville police turned their focus to a shady small-time music promoter. He was a guy from California who had tried, unsuccessfully, to make it as a singer/songwriter. No matter how much the police believed they were looking in the right direction, the case went cold.

Thanks to a tip from an unexpected source, the Nashville police turned their focus to a shady small-time music promoter. He was a guy from California who had tried, unsuccessfully, to make it as a singer/songwriter. No matter how much the police believed they were looking in the right direction, the case went cold.

Episode 3: Chasing that neon rainbow

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