Nashville, TN – August 3, 2011 – If you aren’t in the music industry, you may not know her name. But if you are, you know that Bonnie Garner is something special. With a career spanning more than 35+ years, this dynamo has credentials that are hard to match. She has managed stars’ careers, run a record company’s A & R department, booked venues and major television shows, managed various European, U.S. and Pacific Rim tours and help book several Farm Aids.
She was the program coordinator for the “Dick Cavett Show” in New York and was responsible for bringing several cutting edge talents into the show mix, including Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Delaney and Bonnie, Black Panther leader Donald Cox, and Frank Zappa.
After booking legendary promoter Bill Graham on the Cavett Show, he hired her as his Executive Assistant at the Fillmore East. After it closed its doors, Columbia Records’ Clive Davis and Kip Cohen hired Garner as the only woman A & R (Artist & Repertoire) Executive in the label’s Pop Department. She worked with Delaney & Bonnie, Springsteen, Billy Joel, Dan Fogelberg, Eric Anderson and many others.
Garner accepted the challenge of setting up Columbia and Epic Records’ first Nashville Pop Division, working with Dan Fogelberg, John Hiatt, Tracy Nelson and others before transferring to Columbia/Epic’s Country Division as Director of A & R. In 1984, Bonnie was promoted to Vice President of A & R. She was the first woman to attain this position at CBS Records and one of the few in the entire music industry. Garner has helped manage the careers of Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Marty Stuart, The Highwaymen, Roger Miller, The O’Kanes and Emmylou Harris.
Bonnie retired from the Music Industry in 2007. She now spends her time at Saddle Up, a therapeutic riding program. And, in true fashion, she just didn’t sit on the sidelines; she studied and received her instructor’s certification from NARHA. She is a consulting business manager for Canine Inc. She is also active in animal rights and rescue. She presently serves on the boards of “Kids On Stage” and the “Tennessee Animal Resource Center.”
She was honored in November of 2010 at the annual Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Gibson Foundation and the Scruggs family. This is given each year to “honor a music industry leader who represents the legacy of pioneer Louise Scruggs.
“Grass does not grow under this incredible woman’s feet. She is a high energy doer and like so many of our other WHINNY winners, she is actively involved in her passion for horses. It is our pleasure to recognize her for her long time efforts,” states WHIN’s Executive Director, Catherine Masters.
The WHINNY awards are given out by the Women’s Horse Industry Network, a more than 750 member equine business group. The awards will be presented at the Radisson Hotel on October 6, 2011 as part of the WHIN’s Rhythm & Hooves Benefit and annual conference.
For additional information on the WHINNY AWARDS or the Women’s Horse Industry Network, please visit www.womenshorseindustry.com or call 615-730-7833.