Yom Kippur Marks Time Of Spiritual Cleansing

2nd Quarter Outburst Seals Marian Victory

By VAN ROSE; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, September 22, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1G 





Sometimes, persistence pays off. Nobody knows that better than country
singer Mila Mason, Nashville's latest promising female artist. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mason was only 17 years old when she came to Nashville to pursue her dream
of becoming a country star. Fifteen years later, Mason's dream became reality
when she was signed by Atlantic Records, one of Nashville's most powerful
labels. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Along the way, she opened for George Jones, tried her hand at songwriting,
got married, had two children and was divorced. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The day I first arrived in Nashville seems like a lifetime ago," Mason
said in an interview with The Times Leader. "At times it seemed like it was
never going to happen, but I never gave up. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It took me 15 years, but it was worth it. If I had gotten it at a younger
age, I would not have appreciated it as much as I do." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The 33-year-old Mason signed with Atlantic in 1995. Her debut album,
"That's Enough of That," hit record stores last Tuesday. The title cut is her
first single. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A native of Dawson Springs, Ky., Mason had visions of overnight success
when she came to Nashville in 1979. She hooked up right away with legendary
songwriter Harlan Sanders. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I was saving up some money because I wanted to make a demo tape and take
it around," Mason said. "He had some songs I wanted to do and he had some new
material he wanted me to try out. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "So we kind of traded out. Harlan got me a gig opening for George Jones and
I sang some of his songs live." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The opportunity to open for Jones was a major break for Mason, but it
didn't lead to a record deal. Two years later, at age 19, Mason got married. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But she didn't give up her dream. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I never stopped pursuing the music," Mason said. "I took a different
avenue, I began writing songs. I wrote when I was much younger, but I kept it
hidden. I thought it was so personal. I didn't want people to see my work
because I didn't know whether it was any good or not." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mason said she began connecting with other songwriters around town. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Whenever the kids were born, I didn't stop writing songs," Mason said. "I
sang demos and jingles, but I would never tell people I was a singer." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mason also appeared in several music videos and she tried to land a
songwriting deal with a publishing company. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It was a slow process, because I also was working full-time," said Mason,
who was divorced when she was in her mid 20s. "Most of the time I did my
writing at 3 a.m., after the kids had gone to sleep." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ironically, the break that led to Mason landing a record deal was an
indirect result of her job as a fragrance model at a Nashville mall. Mason was
using her lunch breaks to drop off demos and pitch her songs on Music Row. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Those lunch demo runs were noticed by a friend and co-worker, who turned
out to be the sister-in-law of the daughter of producer Blake Mevis, whose
credits include George Strait, Lorrie Morgan and Keith Whitley. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The woman gave one of Mason's tapes to Mevis. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mevis passed it on to Bryan Switzer, vice president of Atlantic Records. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Blake called and said Switzer had just called and said he couldn't get my
CD out of his player," Mason said. "Switzer wanted to know if we could do a
showcase for the Atlantic executives." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The showcase turned out to be the turning point in Mason's career, even
though she didn't realize it at the time. Five executives from Atlantic,
including label president Rick Blackburn, attended her showcase. About 15 of
Mason's writer friends also were on hand. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After Mason performed her five songs, the record executives told her they
liked what they heard. But Mason wasn't really sure they did. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They said they would get back to me in a couple of days," Mason said.
"Well, that's what every label would say, so I figured any chance of getting a
record deal was out the window." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mason and her friends planned to go to dinner at one of Nashville's posh
restaurants after the showcase. She invited the Atlantic executives to go
along, but they declined. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When Mason arrived at the restaurant, there was a bottle of Dom Perignon on
her table from Atlantic Records. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I thought Atlantic had sent it over because they felt sorry for me, and
nothing more," Mason said. "But then I noticed that Bryan Switzer was there. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He said he couldn't stay for dinner, and then he started to leave.
Suddenly, he turned around with all my friends standing there and asked me if
I would like to join the family at Atlantic Records." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mason said it was the most dramatic moment of her life. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I burst into tears. No one in the room had a dry eye. We were all bawling
like a bunch of babies. It was like the wedding proposal I had always wanted.
It was so romantic." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mevis produced Mason's album. She said they spent several months searching
for the right material. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Blake and I listened to more than 500 songs," Mason said. "Blake did all
that great song picking for George Strait, including `Amarillo By Morning.' So
I trusted his ears." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mason said it's critical to have great songs because country music is so
competitive. "You can work and put all the effort in the world into it and be
very talented," Mason said. "But your fate is in the hands of radio and the
fans, especially right now." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mason lives in Hendersonville, Tenn., a Nashville suburb. She lives with
her son, Kip, 11, and daughter, Zel, 10, who provide her with inspiration. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "You know how God gives you reasons to be doing something," Mason asked.
"My kids give me their unconditional support. That's why I'm capable of doing
what I do in a business that is oftentimes grueling." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

After Only 15 Years, Singer Got Her Overnight Success