Joy Ford and her husband established Country International Records in the 1970s and through their success were able to purchase a place for their business on Nashville’s Music Row in the 1980s.
Now, however, this Nashville establishment is no longer good enough for the city’s Metro Development and Housing Agency because a Houston-based developer wants to build an office building next door and wants Ford’s property–not even for another building but for a parking lot. As is usual in these cases, MDHA says it’s in negotiations with Ford and eminent domain is a final resort. As is also usual in these cases, MDHA’s “negotiations” come in the form of threatening letters.
Joy Ford and her family have even told city officials they would reinvest in their property to make it blend in better with the surrounding development, but authorities want them gone. It’s a clear case of a local government deciding to kick out one private entity, in this case an historic music label, in order to make way for its chosen private party.
Yesterday, Chip Mellor and Scott Bullock went down to Nashville and paid a visit to Joy Ford to help bring some attention to her plight. Local TV Stations WKRN and WSMV both covered the press conference at Country International Records.