Geo. Jones fires Tommy Killen,

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 20 Jun 2011 1:09 pm

What a typical Nashville happening,
Tommy is out and Van Coffee is in after 28 years.
Tommy and the piano player (Kent Goodson)wouldn't sign a confidentiality agreement, so both were fired.
I have permission to let this bag out of the cat, so get ready, my news letter will give all the details.

Bobbe

Bob Vantine · Post by **Bob Vantine** » 20 Jun 2011 4:03 pm

can't wait ..... maybe I'll have to drive down there and get the details in person . Might even decide to leave , say in the next 28 hrs !

Larry Robbins · Post by **Larry Robbins** » 20 Jun 2011 5:24 pm

Let me know if you can swing through Fort Edward!! I"ll pay for gas!!

Gary Watkins · Post by **Gary Watkins** » 20 Jun 2011 6:57 pm

If you come through Johnson City, TN and pick me up, I'll buy lunch.

Mark Greenway · Post by **Mark Greenway** » 20 Jun 2011 7:41 pm

If they are going to write a book, or consult on a movie, they won't hold back now. Not sure if that was the way to keep them quiet. Can't wait to hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me ???

Bob Hempker · Post by **Bob Hempker** » 21 Jun 2011 8:50 am

What a bunch of crap. All those years Tommy put in there, and not one ounce of appreciation. These damn "stars" demand loyalty from their people, but they don't show one iota of loyalty to them. Loyalty is a two way street. Again, what a bunch of "CRAP."

Fred Shannon · Post by **Fred Shannon** » 21 Jun 2011 8:57 am

Is anybody really 'surprised' at this event? Not really I'll wager. Just another "No Show" in my books.

phred

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 21 Jun 2011 9:00 am

So, what's ole George hidin that required a confidentiality agreement be signed? I thought we already new all the details of his bumpy past.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 21 Jun 2011 9:18 am

The possability that his wife is trying to keep it hidden,

Curt Langston · Post by **Curt Langston** » 21 Jun 2011 9:52 am

George Jones???

Who cares about that old buzzard anyway.......

I think his brain is probably pickled by now........

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 21 Jun 2011 9:52 am

Bob Hempker hit the nail on the head. Nothing but crap.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 21 Jun 2011 10:28 am

That happens,A friend of mine from here in Phenix City worked for one of the BIGGEST SUPER STARS,I mean he is HUGE for maybe at least ten years,he played in the band and was the road manager. About a year ago without warning he and the whole crew was fired. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.

Jody Cameron · Post by **Jody Cameron** » 21 Jun 2011 10:35 am

In the late 1990s I worked for a Curb recording artist and I remember back then, everyone dreaded December in Nashville because a lot of the stars fired their bands and everyone had to scramble for the next year's tour.

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 21 Jun 2011 10:41 am

It's typical bandleader;it's what they do,it's what they've always done,and it is most particularly NOT like the band-of-brothers/Three Musketeers paradigm so beloved of Woodstock Generation rockers and their descendants.George Jones is George Jones and that is that.End of story.

I won't hold anything against George for being George,but I won't hold anything against the sacked musicians if they reveal every single detail of what Jones,Inc wants kept secret.I just hope that the now-unemployed players' prospective new bosses(there should be lots of them) won't hold it against them,either.

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 21 Jun 2011 10:49 am

Why start a thread without details? I feel for Tommy and the other player. Every employer has rules and if you don't abid, well......
It certainly doesn't take away from George Jones and all his success.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 21 Jun 2011 12:04 pm

They can probably make a whole lot more money by writing a book about their former employer...

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 21 Jun 2011 12:24 pm

To follow up on what Jim Cohen said; a book that only praises George would certainly not sell as much as a book that told lots of lurid details (whether true or not).

If I was a mega-star, I would certainly be concerned that my story not be told by insiders (or former insiders) that were trying to make a buck. The image of a mega-star is a valuable commodity worth protecting. It would be foolish of any star to not take reasonable steps to protect that image. Further, why should someone else profit from the image and story that was uniquely George Jones'?

Bottom line: If you accept the role of sideman you must also accept these kinds of limitations. You don't have any right to profit, beyond your negotiated salary, from the years that went into building the "George Jones" legend.

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 21 Jun 2011 12:31 pm

Hey Bob Hempker, does this remind you of your days in Branson, Missouri? If you think Nashville is difficult ask Bob Hmpker about Branson. Bob is the "Only" dude that ever got me to sub. I will always love you for having faith in me and my playing. By the way Bob, remember that gig at Silver Dollar City,where I subed for you, with that hot gutiar player Jim Lower? I heard Jim is a barber cutting hair in the Kansas City area and doesn't even play anymore.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 21 Jun 2011 12:51 pm

Of course there is always the option of simply living a decent enough life that there are no lurid details to expose. Believe it or not, there are "mega-stars" who do it every day...

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 21 Jun 2011 12:52 pm

Yeah, but then nobody would even want to read YOUR book either!

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 21 Jun 2011 1:04 pm

George's biggest mistake was not demanding a confidentiality agreement 28 years ago.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 21 Jun 2011 2:25 pm

I called my friend Jimmy Peppers who used to be the band manager for Jones back in the "no show" days.

I won't repeat his comments other than to say Peppers and Jones are no longer "close friends".

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 21 Jun 2011 3:58 pm

Paul Sutherland says:
Bottom line: If you accept the role of sideman you must also accept these kinds of limitations. You don't have any right to profit, beyond your negotiated salary, from the years that went into building the "George Jones" legend.[/quote]

Nope.The employer can require silence only if the employee signs a non-disclosure agreement.Apparently the guys that got canned wouldn't do that(which got them canned),so they ARE free to disclose anything they want,for whatever compensation they can get.

Part of the cost you pay to be the boss.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 21 Jun 2011 4:20 pm

Bottom line: If you accept the role of sideman you must also accept these kinds of limitations. You don't have any right to profit, beyond your negotiated salary, from the years that went into building the "George Jones" legend.

With all due respect, this is a glaring fallacy at a lot of levels, quite apart from this particular situation. Consider these hypotheticals:

1. Don't sign => No limitation. If someone doesn't sign a confidentiality agreement, there's nothing anybody can do to them if they disclose clearly true information, no matter how personally hurtful or gossipy it is. That may be ugly, but it's called the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

2. What right? There's no so-called 'right' to force someone to agree to this type of clause.

3. Tactics? If I had big skeletons in my closet, I think the last thing I would want to do would be to really piss off the people who know the details.

4. No right to profit from one's experience? Who made that rule? Nobody, because it doesn't exist. Even non-compete clauses can only be enforced for limited periods.

5. Protecting one's image? This notion that powerful people and organizations have a 'right' to 'protect their image' by forcing other people to withhold information (or in some situations, even lie about it) is bogus. First, from an ethical point of view, it is just wrong. Second, there are so-called 'whistleblower' statutes that specifically protect employees if they blow the whistle on many types of acts of employers. Third, are you really telling us that, in general, you can contractually stop anybody from talking about illegal activities of any kind that they witnessed? Are you kidding me?

My opinion - when you get the lawyers into this kind of thing, lots of stuff cuts both ways. Another opinion - when you get lawyers into this kind of thing, guess who wins? Ha, I'll bet you can guess.

Obviously all these are my opinions, and are quite apart from this particular situation - I'm addressing the general premise quoted above.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 21 Jun 2011 4:32 pm

I refused to sign the contract to be the Steel Player for a 16 week run of the Patsy Cline show, and I still got the gig.
Ya gotta know when to fold 'em.
Don't sign anything you don't want to sign.
This sounds more like a "voluntary separation" to me.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Geo. Jones fires Tommy Killen,

Geo. Jones fires Tommy Killen,

Doesn't sound like that was a smart move.