Grammy-Winning Nashville Producer Arrested

Metro Nashville Police Department via The Tennessean

Nashville country music producer Tony Brown, who is also the former president of MCA Nashville and cofounder of Universal South Records, was arrested on Tuesday (Feb. 23) on a charge of domestic assault.

Brown is regarded as one of the most successful country music producers of the 1990s, and produced many of George Strait‘s number one albums, including Lead On, Blue Clear Sky, and Carrying Your Love with me, among others.

In addition to producing albums for Strait, some of the other artists Brown has worked with over the years include Vince Gill, Brooks & Dunn, and Shooter Jennings. For his work, Brown has received four Grammy Awards and four ACM Awards.

News Channel 5 reports that Brown was arrested on Tuesday morning after his wife, Jamie, called police late Monday night (Feb. 22) saying Brown had assaulted her. According to The Tennessean, the couple had been arguing about a photo shoot they had scheduled for Tuesday and Brown’s wife was showing him pictures for ideas on poses.

The Tennessean cites the arrest warrant written by Belle Meade Police Department Officer Shawn Michael O’Brien, saying O’Brien wrote that the couple got into an argument over the poses because Brown found them inappropriate and he slapped his wife on the face.

The warrant also states that Brown grabbed his wife by the face and pushed her to the ground, causing her to hit her head. O’Brien writes that Brown then “got on top of the victim and was pulling her hair” and dragged her down a hallway.

Brown’s wife managed to get away, and locked herself in her car with her dog before she called 911. When police arrived, they could tell Brown’s wife had “several marks on her body and visible signs of her hair being pulled due to the damage of her hair extensions.”

Officers found Brown sitting on the front steps of his house, and arrested him on one count of domestic bodily injury, according to a Davidson Country Sheriff’s Office jail spokeswoman. His wife was taken to the hospital to receive treatment for her injuries.

It’s unfortunate to hear this news about Brown, since he has been such a successful producer in Nashville, producing hit albums such as Strait’s Always Never The Same, which included his number one hit, “Write This Down.” You can listen to the song below.