Of Counsel
Nashville, TN
Founding co-owner Mary Ann McCready is a national leader in entertainment business management and in the music industry. She has participated in the success of some of the greatest stars and mentored countless young professionals.
Mary Ann became the first business manager outside of New York or Los Angeles and the first woman to win the Variety Business Managers Elite Award in 2018. She is a three-time winner of the CMA Touring Awards Business Manager of the Year title. Mary Ann was the first female recipient of the CMA’s Founding President’s Award and spearheaded the establishment of the CMA’s Horizon Award and their Irving Waugh Award of Excellence. She was inducted into the SOURCE Hall of Fame in 2014. Mary Ann has been named an industry power player and top business manager by every entertainment trade publication.
Behind the Scenes
Mary Ann is known not only for her dedication to her clients, but also for her commitment to giving back to the community. She has been a Country Music Hall of Fame board member since 2006. She was the chairman of the board from 2021–2024 and currently chairs the Finance and Investment Committees. She is an inaugural member of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Circle Guard, a prestigious group recognizing those with unwavering dedication to the Hall through contributions of time, talent, and treasure. As a longtime advocate of the W.O. Smith Music School, Mary Ann continues to serve in an advisory role while championing their mission to help underprivileged students excel. In 2023, she was selected as an Academy of Women of Achievement (AWA) honoree. In recognition of her leadership of young professionals, Mary Ann was the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 Impact Award recipient. She has been recognized by the Nashville Business Journal’s “Women of Influence” and “Women in Music City.” Mary Ann is a member of the YWCA Fulcrum Society, the 2025–2027 Fulcrum Society Leadership Committee, and founder of the M Society. She was elected to the International Women’s Forum (IWF) in 2025.
Did you know?
• Mary Ann entered the music industry as a publicity assistant at CBS Records, where she later became the first female VP of sales and marketing at a major label.
• As she is the daughter of a chemical engineer and an economist, it should come as no surprise that she graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University.
• She helped create Nashville’s Music City Music Council, which was designed to merge interests from the business, hospitality, and music worlds together for the aggregate benefit of economic development, tourism/hospitality, and the music industry. She co-chaired this initiative with the then Mayor of Nashville.