Murder on Music Row from The Tennessean

Sammy Sadler came to Nashville to become a star like Garth Brooks and Faith Hill. But the path he chose was very different. He didn't play any gigs in town, and he didn't sell any records. He chose to make independent or "custom" singles, 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl records that he hoped would be played on country radio stations.

Kevin Hughes wasn't the only person shot on Music Row on March 9. The other victim, an up-and-coming singer named Sammy Sadler, has made a career out of being the guy who survived the Murder on Music Row. But his story doesn't always match the police account of that night.

On March 9, 1989, Kevin Hughes was shot twice, execution style, in the middle of one of the most famous streets in America, known as Music Row. As the crime was reported by local news outlets, more than a few people thought they knew immediately who the killer was. The police, however, didn't have a clue.

This eight-part deep-dive from The Tennessean focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals. The podcast features never-before published reporting of details of the crime that not only defines Nashville in the 1980s and 1990s, but shines light on a singer and one-time suspect who has demanded an apology from a detective who refuses to give him one. (Contains adult language.)

Episode 1 is available now. Episodes 2-8 debut exclusively for Tennessean subscribers. For more on this series, visit Tennessean.com/murderonmusicrow.