About The 615 Hideaway

Wikipedia's entry on Rural Rhythm Recordsrecords that Uncle Jim O'Neal founded the label in 1955 in Arcadia, California, and that Sam Passamano purchased it in 1987.

In an October 3, 2010 interview, Bluegrass Today spoke with Sam Passamano, then president of Rural Rhythm. He said he purchased Rural Rhythm Records, Sage Brush Publishing, and Uncle Jim O'Neal Mail Order in 1987, after a career in senior roles at major and specialty labels. That Sam Passamano is Sammy's father. This page does not treat his purchase, his title, or his awards as Sammy's.

Bluegrass Today's April 23, 2015 report on an AirPlay Direct award names the recipient as Sam Passamano II, President of Rural Rhythm Records. In that article he calls himself a second-generation record man and calls Sammy III the third generation in the family. The Iconic Innovators Award went to Sam Passamano II.

Bluegrass Today, July 11, 2011, described Rural Rhythm as a family business managed by Sam Passamano, with assistance from his daughters Jennifer and Sarah and his sons Anthony and Sammy.

Bluegrass Unlimited's August 15, 2022 podcast introduction says Sammy Passamano III started out working with his family at Rural Rhythm Records. He is identified there as a video producer and record-label owner.

Bluegrass Today, July 15, 2020, wrote that Sammy is the son of Sam Passamano, who runs Rural Rhythm, and that Sammy worked at the label for many years before branching out to start the 615 Hideaway video studio and record label.

The same 2011 Bluegrass Today reportsays Sam and Sammy relocated to the Nashville area, with new offices hoped for by the end of July, to be closer to the label's artists. Anthony, Jennifer, and Sarah stayed in the Los Angeles area. Sam's statement in that article says he, Pam, Sammy, and Rosalie were moving to Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.

The 2010 interviewalso says that, before 2005, Rural Rhythm releases were mostly compilations from masters acquired in the purchase, and that the first new-artist release, Clay Jones in 2005, came at the urging of Sam's son. The article does not name which son. This page does not assign that decision to Sammy Passamano III.

In November 2018, Sammy told Bluegrass Today: "For over 18 years I have been actively involved in bringing wonderful bluegrass music to bluegrass fans all over the world."

These reports name Sammy Passamano III in the work of getting Rural Rhythm music to radio programmers and DJs. They do not give him a radio-promotion job title. The AirPlay Direct award, and the label's chart totals, stay with Sam Passamano II where the sources give them to him.

Sammy Passamano III built and ran Rural Rhythm Records' bluegrass radio promotion and digital music delivery system. That is his account of the work. The Bluegrass Today reports in this section document his direct involvement with radio programmers, singles, radio response, and digital delivery.

On May 31, 2011, Bluegrass Today wrote about the Top 66 Bluegrass Chart, a playlist chart started by Daniel Routh. Routh said he called Sammy Passamano at Rural Rhythm for suggestions, and that Sammy told him he would need to contact the individual DJs directly. The chart is Routh's project, not Sammy's.

On September 19, 2011, Bluegrass Today reported the first single from Prime Tyme, the Rural Rhythm album by Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out. The article identifies Rural Rhythm's Sammy Passamano and quotes him on the reaction from radio: the single had been a Saint Patrick's Day release on Sirius-XM, was featured on New Cuts Of Bluegrass after that show, and was on the charts. The same article says the single was available to radio programmers on AirPlay Direct. That is his account of the single's radio activity. It does not assign the chart positions to him.

In the April 23, 2015 Bluegrass Today article, Sam Passamano II said that several years earlier, Robert at AirPlay Direct and Sammy III at Rural Rhythm set up a new way for DJs to receive new music in a digital format from Rural Rhythm artists. That sentence is about Sammy Passamano III. The Iconic Innovators Award in the same article went to Sam Passamano II.

Bluegrass Today, January 18, 2012, reported a music video for Trailblazer, from The Roys' Rural Rhythm album Lonesome Whistle. The article says the video was shot by Sammy and Anthony Passamano, and that the track was also going to radio as a single. The shoot is credited to both brothers.

Bluegrass Today, March 21, 2012, reported that IIIrd Tyme Out shot a video in Galax, Virginia, for Pretty Little Girl From Galax, from the Rural Rhythm album Prime Tyme. Sammy Passamano was manning the camera and directing the shoot.

Bluegrass Today, May 7, 2012, reported the video's debut plan and said Sammy Passamano III of Rural Rhythm served as director, with Josh Trivett of Moonstruck Management producing.

Bluegrass Today, May 14, 2012, reported that after the family moved Rural Rhythm to Nashville, company president Sam Passamano looked for media opportunities for the label's artists, while his son Sammy had taken the reins of music video production for the label.

Bluegrass Today, October 2, 2012, reported the first video from the Darrell Webb Band's Rural Rhythm album Breaking Down The Barriers. The Pistol And The Pen was produced and directed by Sammy Passamano, who also shot the footage with Jeff Tolbert.

Bluegrass Today's November 15, 2018 articlesays many people in bluegrass knew Sammy from Rural Rhythm, where he had handled video production for the label's artists for some time.

After that Rural Rhythm video work, the same reporting follows a streaming channel he operated as The 615 Hideaway, then 615 Hideaway Records, then Bluegrass Music TV. It does not describe today's Radio Now or Fans Chart.

That November 15, 2018 article reports that The 615 Hideaway had been creating streaming video since early 2017, with two or three shows a week featuring pop, country, rock, folk, and bluegrass. It calls the channel the brainchild of Sammy Passamano III, a third-generation music-industry professional, and describes 615 Hideaway as his own venture, separate from the family label, growing from his work in film and video. The article announced Bluegrass Fridays, a weekly bluegrass show planned to debut in 2019.

Bluegrass Today, July 15, 2020, describes Bluegrass Music TV as the video distribution and promotional arm of 615 Hideaway Entertainment, run by Sammy Passamano III. The service won a Telly Award in the Social Media Live Event category for a two-hour Facebook broadcast, Hats Off To The '80s & '90s – The Music Continues. Sammy said the service was a place to promote the music and the videos coming out on The 615 Hideaway Records label, and that they had started live talk shows with Michelle Lee and Ronnie Reno.

Bluegrass Today, January 15, 2021, reported that Sammy Passamano III, owner and operator of 615 Hideaway Records and Bluegrass Music TV in Nashville, was launching an online subscription with Ronnie Reno. Bluegrass Music TV Prime was set to open on January 26, 2021, with the first season of Reno's Old Time Music.

Grateful Web published the launch announcementon January 26, 2021. The article was contributed by Bluegrass Music TV. It describes the partnership between video producer and record executive Sammy Passamano III and Ronnie Reno, and it states that Bluegrass Music TV was created in February 2020. That date and the company's own account of the launch are the announcement's, published by Grateful Web.

The Bluegrass Unlimited podcast introduction says Sammy owns 615 Hideaway Records, a record label under the umbrella of his 615 Hideaway Entertainment company, and that he is involved with Bluegrass Music TV.

Bluegrass Today's July 15, 2020 articlesays The 615 Hideaway Records label had recently produced new projects for The Crowe Brothers, Nick Chandler & Delivered, and Audie Blaylock and Redline.

Read in order, the reporting follows Sammy Passamano III from work at his family's label, to a digital path for getting Rural Rhythm music to DJs, to video production for that label, to a streaming studio he operated as The 615 Hideaway, to 615 Hideaway Records and Bluegrass Music TV.

Those articles do not describe each later part of this website. Further steps will be added here only when a source supports them. The person named in that coverage is the Sammy Passamano III who built the site you are on.

The 615 Hideaway is an industry discovery platform for bluegrass and the roots music community. The public doors that are live include Music Hub, Artist Hub, Fans Chart, Video Hub, Stage Hub, and Radio Now for DJs.

Role guides for how to use the site stay on How it works.

The links above sit next to the claims they support. This list is the same record, in one place.

• Rural Rhythm Recordson Wikipedia: Uncle Jim O'Neal founded the label in 1955; Sam Passamano purchased it in 1987.
• Rural Rhythm Records: An Interview with Sam Passamano, Bluegrass Today, October 3, 2010. Sam Passamano, the president, on the 1987 purchase. The Clay Jones release in 2005 is described as urged by his son, without naming which son.
• Top 66 Bluegrass Chart, Bluegrass Today, May 31, 2011. Daniel Routh called Sammy Passamano at Rural Rhythm and was told to contact individual DJs. The chart is Routh's.
• Rural Rhythm heads east, Bluegrass Today, July 11, 2011. The family business, and Sam and Sammy's move to the Nashville area.
• First single from Prime Tyme, Bluegrass Today, September 19, 2011. Sammy Passamano on radio reaction to the Rural Rhythm single, and its availability to programmers on AirPlay Direct.
• Trailblazer video from The Roys, Bluegrass Today, January 18, 2012. Shot by Sammy and Anthony Passamano.
• Pretty Little Girl From Galax video, Bluegrass Today, March 21, 2012. Sammy Passamano on camera and directing.
• Big Thursday for IIIrd Tyme Out, Bluegrass Today, May 7, 2012. Sammy Passamano III of Rural Rhythm as director.
• Bluegrass Comes To The Valley taping tomorrow, Bluegrass Today, May 14, 2012. Sammy had taken the reins of music video production for the label.
• The Pistol And The Pen video from Darrell Webb, Bluegrass Today, October 2, 2012. Produced and directed by Sammy Passamano, who shot it with Jeff Tolbert.
• Sam Passamano receives Airplay Direct award, Bluegrass Today, April 23, 2015. The award is Sam Passamano II's. His statement credits Sammy III and Robert at AirPlay Direct with digital delivery to DJs.
• 615 Hideaway to launch Bluegrass Fridays, Bluegrass Today, November 15, 2018. The 615 Hideaway streaming channel as Sammy's own work, and his video work for Rural Rhythm.
• Bluegrass Music TV wins Telly Award, Bluegrass Today, July 15, 2020. Bluegrass Music TV, 615 Hideaway Records projects, and Sammy as Sam's son who later started his own studio and label.
• Bluegrass Music TV to launch subscription service with Ronnie Reno, Bluegrass Today, January 15, 2021. Sammy as owner and operator, with Ronnie Reno.
• Hillary Klug fiddles, sings, and dances for Bluegrass Today, Bluegrass Today, September 30, 2021. Sammy with 615 Hideaway at World of Bluegrass.
• Launch of Bluegrass Music TV-Prime, Grateful Web, January 26, 2021. An announcement contributed by Bluegrass Music TV, not an independent news report. It dates the service to February 2020.
• Bluegrass Unlimited Podcast with Sammy Passamano III, August 15, 2022. Sammy's start at Rural Rhythm, Bluegrass Music TV, and ownership of 615 Hideaway Records under 615 Hideaway Entertainment.