Billy Yates

Country artist Billy Yates rolled the dice in 2001 when he walked away from Columbia Records Nashville to form his own company, M.O.D. (My Own Damn) Record Label. At the time it was unheard of in Music City for an artist to make such a move. Yates' decision to go independent was brazen considering the fact the singer/songwriter had yet to build much of a fan base while signed to a major label. During a meeting with (then) Columbia Nashville label chief Allen Butler, Yates voiced his desire to make an old-school country album free from the restrictions of a major corporation. O...