[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 4, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S22]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING ANDREW FRANKLIN ALEXANDER

  Mr. HAGERTY. Mr. President, on behalf of myself and Senator 
Blackburn, I ask unanimous consent that the following remarks be 
printed in the Congressional Record to further honor the life of Andrew 
Franklin Alexander, the late son of former Tennessee U.S. Senator Lamar 
Alexander.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                   Honoring Andrew Franklin Alexander

       Andrew Franklin Alexander, age 52, passed away December 31, 
     2021 after a short illness. Drew was born in Washington, 
     D.C., on September 21, 1969. He moved with his family to 
     Nashville, TN when he was one year old. He attended Ensworth 
     School, became a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, 
     and graduated from University School of Nashville. He then 
     attended Kenyon College in Ohio where he earned a Bachelor of 
     Arts in Music. In 1994 he went to work for Curb Records in 
     Nashville as a receptionist. Quickly he rose to lead the 
     company's publishing division. As Vice President of 
     Publishing, he oversaw the division's forty-five employees 
     and songwriters. A classically trained guitarist, Drew also 
     directed creative and administrative aspects of the company 
     where he set budgets, signed songwriters, negotiated 
     contracts, placed songs, and acquired catalogs.
       During his tenure Curb Music Publishing earned eighty-seven 
     ASCAP, BMI and SESAC performance awards, and set records for 
     the fastest rising country single and the longest charting 
     country single in Billboard Country chart history. In 2017, 
     after 23 years at Curb, Drew stepped down from his role as 
     Director of Publishing but continued working with the Mike 
     Curb Foundation. Drew also founded his own company, Blair 
     Branch Music. He became an active community volunteer working 
     with numerous Nashville agencies including Second Harvest 
     Food Bank, Nashville Rescue Mission, and Room at the Inn. 
     Drew's motto was ``give more than you take''. When he wasn't 
     on the phone raising money for the needy he often could be 
     found serving lunch at homeless shelters.
       Drew served on the boards of The Recording Academy, Belmont 
     School of Music, Family and Children's Service, the Community 
     Resource Center, Leadership Music as Treasurer, and the 
     Tennessee Residence Foundation as Secretary. He was a member 
     of the Country Music Association, the Gospel Music 
     Association, Academy of Country Music, and the Downtown 
     Nashville Rotary Club.
       Drew helped many artists and songwriters get their start in 
     Nashville and had many friends in the music industry. Over 
     the years he hosted small groups of songwriters and artists, 
     including Lee Brice, Bill Anderson, Kyle Jacobs, Billy 
     Montana, Kelsea Ballerini and many others, at writing 
     retreats at his family's home at Blackberry Farm in East 
     Tennessee, at Evins Mill in Middle Tennessee, and at Bending 
     Lake in Canada. From these dozens of sessions came more than 
     1,000 songs including many hits. Drew was active with the 
     National Songwriters Association defending songwriters' legal 
     rights.
       Drew loved his daughters, his friends and watching sports 
     with them all, especially the Tennessee Titans and University 
     of Tennessee basketball and football--and he loved to fish, 
     traveling around the world in pursuit of new adventures. Drew 
     is survived by two daughters, Lauren Blair Alexander and 
     Helen Victoria Alexander of Nashville; his parents, Honey and 
     Lamar Alexander of Walland, TN; two sisters, Leslee Alexander 
     of Maryville, TN and Kathryn Alexander of Briarcliff Manor, 
     NY; his brother, Will Alexander of Nashville; and, seven 
     nieces and nephews. The Alexander family wishes to express 
     our thanks to Drew's friends Bruce Phillips and Hal Hardin 
     for their many kindnesses to him.

                          ____________________