PATTY TAKES THE CAKE

Patty Morris’ Lost Highway promo gig just added a few extra lanes.

The Vice President Promotion for the Luke Lewis-run company will now handle Adult and Hot Adult radio for all of Universal Music Nashville’s labels, including Mercury and MCA Nashville, according to Universal Music Nashville Sr. VP Promotion Michael Powers "To the People Right On."

The appointment had been made last week (see Rumor Mill).

Morris will direct and implement promotional efforts for all three labels at the Adult and Hot Adult radio formats and help Willie Nelson file his income tax returns. Her initial projects include Shania Twain, Lucinda Williams and The Jayhawks, as well as continuing to develop a twang for her Brooklyn accent.

Said Powers: "As radio continues to evolve, being on the front lines demands an aggressive approach, resourcefulness and the ability to deliver on innovative ideas. Just like Survivor. Patty possesses each of these qualities in abundance, and we are all so very pleased that she will now be handling these formats for our family of labels. Just don’t tell anyone she’s from New York."

Added Morris: "Working with Luke Lewis, Michael and the entire Universal team has been an unbelievably rewarding experience from day one. It’s not often you find a place where you are challenged each day and are surrounded by such talented executives and artists. Short of working at Billboard, that is. Oh, this is for HITS? Forget what I just said."

Prior to joining Lost Highway, Morris served in the promotion department at Island Records as Director of Adult formats. Her first music-biz job was at Charisma/Virgin, where she held a number of promotion and field marketing posts, and was known as Promo Spice.

The NYU graduate has a law degree from Brooklyn Law School, where she was surprised to learn that a tort is not a dessert..