[2][3] The Sounds were originally owned by a local group, headed by Larry Schmittou, which included baseball figures, country musicians, and businessmen.
Vanderbilt Commodores head baseball coach Larry Schmittou, with help from country musician Conway Twitty, put together a group of investors including other country artists Cal Smith, Jerry Reed, and L. E. White, as well as other Nashvillians, to finance the construction of Herschel Greer Stadium and the purchase of a minor league team in advance of the 1978 season.
[11][12] Gordon and the remaining minority partners, including the Smith brothers and Richard Sterban of the country music group The Oak Ridge Boys,[13][14] sold their interests after the 2008 season to MFP Baseball consisting of New York City-based real estate investors Masahiro Honzawa, Steve Posner, and Frank Ward for an estimated $20 million.
[16] Farrell Owens, a local amateur baseball player and coach, served as the Sounds' first general manager (GM) from 1978 to 1979.
[36][37] In February 1983, Schmittou was hired by the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball as their vice president and director of marketing.
[38] He retained his position as Sounds president, but relinquished the GM role to George Dyce, who was previously the team's business manager.
[34] The new owners utilized the general managers of the Class A Kane County Cougars team, which they also owned, as GMs at Nashville: Bill Larsen from 1997 to 1998 and Jeff Sedivy in 1999.
[31] George King, previously the Pacific Coast League's vice president of business and operations, was hired by the new owners to serve as GM from 2009 to 2010.
[50] Veteran minor league GM Garry Arthur was brought on in 2015 as the team prepared to move into the new First Tennessee Park that season.