Frank Barsalona

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Frank Barsalona (born March 31, 1938 in Staten Island , New York ; † November 22, 2012 ) was an important talent agent who revolutionized the rock concert business and influenced the design of rock concerts itself.

Life

Barsalona was born on Staten Island , where he grew up. At the age of nine he began to support the family financially by touring and yodelling through the country with the country music show Rosalie Allen's Touring All-Stars . He then went to Wagner College and St. John's University . During this time he was on his own.

He was known for his honesty, integrity, and warmth. The British agent Harold Davison therefore prophesied that he would not survive in the music industry because he was too honest. Barsalona proved otherwise and became one of the most honest and successful professionals in the music industry.

Career

Barsalona began his career in the post office of GAC , a New York artist agency, and soon became the agency's youngest agent. In 1964 Barsalona founded his own agency, Premier Talent Agency (sold to William Morris Agency in 2002 ); then the first agency to specialize in rock musicians. At first, Barsalona encouraged young concert promoters across the country to book unknown artists at their events. This is how today's touring business came about. The concert promoters that Barsalona mentored became some of the most influential promoters in America. There were hundreds of artists Premier Talent could offer. These included Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band , U2 , The Who , Led Zeppelin , The Yardbirds , Jimi Hendrix , Bon Jovi , Santana , Jethro Tull , Peter Frampton , Humble Pie , Van Halen , Herman's Hermits , Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers , The J. Geils Band , Black Sabbath , Yes , Van Halen, Talking Heads , The B-52's , Eurythmics , The Pretenders , Cyndi Lauper , Keith Richards , Jeff Beck , Sex Pistols , Skid Row , Journey , Earth, Wind & Fire , Emerson, Lake & Palmer , Foghat , Traffic , Fleetwood Mac , Yes and Grand Funk Railroad . Barsalona was also a partner in various radio stations in the northeastern United States and a partner and president of the Philadelphia Fury football team (1977–1980).

Rock journalist Dave Marsh wrote: "Frank Barsalona had a vision: actors, promoters and record labels should work together to create careers. Rock musicians now had an economic base outside of the record companies, they had the time and the money and the resources to Improve the quality of their shows. "

Barsalona was a founding member and board member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was inducted into the non-performer category as the only talent agent in 2005 and received the Lifetime Achievement Award . In addition to other awards, he received the Billboard Legend of Live Award for lifetime achievement , the Performance Touring Hall of Fame Award and the Nordoff-Robbins Foundation Silver Clef Award , which Bono presented to him and for which Bruce Springsteen and Pete Townshend with a video message congratulated.

After Barsalona's death, his daughter Nicole held a memorial service in New York on April 25, 2013, attended by music industry leaders from around the world. The Billboard Magazine reported exclusively: "The room was packed full with living legends such as Steve Van Zandt , Springsteen's band members Barry Bell and Barbara Carr, and a whole team of promoters, representing bars Alona influence in this area."

The Frank Barsalona Fund was founded in his name to support various charitable organizations in the entertainment industry and music.

family

Barsalonia's wife, June Barsalona (née Harris), worked as a feature and news editor for the London Daily Mirror Group and conducted the first UK interview with The Beatles for Disc Magazine . June worked as an American correspondent, interviewing The Who, The Rolling Stones, Dick Clark , Nat King Cole , Roy Orbison and others. In 1968 June moved to Atlantic Records , where she led the campaign for Led Zeppelin and then led international relationships, including with artists such as Cream and The Rascals . Frank and June got to know them through their work and were married for 46 years. They had a daughter, Nicole Barsalona.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Legendary concert promoter Frank Barsalona passes away. radioandmusic.com, November 27, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Frank Barsalona had a vision: acts and promoters and record companies working in coordination to build careers. Rock performers now had an economic base outside of the record companies, they had the time and money and facilities to upgrade the quality of their shows. "
  3. ↑ "The room was packed with legends, among them famed E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt, Team Springsteen players Barry Bell and Barbara Carr, and a wealth of promoters, signifying Barsalona's influence in bringing order and legitimacy to that sectors. Promoters in the house included Seth Hurwitz (IMP), Gregg Perloff (Another Planet), Jules Belkin (Belkin Productions), Danny Zelisko (DZP), John Scher (Metropolitan Talent), Debra Rathwell (AEG Live) and leading Japanese promoter Mr. Udo, Udo Artists. Among those offering up stories on Barsalona were music journalist Dave Marsh, famed Philadelphia promoter Larry Magid , U2 manager Paul McGuinness , CAA managing partner Rob Light, British manager Peter Rudge, legendary New York promoter Ron Delsener, Canadian promoter Donald K. Donald , Joel Peresman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Boston promoter Don Law, artists Bono and Pete Townshend (via video). "

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Barsalona, ​​Frank
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American artist agent
DATE OF BIRTH March 31, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Staten Island , New York
DATE OF DEATH November 22, 2012