Working at the crossroads of music and technology, and being a talent producer for a couple of decades now, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a long list of amazing artists. The most meaningful interactions are often the unscheduled, random conversations that just seem to happen randomly. Some of those occur behind-the-scenes at events like Pollstar, where I got to shoot the breeze with my childhood idol, Davy Jones – who spent that entire conversation asking about my work, my family and sharing his own human, fun-loving side. He was an amazing soul and is definitely missed by all of us, as colleagues, and by me, as a friend.
Sadly, Davey Jones wasn’t the only friend I lost recently. The amazing Ronnie Montrose also left us after a long struggle with prostrate cancer. Ronnie was the lead guitarist for the band Montrose, and worked with a long list of great artists, including the Neville Brothers, Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, The Beau Brummels, and the legendary Boz Scaggs, among others. Ronnie and I also met at the Pollstar Awards, where I booked him as a presenter. He was a great guy and we shared several powerful conversations about what he could do in the digital space and we left off looking forward to maybe working together. Ronnie’s warmth and sincerity are definitely missed, and remembered.
Moments of remembrance seem to be all around me lately. While I was in New Yorkfor Digital Music East a few weeks ago two colleagues and I visited the 9/11 Memorial – a tough morning for all of us. Afterward, we talked about the amazing love that followed that day, and I shared my experience with Paul McCartney at the Adopt-a-Minefield Concert (a cause supported mightily by the late Princess Diana).
I was privileged to share a personal moment with Sir Paul after he performed “God Only Knows” and “Let it Be” with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Paul drove up himself in his black Mercedes before the event and we shared our experiences about many things, including his personal relationship with 9/11. I myself was headed to New York only a few days before 9/11, but cancelled the trip. Had I gone, I was scheduled to return on Flight 93 – the flight that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. A million times I have considered this close call with awe and gratitude, to say the least. Paul shared his own amazing story with me. He was on his way to London to celebrate his daughter Stella’s 30th birthday that very morning and was literally taxiing on the tarmac at JFK when the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Centre, and when all air traffic was grounded, McCartney’s plane was ordered back to the gate.
Basically trapped in NY, Paul decided over the next few days to create a benefit concert, and the “Concert for New York City” was born. It was graced with a long list of stellar musicians (all personal friends of McCartney), including Elton John, David Bowie, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger, among others. (An amazing documentary by Albert Maysles called “The Love we Make” followed McCartney around New York those few weeks before the concert, which happened only five weeks after the attacks.) One of the most notable moments in the film shows Paul standing on the stage at Madison Square Garden in an FDNY T-shirt. When he sang Yesterday in front of hundreds of firefighters and police officers, most of whom had all lost friends and relatives, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Some days, I know we’re all led to the tears when we lose someone we love or celebrate difficult anniversaries, but I think Paul McCartney was definitely right when he shared “I just thought we could help with the music.”
Kelli Richards
President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
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