Listen out loud : a life in music : managing McCartney, Madonna, and Michael Jackson

256 Pages·2014·3.81 MB·English

by  Weisner

A Life in Music—Managing
McCartney, Madonna, and Michael
Jackson
RON WEISNER
with Alan Goldsher
LYONS PRESS
Guilford, Connecticut
An imprint of Globe Pequot Press
Copyright © 2014 by Ron Weisner
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by
any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in
writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot
Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Lyons Press is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

All photos courtesy of the author.

Project editor: Meredith Dias Text design: Sheryl P. Kober Layout artist: Mary Ballachino
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

eISBN 978-1-4930-1084-4
For my children and grandchildren . . . for going along
and never having to put up with a “normal” person, who
was gone quite a bit. And to my mom, who recently
passed, for always believing in me and encouraging me
to achieve my dreams.
CONTENTS
Copyright
Foreword by Gladys Knight
Introduction

Chapter 1: Buddah
Chapter 2: Sports
Chapter 3: Knight
Chapter 4: Mayfield
Chapter 5: Withers
Chapter 6: Sha Na Na
Chapter 7: The Jacksons
Chapter 8: Michael
Chapter 9: Madonna
Chapter 10: Winwood
Chapter 11: McCartney
Chapter 12: Production

Epilogue: Music Biz 101
Postscript

Acknowledgments
Index
About the Authors
FOREWORD
by Gladys Knight
Let me tell you about Ron Weisner.
Some folks who manage musicians, they’ll find an artist and hear
some potential, some talent, and a catchy song or two, and they’ll
want to get on the boat, without much thought as to how they can
help the singer rise above everything out there. They’ll see dollar
signs and will do what they can to squeeze every last cent out of the
artist as quickly as possible, often to the detriment of his or her art,
career, and life. They think about what they’ll do for the artist next
week, not next year.
That’s not Ron. Ron thinks big picture. In other words, he might
suggest you make a musical or personal choice that might not make
sense to you in the moment, but if you listen to him and have
patience, it’ll pay off big for you three years later.
Now Ron, he has a great ear . . . and sure, lots of people have great
ears, but Ron’s ears can hear the Real Thing. But in Ron’s mind, the
Real Thing is more than potential, talent, and some nice tunes. The
Real Thing is about heart, and kindness, and professionalism. The
Real Thing is about striving for perfection, about using your gifts to
the best of your abilities. The Real Thing sets you apart from the
person who just wants to be famous and make money. And that’s
why I was so honored to have him as my manager, because I knew
Ron saw the other side, the whole package—Gladys the singer and
Gladys the woman. The passion and loyalty Ron has for his artists,
his business associates, and his friends are unmatched.
I tend to believe that people are basically honest, fair, and good,
but over the years I learned that some representatives speak to you
with a silver tongue, going on and on about what they’ll do for you,
but, in reality, it’s all about what you can do for them. There are
countless singers who have had their careers ruined and their bank
accounts emptied by those sorts of hucksters. And, sure, Ron
wanted to make money for everyone, but it was more important to
him that you succeed, both professionally and personally. Trust me,
that’s rare in a manager.
Now, with the music industry in such flux and turmoil, it’s the
perfect time for Ron to tell his story. There’s a whole new
generation of representatives, producers, and executives who could
stand to learn from his experience. And if they take what he has to
say to heart, maybe, just maybe, they can make our entertainment
world a little bit better.