Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
Home Music

Michael McMartin, Hoodoo Gurus Manager, Dies at 79

rmtsa by rmtsa
April 2, 2024
in Music
0
Michael McMartin, Hoodoo Gurus Manager, Dies at 79
74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Michael McMartin, the Canada-born entrepreneur who settled in Australia, where he established the framework for a professional music management community and guided the Hoodoo Gurus for four decades, died Sunday (March 31) following a lengthy illness. He was 79.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“Michael had been undergoing treatment for cancer for a number of years but, despite the best efforts of his medical team, he succumbed to his illness peacefully around noon on Easter Sunday, surrounded by his beloved family,” reads a statement from the McMartin family.

Born on Vancouver Island on March 12, 1945, McMartin completed his BA (Political Science) at Loyola College in Montreal. He relocated to Australia in 1971, and, several years later, joined forces with producer Charles Fisher to form Trafalgar Records, the independent recording and publishing enterprise.

In 1985, he established Melody Management. His first clients were the Hoodoo Gurus, whom he signed to their first record deal in 1982 and commenced managing three years later, in 1985. It was a relationship that would see the Gurus enter the ARIA Hall of Fame, in 2009, and would last until McMartin announced in February of this year that he would be stepping down from that role due to ill health.

“I really can’t find the words to express my feelings at this time but respect, love and gratitude would be among them,” he wrote in a message distributed Feb. 22, announcing his decision to hand over Gurus duties to Mick Mazzone of Mighty Management. “Thanks to the Hoodoo Gurus I have lived a life that I only otherwise could have dreamt of.”

McMartin was a founding member of the Music Managers’ Forum in Australia, he served as chairman and then executive director of the International Music Managers’ Forum (IMMF), the umbrella organization for managers from some 24 countries which has NGO status at WIPO, the United Nations agency dealing with worldwide copyright issues, and was, for 19 years, a board member of Support Act, the music industry benevolent charity.

The much-loved artist manager received the APRA Ted Albert Award for his lifetime contribution to Australian Music in 2007, one of the Australian music community’s highest honors, and in 2015 he was awarded the Medal of the Order Of Australia (OAM) for “services to the performing arts, especially music.”

He’s the reigning legacy award recipient at the AAM Awards, presented last year in Sydney.

John Watson was on hand to present McMartin, his mentor, with the special honor. “When someone passes it’s easy to list what they did but it’s much harder to explain how they did it. In an era where far too many men acted badly, Michael proved that nice guys don’t have to finish last,” Watson writes in a statement to Billboard. “He was an unbelievably kind mentor to hundreds of people, including me, and his political advocacy for the industry as a whole – and managers in particular – was an inspiration across decades. Without him there would not be an AAM and Support Act would be nowhere near the force that it has become.”

Colin Hay, former frontman of Men At Work, remembers McMartin for his kindness. “After I was dropped by MCA Records in 1991, I was unsure of what to do next. I knew Michael McMartin a little. He said to me one day, ‘why don’t you just make an acoustic album, and I’ll release it.’” That happened, and the pair became friends. “Friends that could tell each other the truth. He told me one day that I was wallowing in self pity, and that I could be a much better person. He was right. He helped me whenever I asked, even when I didn’t,” explains Hay. McMartin was “a rarity among men,” someone who “believes in making the industry that we inhabit a better place for all, a place that fosters creative endeavor, instead of the all too often obstacle course that this here music industry can be.”

McMartin “left an indelible mark on the Australian music industry, and his loss is acutely felt within our management community which he supported and uplifted so generously,” reads a statement from the Association of Artists Managers. In recent years, the AAM points out, McMartin “formalized his desire to lift up developing managers” by spearheading the Patron’s Gift; a fund that would enable opportunities to bring in diverse communities, POC and First Nations emerging managers.

McMartin is survived by his wife, Saskia, and his son, Hamish and his extended family, including Michael’s two grandchildren, Kiara and Koby.

You might also like

Green Day announce Warning deluxe edition for 25th anniversary

Snapped: Passion Pit Debuts at Cascade Equinox with Rare DJ Set (A Photo Essay)

JT Fires Shots at Cardi B on New Diss Track

A private family funeral held in the coming days and, a little later, an announcement of a public gathering to be held in Sydney to celebrate the late music man’s life and legacy, with friends and music industry acquaintances invited.



Source link

Tags: diesGurusHoodoomanagerMcMartinMichael
Share30Tweet19
rmtsa

rmtsa

Recommended For You

Green Day announce Warning deluxe edition for 25th anniversary

by rmtsa
October 6, 2025
0
Green Day announce Warning deluxe edition for 25th anniversary

It’s been 25 years since the release of Green Day’s formative album, Warning, and to celebrate, they are dropping a deluxe edition of the record, out on Nov....

Read more

Snapped: Passion Pit Debuts at Cascade Equinox with Rare DJ Set (A Photo Essay)

by rmtsa
October 5, 2025
0
Snapped: Passion Pit Debuts at Cascade Equinox with Rare DJ Set (A Photo Essay)

Bringing an inspired DJ set to the Pacific Northwest’s Deschutes County Fairgrounds, indie-electronic favorites Passion Pit joined Disclosure, Sylvan Esso, TroyBoi, Big Gigantic, Chromeo (DJ Set) and others...

Read more

JT Fires Shots at Cardi B on New Diss Track

by rmtsa
October 5, 2025
0
JT Fires Shots at Cardi B on New Diss Track

JT has clapped back at Cardi B on a scathing new diss track.Following speculation that JT had a response in store for Cardi, on Friday (Oct. 3), the...

Read more

The ‘Magic Trick’ Lady Gaga Learned From Bruce Springsteen

by rmtsa
October 5, 2025
0
The ‘Magic Trick’ Lady Gaga Learned From Bruce Springsteen

To be a great performer, one must strive to connect with those at the very back of the venue just as much as those in the front row. Bruce Springsteen...

Read more

Best Albums From Big Gen X Dad Rock Bands

by rmtsa
October 5, 2025
0
Best Albums From Big Gen X Dad Rock Bands

Dad rock for Gen X takes on many different forms, meaning a variety in classic albums.It could mean a holdover act from the 1970s that finally found its...

Read more
Next Post
All American – Season 6

All American - Season 6

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Browse by Category

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized

CATEGORIES

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized
No Result
View All Result

Recent News

  • The Walking Dead Daryl Dixon – Limbo– Review: Daryl Dixon: Grace in Grit
  • Green Day announce Warning deluxe edition for 25th anniversary
  • Rob Reiner on Filming Fake Orgasm Scene With Mom

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In