Famed Colorado music promoter Barry Fey dies

 

The man behind the music in Colorado has died.

Barry Fey, the concert promoter known as 'The Rockfather,' brought rock's biggest acts to our backyard.
And he managed to make a place made out of stone stronger.
Sunday night, 9NEWS remembered Fey in words, music and the ticket stubs you've saved from the concerts you couldn't forget.
They are moments made possible by the one and only Fey, who is gone at the age of 73.
Fey had been recovering from recent hip surgery. 9NEWS talked to his son Sunday night - and he told us the family isn't ready to talk about the circumstances around Fey's death. They say it is a terrible shock.
They are comforted by all the people in the last hours who have shared their stories.
Fey always said he found heaven in 1967 when he moved to Denver.
It is why he spent his life building a music scene here.
Born in 1939, he witnessed the birth of rock and roll - and since then helped the rise of many of rock's historic legends.
The lure of a stage tucked between majestic Red Rocks was a result of Fey's Summer of the Stars Series in 1976. After that, every major performer around the world wanted the chance to come to Colorado to perform.
Billboard magazine named Barry Fey promoter of the year in 1978, 1979 and 1980. Image magazine later called him the best promoter in the land and a national treasure.
Over three decades Fey worked with every big name in rock and roll, including John Lennon, Bruce Springstein and U2.
In 1983 Fey was asked to help produce a video at Red Rocks. That turned in to Under a Blood Red Sky.
When Fey retired in 1997, then President Bill Clinton sent a personal message.
"Barry, we thank you for stirring our souls and lifting our spirits for the past 30 years," Clinton said.
Fey was unapologetically brash. He was very open about trouble along the way.
In recent months he had some moments of reflection.
"I wish I would have been nicer," Fey said. "I wish I would have been a better parent and a better husband. The gratuitous frustration I showed sometimes - went too far."
He lived his life passionately, committed to his love for music, his home and the people he loved.
"To find the words to express the love and warmth for the people of Colorado - what they have done for me is above anything I could ever dream of," Fey said.
9NEWS entertainment reporter Kirk Montgomery said Fey "was a throwback to an era where people [and] personalities dominated the music scene - not corporations. And he was certainly a personality."
"He [Fey] was larger than life, adored by many [and] louthed by a few," Montgomery said. "He [Fey] had recently undergone hip surgery and was in a lot of pain. I just spoke with him last Thursday. He was excited about a new project he was working on. Not many people can call Ozzy Osbourne, Bono and Bruce Springsteen friends. I spoke tonight with promoter Chuck Morris who is in New York. They started together and had a complex and at times combative relationship. That ultimately led to the end of their business relationship
"It's so sad," Morris told Montgomery Sunday night. "He [Fey] should be enjoying his retirement on a beach in Maui. When Barry had is head on there was none better. He could sell out anything and anyone. No one was better. He was my mentor and I'm going to miss him."
Fey and Chuck Morris, another longtime Colorado promoter - started Ebbets Field - a legendary Denver music venue.
The first show at Ebbets Field was in February of 1973, and kicked off a great string of live shows. Among the musicians that performed there: JJ Cale, Dr. John, Ry Cooder, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Peter Frampton, Little Feat and John Prine.
Fey is the author of "Back Stage Past," an autobiography that includes his trip down rock and roll memory lane.

Written by Laurie Cipriano, Kyle Clark, Cheryl Preheim/9NEWS

Source: http://www.coloradoan.com