ZANESVILLE, OH (CelebrityAccess) – One of the entertainment industry’s most respected and beloved talent buyers, George Moffett, passed away Sunday (May 14) at Genesis Hospital. Moffett was known throughout the country music community and county fair industry, as he made several connections throughout his 55-year career. He was 86.
Born George Larry Moffett on December 9, 1936, in Zanesville, Moffett attended The Ohio State University during his freshman year, majoring in business. While there, he played trumpet with a dance band and got the idea to secure dates for other dance bands. He transferred to Muskingum College his sophomore year, where he started to book local bands on the side at fraternity parties and social clubs.
Once he graduated, he realized the need for a booking agency, leading to Variety Attractions’ founding in 1961. Variety Attractions would eventually become a brand that is one of the most respected, trusted, and honored companies in the entertainment world. Moffett booked artists like Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Alabama, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins and more from the beginning of their careers and further. Variety Attractions has booked over $1.2 billion in contracts since its inception and now operates in 24 states.
Moffett was not only a music fan but also loved the circus world and the excitement the circuses brought to small towns. So he started booking the animal and high-wire acts at local and county fairs nationwide. Over the years, Moffett was honored numerous times by the Country Music Association (CMA), naming him the SRO Promoter/Talent Buyer of the Year 4. He was also the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards’ Talent Buyer of the Year 3 times. In addition, he received honors from many state fair associations, including being inducted into the Ohio Fair Managers Hall of Fame.
He served three terms as a director on the CMA Board of Directors and visited the White House under President Jimmy Carter. In addition, Moffett was one of the founding members of the International Country Music Buyers Association in Nashville.
Today that organization is known as the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA) and is recognized as the premier organization for talent buyers of all genres. He served on the IEBA board of directors for 30 years, received the Founders Award in 2010, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2018.
Moffett was a man who found his passion and lived it daily, as he dedicated his entire life to the entertainment business. He had a natural sense of caring for his clients and colleagues. Those who knew him can attest to that.
Country music star Toby Keith said, “George, you put a lot of meals on the tables of the boys in the band and crew and diapers on their babies over the years.”
“George, you fed my kids with all the dates you booked,” said Trace Adkins.
Surviving is his wife Shirley (Williams) Moffett; daughter Amy (Rob) Gray; 2 granddaughters Megan (Gray) Van-Dyke; and Elaine Gray.
His legacy will live forever with the George Moffett Scholarship endowed at Belmont University in Nashville and awarded annually to a deserving student majoring in an accredited music business class. In place of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the George Moffett Scholarship Fund by going to https://www.ieba.org/educational-outreach or contacting Pam Matthews at 615-670-9601.
RIP
