LAS VEGAS (CelebrityAccess) The National Conference of Personal Managers has announced the 2018 inductees to the Personal Managers Hall of Fame. Together, the eight inductees managed acts like Janis Joplin, Liberace, John Mellencamp, Bette Midler, The Ramones, and Bonnie Raitt.
Barry Bergman is the founder and president of the Music Managers Forum in the United States. A veteran personal manager and music publisher, Bergman has been an outspoken advocate for artist rights on Capitol Hill.
Chet Helms (1942-2005) was the founder and personal manager of Big Brother and the Holding Company who launched the career of Janis Joplin and is often called the father of San Francisco’s 1967 “Summer of Love.”
Randy Hoffman is the long-time manager of John Mellencamp and whose management clients have included Mariah Carey, Carlene Carter, Hall and Oates, Julio Iglesias, Maxwell and Ricky Martin.
Barry Krost is a literary, music and talent manager whose clients have included Barbara Bain, Jackie Collins, Peter Finch, Cat Stevens, Dusty Springfield, Angela Lansbury, Richard Gere, Liza Minnelli and Joan Collins.
Gary Kurfirst (1947-2009) was a personal manager, producer, promoter, publisher and record label executive with a nearly 50 year career. His clients included Talking Heads, the Ramones, Deborah Harry, Eurythmics and Shirley Manson.
Arnold Preston is a personal manager, television producer and was the plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case Preston v. Ferrer, which ruled that the Federal Arbitration Act pre-empted the California Talent Agencies Act.
Aaron Russo (1943-2007) was a personal manager, film producer/director and political activist. His clients included The Manhattan Transfer and Bette Midler. His best-known movies include “Trading Places,” “Wise Guys” and “The Rose.” The fascinating character is also the producer of the documentary “Freedom to Fascism.”
“The Personal Managers Hall of Fame celebrates illustrious careers in entertainment, music, sports and talent management,” NCOPM National President Clinton Ford Billups Jr. said in a statement. “The 2018 inductees reflect the contributions, ethics and history of personal management that the Hall of Fame acknowledges and honors.”
The inductees join 30 current Hall members including Sid Bernstein, Bernie Brillstein, Brian Epstein, Ken Kragen, Dolores Robinson, Jack Rollins, and Jerry Solomon.
Nominations are solicited nationwide from the personal management community, according to NCOPM.
