Old Seattle Radio Saturday: dick curtis and bob dylan

(photo: Dick Curtis, Bob Dylan, road mgr. Mike Crowley)

Dick Curtis managed Dylan for the Jerry Weintraub Organization in the late 1970's. Weintraub managed many people: Dylan, John Denver, Neil Diamond to name a few.

Curtis says: "He couldn't be with all of them and so he appointed people to act as their manager. They were called management representatives. I was Dylan's."
 
After spending 1978 touring Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Europe, in the fall of that year Dylan (with Curtis) began a long, US tour. Sixty-five concerts in 62 cities in 90 days!

From Dick's memoir:
 
We all arrived separately in Augusta [Maine]. We would spend a week in the town, rehearsing and preparing to play our sixty-five concerts over the next three months. Tickets had gone on sale weeks earlier and Dylan was selling out everywhere. It’s wonderful to know that ticket sales wouldn’t even be a matter of concern.
 
Bob, the band, Road Manager Mike Crowley and I were traveling in style. We had a BAC-111, (pronounced Bock One-Eleven). The BAC-111 is a short haul two-engine, jet aircraft built by British Aircraft Corporation. It’s somewhat smaller than a Boeing 737 and was made to seat around ninety people. Our charter aircraft was outfitted for twenty-one. Besides the band we would have our PR people, accountant, photographer and one or two others on board.

The crew included a pilot, co-pilot and flight attendant. Inside the aircraft Bob, Mike Crowley and I rode up in the front section. There was a large coffee table in the center of the forward cabin and a padded bench type of arrangement on either side. There were also a couple of rows of seats toward the rear of the front section. Then there was a small partition and then the area for the rest of the band and crew."

Meeting the aircraft in every city would be a truck to pick up our luggage. It would be transported to the hotel where everyone was pre-checked in. We would all board a charter bus that would also meet the aircraft and usually go straight to the building for a late afternoon sound check.

Following the sound check we would eat a sit-down dinner, lounge around for about an hour and it would be show time! After the concert we would all board the bus back to the hotel. At least that’s how it was planned and usually it worked out that way. We would plan to leave the hotel about noon or one o’clock the next day and do the whole thing all over again.                                           

Comments

[Mike Barer]

Great picture

[Mr Jones]

Hey, this story barely started...we want more.

[joanie]

It does sound like the introduction to an interesting account of the whole tour. "usually worked out?" I'd like to know about the wrinkles. When didn't it work out?

I loved Dylan. Still do really. I think I have all his records. Amazing poet.

[North Face Clearance]

The article is worth reading,Thank you very much! I will keep your new articles.