(CelebrityAccess) — Noted concert promoter Jack Boyle, one of the founders of Cellar Door Productions, and the man behind famed clubs such as the Crazy Horse, The Cellar The Sunrise Music Theatre, and The Bayou, has died. He was 83.
News of Boyle’s passing was first reported by Amplify. At the time of publication, a cause of death was not disclosed.
Boyle started in the industry staging concerts but was best known as one of the operators of the Washington D.C. nightclub The Cellar Door. Boyle launched the club in 1963 with his business partner Sam L’ Hommedieu as The Shadows, but within a year had sold the venue to Charles Fichman, an employee of the club who had started as a dishwasher but worked his way up the ladder.
Fichman established the club, programing a compelling mixture of jazz, folk, and rock acts that helped to build its reputation as one of the leading showcase clubs in the U.S.
In 1970, Boyle re-acquired the venue from Fichman and renamed it as the Cellar Door, while expanding the footprint of his concert promotion business across the mid-south until he was one of the nation’s leading concert promoters, under the aegis of Cellar Door Productions.
With Boyle at the helm, the Cellar Door continued its run, with a who’s who of contemporary music gracing the club’s stage. Neil Young, Billy Joel, Kris Kristofferson, Gordon Lightfoot, and John Denver were among the hundreds of musicians to perform at the club.
In 1998, Boyle, who was one of the last independent promoter holdouts, reached a deal to sell the Cellar Door companies to Robert Sillerman’s SFX for a reported $105 million. As a part of the transaction, Boyle joined SFX as the head of its music division.
In 2006, Boyle retired from the industry.
Boyle was preceded in death by his wife Janet, who died after a battle with cancer in 2013.
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