THE FIRST TWENTY YEARS (1955-1975)
I have described all of this as a “rocket ride”, and it was.
I spent the first twenty years of my professional life in the music and concert business grooming and selling my band; promoting and marketing other bands, touring concert attractions, presenting theatrical events in many different markets and managing trade shows. As an adjunct to the business of being a bandleader and booking agent, I started Memories Photography and Printing to print event programs and invitations, and to take photos of couples and group pictures at the functions where we were often providing the music. I was fortunate in my twenties. There weren’t many people in the Northwest who set their sights on marketing and managing dance bands, combos and emerging rock and roll groups. Live music, ballrooms, and venues for dancing were still very popular in the fifties and sixties, so it was a good time for me. There wasn't much competition and I was enjoying the challenges of learning to market and grow my band, the agency business and Memories Photography and Printing.
During the decade of 1957-1967 all of my business ventures thrived. In my early twenties I opened a downtown office at 314 Fairview Avenue North across the street from the Seattle Times. I sold Memories in 1964 in order to focus on the band booking business. I had a staff of five people working and was writing a lot of business at that time. During my late teens and through my twenties I hadn’t been focused on making money. I was completely absorbed in the process; the challenges and great adventure of figuring out how to make it all happen. During the Seattle World’s Fair, I was 21 years old and I played fourth tenor sax on Jackie Souders’ band out at Parker’s Ballroom. There was so much work then that guys like Jackie couldn’t find anybody to play. I was an aggressive young competitor. If he realized that I might have been the last guy he would have hired! I soon retained his arranger to write custom charts for our septet.
To sum it up for my grandkids, just remember: there isn’t anything in life that you can’t do if you set your mind to it, believe in yourself, do the research and then get and stay organized. I should add you need to work your tail off.
The Photo: ‘Burke, age 18, with his tenor sax and a white dinner jacket he used to buy by the dozens in order to keep everyone suited up.’