Barry Fey

Fey's first concert was Baby Huey and the Babysitters in 1965 at the American Legion Hall in Rockford that made only $92. On December 26, 1968 Fey promoted the first Led Zeppelin show in the United States. In June 1969, Feyline presented the 3 day Denver Pop Festival, which featured the final performance of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

In 1976 Fey's company Feyline started his Summer of Stars concert series at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. For three consecutive years (1978, 1979, 1980) Fey was voted promoter of the year by Billboard magazine.

In 1983 Fey, Chris Blackwell, and U2 produced the U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky concert film.[1]

In 1997, Fey was voted into the Touring Hall of Fame by Performance magazine.

In 1998, Fey was the majority owner of Breeder's Cup Sprint champion Reraise.

Besides concerts Fey has been credited with saving the bankrupt Denver Symphony,[2] and forming the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He put them on a pay as you go basis, which allowed the symphony to thrive. When the historic Paramount Theater in downtown Denver was facing destruction, Fey stepped in, and signed a ten-year contract, saving the building.

In 1983, he opened the doors for Major League Baseball in Denver by teaming up with Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and putting on an old timers baseball game.[3]

In 1991, Fey merged with Universal Concerts, which later bought him out in 1997, after a 30-year career. In an interview with Image magazine they called Fey, "Not only the best promoter in the land, but "A National Treasure."[4]

President Bill Clinton videotaped a message of thanks and congratulations upon Fey's retirement in 1997.

In 2009 Fey got his own radio show called "Behind the Scenes with Barry Fey" on Mile High Sports Radio, 1510 AM that discussed the music business and sports with callers.

On January 1, 2010 his official website [5] titled the "Rockfather" was launched where he announced that he would be teaching a class "Real History of Rock -n- Roll" at the University of Colorado beginning in February and doing speaking engagements worldwide. He also announced that he was in negotiations to write a tell all book about the music business.

On November 1, 2011 Fey announced the completion of his book "Backstage Past" with forewords written by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and Pete Townshend.[6]

In spring of 2013, Fey had hip-replacement surgery and struggled afterwards. Unusually dour in the weeks before his death, of the surgery ordeal, Fey said, "They tell you it's a major surgery, but they don't tell you how hard it's going to be."[7] With his son Geoffry taking care of him after the surgery, Fey had arranged for his other sons to also be near him. Fey committed suicide on Sunday, April 28, 2013, quite literally between a breakfast omelet order with son Geoffry and its delivery.[8]

The Barry Fey Foundation was formed "to eradicate suicide in our Colorado entertainment community." The planned 30th anniversary Red Rocks showing of U2's "Under a Blood Red Sky", a foundation fundraiser in conjunction with the Denver Film Society, was cancelled so as not to compete with fundraising efforts for the devastating mid-September Colorado floods. They plan to show the film in 2014 as part of the popular Film on the Rocks series.[9]

Years ago, Fey had made a deal with a former mayor of Morrison, home of the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, to be buried at the residents-only cemetery just below his beloved Red Rocks, but the paperwork was lost and the request denied. The back-up plan was to scatter Fey's ashes at Red Rocks.[10]

The Denver Post [11] Denver Biz Journals [12] Colorado Westword [13]