Charles “Chip” Rachlin, the trailblazing agent for Billy Joel and the Beach Boys, died final Wednesday (Jan. 25) following a brief sickness. He was 73.
A rock pioneer, Rachlin, like so many others of his era, had a life-changing expertise when the Beatles carried out on the Ed Sullivan Show again in February 1964. He began a band, the Gremlins. But it was in presenting and showcasing expertise that he discovered his calling.
Born in Summit, New Jersey, Rachlin — a lifelong Yankees fan — realized the ropes as an agent working for Bill Graham at the Fillmore East, and later, as a junior agent with the Millard Agency.
Rachlin and his Fillmore good friend Michael Klenfner confirmed their entrepreneurial chops when, in February 1971, they booked the Beach Boys to headline Carnegie Hall. It was a turning level for everybody concerned, as Rachlin quickly discovered himself representing the group, and its lead singer, the late Carl Wilson throughout his solo profession.
Once Graham closed the Filllmore, “Millard went ‘uptown,’’” remembers Rachlin in a timeline on the Rachlin Entertainment web site.
“We built an All Star Team with Danny Weiner, Tom Ross, Budd Carr and Shelly Schultz,” with a roster that swelled to incorporate Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, America, Seals & Crofts, Loggins & Messina, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, CSN, and Eagles.
By the mid-‘70s, Rachlin was a major figure in ICM’s music division, the place he repped the longer term Rock And Roll Hall of Famers the Beach Boys and a younger Billy Joel.
“By the end of my run with ICM we were the top concert department among the major agencies,” he recounts. “It was an amazing eight years and the best training ground in the music business.”
He toured with the Rolling Stones, and rode the “fantastic rocket ship ride” that was the launch of MTV.
As types and codecs modified, Rachlin went out on his personal. In the early Nineteen Nineties, he launched Rachlin Entertainment, an enterprise that will change into a “unique talent resource” for elite consumers resembling Atlantis Paradise Island within the Bahamas and Cunard Cruise Lines.
Among the success tales for Atlantis Paradise Island are the late David Bowie, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry. It was Rachlin who produced the All Star Tribute To Brian Wilson at Radio City Music Hall in March of 2001, headlined by Elton John, Billy Joel, Paul Simon and plenty of extra.
(*73*) are pouring in for the legendary expertise booker. “Thanks to Chip being my agent in the early days,” writes Billy Joel on social media, “the band and I were able to make a living as performing musicians before I became more widely known as a recording artist. I will always be grateful for his efforts on my behalf back in the day.”
Eagles supervisor Irving Azoff recounts Chip as “not only a pioneer in how the business operates today,” however, for over 40 years, “he remained somebody who I always wanted to hear from.” The veteran music govt provides: “He was an innovator. More importantly, on a one-to-one level, he displayed all the personal qualities that make this business great. He was not just passionate about the music and any artist he worked with but a great person. This one hurts very badly.”
“We’re so saddened to learn of Chip Rachlin’s passing,” reads a publish from the Bill Graham Foundation. Chip “went on to produce an amazing array of events. Along the way, he made many friends who now mourn his loss. Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Rachlin is survived by his spouse Wendy, his sons Josh and Alex, and their prolonged household.
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