Legendary Denver concert promoter Barry Fey's memoir a must for music fans

As a high school and college student in Denver I attended A LOT of concerts. And like most kids that age, I also listened to the radio all the time (this was pre-iPod) so the name Barry Fey became very familiar in my  house.

 He was all over the AM/FM dial, and his gregarious personality made him a DJ favorite. When it came to the concert scene in the Mile High City and beyond, it all went through the Denver-based Fey.

Fey’s career as a concert promoter began in the 1960s and ran until the late ’90s, and during that time he built his company, Feyline, into a respected and powerful organization. In the ’60s, his Denver Pop Festival featured the final performance of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. During the 1980s, Feyline’s Summer of Stars series put Red Rocks on the map, making it a must-play venue for many acts. U2’s performance of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” at the now world famous Morrison venue in the “U2 Live at Red Rocks” film was even named one of Rolling Stone magazines “50 Moments That Changed Rock and Roll.”

And of course you can add bailing out the Denver Symphony from bankruptcy, saving the Paramount Theater from the wrecking ball and restructuring the Colorado Symphony Orchestra to keep it afloat to his resume as well.

Simply stated, Fey’s impact on music in Colorado is enormous. Which is what makes his recently released tell-all memoir “Backstage Past” something I can’t wait to get my hands on. If you’re even just a little bit interested in hearing the behind the scenes stories of acts like John Denver, The Rolling Stones, The Who and Bruce Springsteen, among others, from one of Colorado’s most successful entrepreneurs, I recommend at least checking out his website to read some transcript excerpts (barryfey.com). If you’re a fan of music, you owe it to yourself to see if his book is for you.

 You can order it starting today.