AN AMAZING AND DETAILED INTERVIEW INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL CAREER OF
DAVID LIBERT
CLICK THE YOUTUBE BOX BELOW TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN IT'S ENTIRETY
David Libert had such a long and interesting career in the music business, his friends encouraged him to write a book about it…so he did.
The result is an autobiography 50-plus years in the making aptly entitled Rock and Roll Warrior, recently released on Sunset Blvd Books. It’s a chronicle of David’s inner circle life in the music industry as a popular international performer, singer/songwriter, tour manager, booking agent, producer, and drug dealer on the Sunset Strip. It’s a story so wild, so crazy, so over-the-top that it can only be true. You can’t make this stuff up!
ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY HERE...
In his book, he shares with the reader unvarnished, no-holds-barred, stories of his life in the rock ‘n roll fast lane on the road, backstage, on private jets and inside notorious after-show parties with music legends in the era of free-spirit, hard driving rock ‘n’ roll and R&B. It’s life on the road in technicolor. A roller coaster ride peek behind the curtain at the good, the bad and the ugly in the music biz of years gone by.
David took time out of his schedule to talk with Bill Hernandez at Rockbandreviews.com and discuss his 50-plus years as a singer/songwriter, producer, band manager, and tour manager for some of the biggest names in music.
Hailing from Paterson, New Jersey, he co-founded The Happenings with three high school pals shortly after graduation. The Happenings went on to have several hit records including "See You in September" and "I Got Rhythm.” "See You In September" and "I Got Rhythm" were on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for 14 weeks in 1966 and 13 weeks in 1967, respectively, and both songs peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 charts at #3.
Sales for both "See You in September" and "I Got Rhythm" exceeded one million copies, resulting in R.I.A.A. gold record awards by 1969. The group had nine Billboard Hot 100 Singles hits from 1966 to 1968, including versions of "Go Away Little Girl" (#12) (a #1 hit for Steve Lawrence in 1963 and later for Donny Osmond in 1971) and "My Mammy" (#13) (popularized by Al Jolson in the 1920s). They also both achieved sales of over one million copies, garnering the group another couple of gold records.
Libert left the group to become a booking agent and eventually a tour manager. After a brief stint as road manager for Rare Earth, Libert became tour manager for Alice Cooper during Alice's most formidable years (1971–1975). Libert figured prominently in Bob Greene's book about accompanying Cooper's band on 1973's Billion Dollar Babies tour. Libert also was credited for singing background vocals on the Billion Dollar Babies album which was recorded at Morgan Studios in London in 1973. He remains friendly with Alice to this day.
In 1975, Libert migrated from New York to Los Angeles and in 1976, opened the David Libert Management Agency which represented George Clinton, Parliament/Funkadelic, Bootsy's Rubber Band and The Runaways (Cherie Currie, Joan Jett, Lita Ford).
In the early 80s, he met Prince through Sheila E, who was one of his management clients at the time. Sheila E opened for Prince on the legendary Purple Rain tour and Libert spent a lot of time hanging with Prince, many times assisting Prince with his shows.
In the late 90s, Libert formed Available Entertainment with entertainment attorney Alan Oken. Available Entertainment went on to represent George Clinton, Parliament/Funkadelic, Brian Auger, Living Colour, Sheila E, Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, amongst others.
Libert also wrote hit songs for other artists including The Tokens, The Chiffons and Gerry & The Pacemakers.
Libert has promoted many concerts throughout his career including sold out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York (George Clinton) and the Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in Kansas City (Kool and the Gang).
His record producing credits include co-producing The Happenings album, Piece of Mind, with fellow Happenings co-founder Bobby Miranda, as well as producing on his own - Tomi Rae Brown, Attus, Steel Water Blue and Eric Kellogg's Imaginary Band.
Despite his success, Libert eventually became involved in drugs and, for a time, began dealing drugs before being busted and paying the price for it with jail time.
But he regrouped and made a successful return to the music industry as a manager, working with acts including Living Colour and Vanilla Fudge, who were respectful of his knowledge and skills and were happy to work with him.
These days, soon to be 80 years young, David is enjoying a much more relaxed and less hectic life. He lives in Southern California and is a devoted animal rights activist, helping to find homes for animals that desperately need one.
There’s talk about the book being made into a feature length film as well, which excites David to no end.
A few fun quotes from some of David’s friends about the book:
While looking back at the WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE tour,
there was only one person who could have been the road manager.
David Libert was somehow on the same frequency as the cast and
crew’s collective madness. If the fires of insanity were burning,
David Libert was fanning the flames. Every morning’s flight
began with roll call and the ‘ball’ scores.
—ALICE COOPER
First as booking agent and then as personal manager for
Parliament-Funkadelic during our wildest tours, David Libert
was Mission Control for the Mothership.
—GEORGE CLINTON, Dr. Funkenstein
In the dog-eat-dog world of Rock and Roll in the ‘70s and ‘80s,
Dave Libert was known for his upbeat style, his ruthlessness in
business and his epic Hollywood Hills parties. He wore many hats
as a booking agent and manager, and in those days, you couldn’t
find anyone better. Thanks for the memories, Dave!
—CHERIE CURRIE, The Runaways
ROCKBANDREVIEWS.COM / 2022-2023
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