BLABBERMOUTH.NET
Joe Satriani's longtime manager
Mick Brigden died on September 5 following an accident on his property at his home in Santa Rosa, California. He was 73.
Mick spent decades managing and road managing the likes of
HUMBLE PIE,
MOUNTAIN and
Peter Frampton, in addition to
Van Morrison,
Taj Mahal and
Carlos Santana, among others. He directed tours for
THE ROLLING STONES and
Bob Dylan and is perhaps best known for the last three decades managing
Satriani's career.
Born November 4, 1947 in Southend-On-Sea, England,
Brigden left for Canada at the age of 19, settling in Toronto as a graphic artist before finding his way to New York after meeting
MOUNTAIN's
Felix Pappalardi in the late 1960s and becoming their road manager. As luck would have it, in July 1969 he met both
Bill Graham and his future wife
Julia at a concert they all attended at the Fillmore West and
Brigden "fell in love with San Francisco."
In 1976, after working for
Graham for seven years,
Mick took the reins at the management division of
Bill Graham Presents, co-leading alongside
Arnie Pustilink, who succumbed to cancer on August 20. Recently
Brigden told
Billboard about his 25-year working relationship with
Pustilnik: "The two of us formed, I think, a left brain-right brain relationship that worked very well for our acts."
Pustilnik was the radio promotion side with
Brigden more adept at the creative and touring sides.
While working at
BGP,
Brigden and
Pustilnik launched the
Columbia-distributed label
Wolfgang Records in the late 1970s. The label's first signing was the up-and-coming artist
Eddie Money, and
Wolfgang released his double-platinum debut in 1977 followed by four more albums. In the 1980s, the label waned but in 1995 it revived when they released
Money's
"Love And Money", among others.
Following
Graham's death in 1991,
Brigden and
Pustilnik joined 13 other employees of
Bill Graham, purchasing 90% of the company with the remaining 10% held by
Graham's two sons. In the early 2000s, when
Pustiknik's health began to deteriorate, he and
Brigden sold the management business and
Brigden opened
MJJ with
Satriani as his sole client.
Brigden later joined forces with longtime
Sammy Hagar manager "
Carter" (a.k.a.
John Carter) managing
CHICKENFOOT, the new rock group
Hagar had formed with
Joe Satriani,
Michael Anthony and
Chad Smith before
Carter passed from cancer just over a decade ago. More recently,
Brigden brought on
Bill Graham alumni
Morty Wiggins to partner on day-to-day management duties for
Satriani.
After many years living in Marin Country,
Mick settled down with
Julia in the wine-laced hills of Santa Rosa in 2001. It was here that he discovered a new-found talent for growing grapes in his vineyard, used to make an exclusive Owl Ridge cabernet.
Brigden was also a true cycling enthusiast and old school — he rode a vintage Bianchi steel-framed bike he bought and had shipped from Italy during the massive 1982 European
ROLLING STONES tour he worked on.
Mick is survived by his loving wife
Julia, his beloved son
Jack, stepdaughter
Jessica and grandson
David Merz.
At this time, memorial plans are pending. As an animal lover, his family asks that any donations in
Mick's name be sent to
The Humane Society of Sonoma County.
Joe Satriani on his dear friend and mentor
Mick Brigden: "It's been a crazy and wonderful 33 years of rock 'n' roll. I've never worked so hard, played so hard, laughed and cried so hard, made so much music and had so many worldwide adventures, and all with
Mick by my side. He was the ultimate music business mentor. Honest, tough, nurturing, hardworking, respectful, tenacious, insightful, he was all of things and more. I learned so much about how to be a good person from
Mick. Throughout his illustrious career he worked the biggest and the best, but always knew it was important to be kind, be respectful, be cool and do things the right way.
"He, along with the entire
BGM team, guided my solo career from its start.
Mick was always full of energy and endlessly creative. He could help you get an album project organized, pick the right mix, pick a single, help with album artwork, book a tour, manage a tour, review the contracts, crack the whip with a smile and get a table at the right restaurant when you needed one. And, then, over a few glasses of wine, share his feelings and insights, listen to yours, and remind you to smell the roses along the way."
Read
Joe's full essay
here.