David Libert Dies: Alice Cooper’s Ex-Tour Manager, Shep Gordon Protégé & The Happenings Co-Founder Was 81
07.03.2024 - 04:46
/ deadline.com
David Libert, a founding member of the ’60s pop group The Happenings as well a tour manager for Alice Cooper and Prince, manager for George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, the Runaways, Living Colour and many more, died February 20, according to a post on his official Instagram page. He was 81.
The title of Libert’s 2022 memoir is Rock and Roll Warrior, and it’s an apt one. Over the course of his decades in the music business, the Paterson, NJ-raised Libert found success as a musician, songwriter, road manager, concert promoter, author and (briefly) drug dealer, for which he spent about a year in prison.
Just out of the Air Force in 1961, Libert started The Happenings with four other kids from Paterson. The group’s major hits were “See You in September” in 1966 and a cover version of George & Ira Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” the following year, both of which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two other singles, covers of “Go Away Little Girl” and “My Mammy,” hit to Top 15.
Despite that success, Libert decided to leave the group in 1970 to pursue other interests that had roots in his unique role with The Happenings.
“I was also the manager of the band. I liked it because I was dealing with record companies and booking agencies, promoters and publicity firms,” said Libert in a recent interview.
His big break came when he connected with supermensch and ubermanager Shep Gordon. Gordon managed Alice Cooper — among many other acts — but, according to Libert, “didn’t want to have to be on the road” because he had so many other responsibilities than just being on tour.
“I owe Shep almost everything that I learned about the business, no doubts,” Libert once said. “Not just tour managing, which I did not