Music promoter featured in new book
He’s spent decades making things happen on the Canadian music scene — out of the spotlight, but very much on the go.
Brian Edwards, longtime music promoter and founder of Rocklands Entertainment, shares his life story in a new book by Peterborough author Ed Arnold.
“The Promoter,” which comes out Friday, follows Edwards from his music-loving childhood in Peterborough to stages around the world.
The Cordova Mines native was the youngest person ever granted a booking agency licence in North America at 17, and has promoted more than 5,000 live shows since.
“It all started by working in Peterborough back when I was an assistant to local Peterborough disc jockey, ‘Sunshine’ Sean Eyre,” Edwards said earlier this year.
“I started working with Sean when I was 15. One thing led to another and it soon became apparent that working with live entertainment was my calling. The odds at 17 were all stacked against me getting a booking licence, but the right people pulled all the right strings and made it happen.”
Rocklands Entertainment was formed in August 1980 in Peterborough, and is still based here, with an office in Florida. Edwards got off to a big start, booking Tommy Hunter to play the Peterborough Arts and Music Festival, now known as Musicfest. He worked with Hunter for decades afterward.
Since those earliest years, Edwards has worked with stars including Frank Mills, Carroll Baker, Rita MacNeil, Charley Pride and Kitty Wells, connecting them with millions of fans in the United States and Canada.
It was the late music legend Stompin’ Tom Connors who, after listening to another of Edwards’ stories about his life in music, suggested a book.
Edwards turned to Arnold, the retired managing editor of The Examiner and author of numerous books about hockey, true crime and Peterborough history.
In recent years, Rocklands has put together a successful series of Red Green shows.
The book chronicles more than 40 years of Rocklands Entertainment as Edwards opens up about his life, the lives of people he has worked with and how he built a successful career from scratch.
Edwards celebrated the company’ anniversary earlier this year
Excerpts from the book will begin appearing in The Examiner next week.
This 420-page hardcover book includes never-beforeseen photos as well.
Copies will be available as of Friday at brianthepromoter.com or by calling 1-800-4657829.