Chuck Morris
For almost 40 years, promoter Chuck Morris has been a driving force in the Colorado music community.
After moving to Boulder from New York City in the late 1960’s to pursue a doctorate in Political Science at the University of Colorado, Chuck built the legendary Tulagi nightclub in Boulder (1970- 1973), which included first tours by such notable acts as Doobie Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, ZZ Top and many others. Tulagi was Billboard Magazine’s Club of the Year in 1975 and 1976.
Following Tulagi, he owned and managed the equally famous Ebbetts Field nightclub in Denver (1974-1978) which also brought in early tours from such varied acts as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steve Martin, Carole King, Richard Pryor and many others.
Morris then joined giant promoter Barry Fey as Senior Vice President of Feyline, responsible for running the booking and promoting department and was involved in such varied artists as Rolling Stones, the Who, Parliament Funkadelics and Willie Nelson.
Morris left the promoting world to run a successful music management company (1986-present) which has represented such artists as Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Lyle Lovett, Suzy Bogguss, Highway 101, Leftover Salmon, Leo Kottke and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Chuck Morris Entertainment currently manages Leo Kottke.
In January 1998, Morris launched Bill Graham Presents/Chuck Morris Presents, a partnership with the San Francisco-based promotion house founded by concert pioneer Bill Graham. This company was purchased by SFX and ultimately, all of SFX was purchased by Clear Channel Entertainment and then became Live Nation.
In a period of five years, Chuck and his staff have had an amazing chain of successes. Starting from an office of just two, the company went from 42 shows in its first year, 110 in its second year, 140 in its third year and currently does about 200 shows a year. Most notably, Chuck found the site and helped develop the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver which is considered by many to be the finest mid-size concert hall in the country. Notable acts that have performed there include Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Sting, David Bowie, REM, Kanye West, Ludacris, Lil Jon and Alicia Keys.
In the summer of 2002, Morris, in a partnership with Kroenke Sports Enterprises, opened “The Universal Lending CityLights Pavilion” in downtown Denver, a 5,000 seat amphitheater that is modeled after Harborlights in Boston. Highlighted shows included Barry Manilow, John Mayer, Dave Chappelle and Marc Anthony, just to name a few. With Chuck’s vision and in partnership with Kroenke Sports Enterprises, Universal Lending Pavilion has been host to numerous charity concerts and events, including Mullen High School fundraiser, Wines for Life, Outward Bound, Concerts for Kids and many others.
In June, 2007 Chuck joined AEG Live as President-CEO of the Rocky Mountain Region. AEG Live is one the leading providers of live entertainment and sports in the world. AEG Worldwide owns the LA Kings, LA Galaxy, LA Riptide and half of the LA Lakers. AEG Worldwide also owns the Staples Center, the Home Depot Center, Nokia Theaters in Los Angeles, Dallas, New York and the new O2 in London. AEG Live Rocky Mountains books the Bluebird Theater, Ogden Theatre, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado as well as producing shows in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.
During the summer of 2008, Chuck and AEG Live very proudly produced and promoted the first ever Mile High Music Festival. This citywide music festival held at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, featured musical acts the likes of Tom Petty and Heartbreakers, John Mayer, and the Dave Matthews Band.
Chuck also is on the Democratic National Convention Special Events Committee, a board member of the American Transplant Foundation and the Donna Wheeler Foundation.
Chuck and his lovely wife Becky Morris are very active in an annual charity event that raises money for Park Hill Elementary.
Chuck has five children ranging from ages 28 to 10 years old.
