MAKING A SOUND LIVING
Scott Boorey: 40 Years Of Musical “Abracadabra” By Lori Baldassi
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efore you get to your seat at the concert, there is a kaleidoscope of moving parts and people working behind the curtain. They are nameless, faceless, dedicated tradespeople who coordinate themselves with military precision to put an artist on the stage to bring you the very best experience. Without their timing, knowledge and musical expertise, shows don’t happen, tours don’t happen and most artists are crippled without them. For The Steve Miller Band their Sergeant At Arms is Scott Boorey, a 40 year veteran of everything attached to the management of a musician. Through the years, Boorey has experienced the music industry from a musician, a seat on the tour bus, collecting pay from hidden offices in the back of smoky bars and hotel rooms, to the office suites of the most influential powerhouses of the music industry. It was his place in the high school marching band in need of new uniforms that propelled him to produce his first show. Can you imagine at the age of 17 persuading eight parents to pony up $500 each, cold-calling legendary promoter Bill Graham and through him not only booking Elvin Bishop and Tower of Power, but taking care of the staging lights and sound? A sold-out show gave the band their uniforms and sparked Boorey’s natural ability to get it all done.
An accomplished musician himself, Boorey’s side-hustle was managing a local music store called Leo’s Music, in San Francisco, where he dealt with artists like Santana, Jefferson Starship and The Grateful Dead and interacted with numerous managers and musicians assisting them in purchasing their gear. After leaving his own band and the music store, Boorey dedicated his attention to a group called Y&T (Yesterday and Today). He was negotiating record deals, co-producing and engineering the music as well as booking and managing tours for a solid 10 years. Running on that frequency can burn out even the most diehard people. Not Boorey! He absorbed every moment and loved it. The band saw concrete success as an opening act for major artists that garnered their own hits in Europe and the United States. A shakeup at their record label made them a causality of cuts that ended the band and therefore Boorey’s job. His career pivot was headed into finance when a call from his long time Bay area friend, legendary Manager Herbie Herbert (Santana, Journey) set the wheels in motion to manage Gregg Rolie (Santana, Journey, Abraxas The Storm). For the last 26 years (never missed a show I might add) he has managed and mixed sound for The Steve Miller Band. Boorey spoke with me from his home in California in January between phone calls booking the band’s 2020 tour. (See tour dates on: SteveMillerBand.com).
B IZ X M A G A Z IN E • M A R C H 2 0 2 0
Scott Boorey — manager of Steve Miller and Gregg Rolie — still “Fly(s) Like an Eagle”. Photo courtesy of David Woo.
Biz X: Does being a musician make a big difference in how you perform your duties as a manager? Scott Boorey (SB): Absolutely. It was when I had my own band that I learned where to put the microphones, how to EQ the drums, where the equipment on stage should be and so forth. Again, I never went to school for any of this, I just had an ear for what was right and what wasn’t. I attribute that to being a musician. Today, you would be surprised at how many managers cut costs on the sound only because they don’t really know what is good. They know what’s too loud, but that’s about it. When I made my management deal with Steve Miller the contract specifically stated that I mix the shows. Biz X: What are the top five things you need to be a tour manager? SB: 1) Honesty. I pride myself on that and my reputation, a deal is a deal I will hold people accountable. 2) I have a saying “Everybody deserves to make a buck, but you have to be equally smart enough to understand when it’s
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