So, Willie Nelsons family stepped in to help. When Attal faced a weekend's worth of rainouts last season, Jones brokered a deal that allowed both shows to move to La Zona Rosa. By his own admission, he's been quick-tempered, cold, and generally disagreeable for much of his career. Perhaps it's all of the above, although he denies there's any real motive at all. Bobbie is one of Tim O'Connor's dogs that is seeking a new home. "It got me thinking.". Copyright 1981-2023 Austin Chronicle Corp. All rights reserved. Like Willie Nelson, Tim OConnor is a huge part of Austin music history. quips O'Connor. Just as vital to Direct Events' success has been O'Connor's agreement with Pace Productions for the Music Hall and Backyard. I am what I am," he says. That facsimile of the original Backyard was not what Tim Whats Next? OConnor had in mind for his legacy venue. Timothy James O'Connor, 65, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, April 16, 2015 with his family by his side. As cryptic as his warning may be, it's notable that O'Connor also refers to his new alliance as "solidarity by design of defense." "I really cut my teeth in neighborhood negotiations back there -- in all the wrong ways.". Great story Stu, Mike F. is a great soulful singer! Bobbie was preceded in death by her husband, Curly O Connor in 1974; her son, Arvel Franklin; and her parents, Frank and Louise . Tom married his high school sweetheart, Beverly Ford, on July 5, 1952, and they enjoyed 58 years devoted to each other. While both sides had worked through 98% of the differences, SFX's plan to expand the Backyard clashed with O'Connor's vision of how he wanted to leave the facility. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The promoter shouldve retired in 2001, a move he contemplated in an Austin Chronicle cover story that year. He passed in his sleep on April 5 in his longtime home . Here's what you need to know. That arrest led the state of California to declare him an emancipated juvenile; he could now be tried for adult crimes. Learn More. It's not about the extra dollar. While they appear to be getting along famously, neither side denies their relationship is still a house of cards. Like Lance Armstrong, OConnor just couldnt walk away from the action, and suffered the consequences. said it is asking for donations to reimburse TRAPRS for the $2,800 spent. Timothy F. O'Connor Obituary. Timothy OConnor, II, 51, passed away on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 in Ennis, Texas. The arrangement lasted less than two years, with Ramsey bailing first, followed shortly after by Smith. Before long, Georgetown's "Only a Conversation Away" slogan became the Backyard's "Only Three Songs Away. Throughout 1990-91, O'Connor drifted yet again, this time to Minneapolis to work with a group that presented stadium-sized Earth Day concerts featuring acts like Paul McCartney and REM. "I do think it's going to work to the consumer's benefit," reasons Attal, who now shares office space with Jones. He graduated from Plattsburg High School in 1949, and farmed with his father until he joined the US Air Force in 1952. "I don't know if you could quite call us enemies," Attal demurs. Example video title will go here for this video, AUSTIN, Texas Tim OConnor, owner of The Backyard, Austin Music Hall and other live music venues in Austin, died on July 30 from Hodgkin's lymphoma. Memorials and guestbook online at wcfish.com. By sixth grade,. What few of these people will do, however, is tell these stories on the record. TIMOTHY O'CONNOR OBITUARY. When OConnor bought the building at 208 Nueces in Sept. 1994, the Austin Music Hall was its fourth venue that year. Because if you're detected and manage to pierce the bottom of that larger national company's canopy, they're going to come after you.". "The battles I had with him at Pace over why we couldn't do a certain event always came back to the same thing, 'That's not what Austin's about,'" says Hauser. Private Messages It was a messy end to an empire that raised the standard of professionalism in local concert presentations. Tim was born in Lakewood, NJ to Joseph P. O'Connor and Patricia DiGennaro O'Connor on December 4th, 1969. He was of the Catholic Faith. There will be a reception following the service. He sees it as a return to the free flow of information that he found in the Castle Creek days. Moreover, O'Connor has also long been Austin's king of the private party, hosting as many 200 private events a year at his three venues. The deal Willie made with Terrace Motel owner Dude McCandless included 14 acres on South Congress at Academy for just over a million dollars. On Oct. 1, 1957, he proudly became an employee of IBM and enjoyed a career of 30 years - with 22 of them in Kansas City, MO, and 8 in San Jose, CA before retiring in Austin, TX. Grabbing Nelson's beloved guitar Trigger, pushing the country music icon into a waiting car, and beating a hasty retreat, O'Connor had no idea that the cowboys rushing the stage were merely fans who loved Willie and wanted to show their appreciation. James Timothy OConnor, his adopted name, came to Austin in 1972 to open Castle Creek with his Colorado buddy Doug Moyes. Why don't we wait a little while and maybe we'll catch up with you. That would be good enough for me.". Maureen Margaret O'Connor, age 75, of Austin, Texas passed away on Friday, February 24, 2023. Although O'Connor admits there's still "conversations at different levels" about how the deal might be salvaged, he says a group of well-financed smaller promoters could perhaps team up to purchase the Backyard. When OConnor passed away from Hodgkins lymphoma in July 2021 at age 76, the music community went into mourning. He went on to receive and Associates Degree from TSTC. After significant renovations, he lost nearly $140,000 its opening year and half that its second. It re-opened as Phase I, and everyone agreed that Phase II better address the acoustics, which had been touted as state-of-the-art. Timothy O'Connor Stanton Timothy O'Connor Stanton, born in Ottawa, Illinois on March 3, 1951, passed away June 2, 2008 after a lengthy and courageous fight. The only way for promoters to make real money is on ancillary goods and services: alcohol, food, a percentage of a band's merchandising, and ticket fees. Through an introduction from Jim Ramsey, O'Connor was brought in to consult on a club called the River's Edge, located at Second and Nueces. Email admin@steelguitarforum.com for technical support. . Now, as his relationship with SFX, the country's largest concert promoter, nears contractual completion, the impact of O'Connor's retirement on the local promotions pool is unknown. You have to build a base on a fixed income so if you lose it on the concert side you don't go bust.". Twitter). "Clubs might argue over one act, once a year or so," he says. Turns out O'Connor had shot a label executive with CBS Records, with whom Nelson had just signed. It was the first O'Connor production to require a 747. "Better yet, I told them I'd put on every poster and ad, 'Plenty of free camping in beautiful Travis Heights.' Moving into Michael Martin Murphy's house on 54th across from the DPS and forging fast friendships with musicians like Jerry Jeff Walker and Jimmy Buffet, O'Connor quickly made Castle Creek's bookings competitive. Please join us in Loving, Sharing and Memorializing Christopher Joseph O"Connor on this permanent online memorial. At a benefit in Monterey, O'Connor collapsed onstage. Gail O'Connor's Celebration of Life will take place on Sunday, March 3, 2019 from 5:30 to 9:00 pm at The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria, 3809 W. 35th St. , Austin, TX. Winding up just outside Southern California's Laguna Beach, O'Connor approached a house for sale and asked the family moving out if they'd pay him to help. Travis Heights wouldn't be free of O'Connor until 1990. "We had a lot of fun, a lot of drinking," says O'Connor, who ran for his freshman class vice-presidency and won. I wanna work your joint.'". Amy captured the rescue on video. But he had a special connection with the pit mix Bruiser, the oldest and scrappiest of the bunch. One night they'd be working against nuclear weaponry, the next for prison reform. Once again, the good times didn't last -- local authorities asked him to leave town. He is preceded in death by his brother, Thomas OConnor, his foster-father, Billy Bowden and step mother, Kay OConnor. There was other drama as well: He'd been caught attempting to steal a WWI cannon from the town post office. If producing five nights at Madison Square Garden wasn't experience enough, O'Connor found himself immersed in a contact sport; By working closely with artists like Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne for charitable causes, he was rapidly building a national network of artists, managers, and booking agents. Separated from his wife, the couple later returned to Kansas to try and make the marriage work. Austin Owen O'Connor, 66 of Loogootee, was called home at 9:33 a.m. Friday, December 4, 2020 at Loogootee Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. After a short stint at a Jesuit high school, he was again shipped away for discipline: this time to Kemper Military School in Booneville, Missouri. Timothy O'Connor, II, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store. By all means necessary. He was born in Clinton County, Missouri, Nov. 10, 1931 to B. T. and Agnes OConnor. According to its website,Bobbieis just a little over two years old andYoyois about four months old. With the $60,000 those lots sold for, the Austin Opera House was up and running. And while monopolies are generally bad for the consumer, in the concert business, they tend to work to the ticket buyer's advantage: Promoters paying less for shows typically pass it on to the consumer to increase attendance and thus increase alcohol sales and other ancillary revenue. "Can you imagine sending a guy like me over as an ambassador of goodwill?" Three years later, O'Connor's life changed again, this time by his own choice. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. Tim was an aircraft mechanic and was employed by UPS for over 35 years. Even today, promoters often walk away at the end of the year making as little as 5% of the door's receipts. SFX. "I think a fair amount of folks will come," he says. With Nelson's own tax problems, O'Connor didn't have time to implement his traditional Plan B and wound up selling the Opera House at a "fire-sale" price. "Tim and Willie were an odd couple," says Arlyn's Freddy Fletcher, Nelson's nephew. Timothy was a member of the Masonic Lodge. Then again, once a drifter, always a drifter; this time, O'Connor settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and hooked up with a friend from his Colorado days, songwriter Tom Campbell. What's done is done. And if you're always looking out for your town and its fans, look what happens. cover story that year. "That's where I learned to present the best show -- show by show. Copyright 2003 - 23 J.E. Two dogs, Bobbie and Yoyo, remain. Today, he owns three of the city's most popular venues: La Zona Rosa, the Austin Music Hall, and the Backyard. I think Ill let you negotiate all my deals with Columbia, was Willies response. January 1993, they bought 13 acres in Bee Caves and began work on the Backyard and its Live Oak Amphitheater, a nearly 3,000-seat outdoor venue. During the same period, he rented Laguna Beach High's gym for $50 and threw a concert featuring a semi-popular local band. "Willie had long been my songwriting hero," explains O'Connor, "and out of the blue, he just walked in, asked for me, and said, 'Hi. Tim O'Connor, Direct Events, The Backyard, The Austin Music Hall, La Zona Rosa, Castle Creek, The Austin Opera House, Pace Concerts, SFX, Willie Nelson, Information is power. Support the Chronicle, O'Connor (l) with Willie Nelson and Darrell Royal backstage at the Austin Opera House, 1979, O'Connor (l) with Willie Nelson at the opening of the Backyard, April 15, 1993, O'Connor with MiddleMan Music's Charlie Jones (l) and Stubb's' Charles Attal, Antones, 1979: Hurricane Margaret blows in, Everything back then felt like us versus them and she was one of us, One click gets you all the newsletters listed below, Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events. View The Obituary For Christopher Joseph O"Connor. We're talking about a concert promoter 30 years later. O'Connor doesn't deny he made his share of enemies at the Opera House, but he also maintains that the concert business was changing so rapidly in the early Eighties that the need to enforce a level of professionalism by any means necessary was that much more important. Guestbook Condolences Memorial Donation. "When I was there, my goal was to mediate and to make sure everything made money," says Hauser, a booking agent at the William Morris Agency's Nashville office. you are the only one i can imagine to put all this into words of love and reality and yesteryear succinctly and soufully. By flying around the country to meet with agents and sending follow-up packages of barbecue, Attal has earned a reputation within the industry as a dedicated player. TRAPRS helped provide boarding, rehabilitation and training for Bobbie and Yoyo. It started out as Acropolis dance club, then was Blind Alley for a couple months, and then saw the return of promoter Jim Ramsey with Rivers Edge. RESCHEDULED FROM 2/2: Branzino, Shooks, Otis Wilkins. This was one of those nights. On those nights it was a listening room. "Every other time we'd get behind in taxes or I'd miscalculate someway, I'd call Willie and he'd come in and play five dates. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. 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