Elliot Roberts, NeilYoung's Longtime Manager, Dies at 76
’s manager since 1967 in what may be the longest-lasting manager/client relationship in rock ‘n’ roll, died Friday morning at the age of 76, Young’s publicist confirmed toRoberts was also instrumental in the early career of Joni Mitchell, whom he managed until 1985. Roberts and Mitchell moved to Los Angeles nearly at the same time after meeting on the Greenwich Village folk scene and they both quickly became key figures in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon rock scene.
After getting out of the label game and going his own way as a manager, Roberts’ Lookout Management took on the careers of artists including Tom Petty, Talking Heads, Yes, Morrissey, Devo, Tracy Chapman, Bad Religion and Spiritualized. But in later years, especially, it was Young with whom Roberts remained joined at the hip in the eyes of the music business.
“How did I know Elliot was the one? It was obvious. He was a lotta fun,” Young said in his biography, “Shakey,” written by Jimmy McDonough. “As long as I give Elliot good direction, he does what he has to do to protect me … Elliot’s got soul.” In “The Operator,” his biography of Geffen, Tom King observed, “Of all the friends Geffen made in the Morris office, Roberts was the one who saw Geffen’s gift most clearly and who recognized that his own talent, matched with Geffen’s, would make a potent combination.”
Mitchell, her manager Roberts and her agent Geffen all soon moved to L.A., where she took up residence in Laurel Canyon, then the city’s booming music community. The young reps were thrust into the hottest scene in the country. A management company built around their connections seemed a natural.
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