08/07/2018
BIO – Ray Reneri
At 14 years of age, Ray Reneri literally fell into the very center of America’s popular music industry, and has been there ever since. While attending one of the legendary Alan Freed multi-day “Rock & Roll” shows at Brooklyn’s Paramount Theater in 1954, he was accidentally pushed down the dressing-room staircase and, unconscious, awakening in the lap of “Do My Twist” bombshell Jo Anne Campbell – and the world of Alan Freed. “The Kid” became “go-fer” to Alan and the major Stars of American popular music, including Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson, Bo Diddley, and Little Anthony & The Imperials, etc. Alan’s “payola” legal troubles notwithstanding, Ray assisted Murray the K, Sid Bernstein, and Clay Cole in setting unprecedented attendance records with the Paramount and Fox shows.
Among his duties was to screen potential hits from Alan’s cardboard box of mailed-in Demo records – with titles such as “Sixteen Candles,” etc., the first step for countless Hits of the 1950s. Ray had his hand on the pulse of what Alan named “Rock & Roll,” developing the role of Tour Manager for the Top bands of the 1950s and ‘60s - including Little Richard, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, The Ronettes, Shirelles, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Dick Clark Cavalcade of Stars touring shows with The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and Tom Jones.
At age 24, “I was just a kid, and found myself in Los Angeles managing the
“comeback career” of Judy Garland, and staying in her house. One day [talent booker/promoter] Sid Bernstein called me, and said “there’s a band that’s really hot in Europe called “The Beatles,” and I want you to bring them to America for me.” Ray replied: “Thanks for thinking of me Sid, but I’m here with Judy Garland, next to her is Frank Sinatra, and across the room is Marilyn Monroe. I don’t need Beetles. They will never make it.” By 1965, Ray was indeed working with Sid and The Beatles on their Shea Stadium show, and tours. He was responsible for “The Jellybean Clause” in their contract, which allowed Ray to take the band off the stage whenever over-zealous fans pelted them with their reported favorite candy, and for the practice of having towels inside the limousines, to protect faces against the shattering glass whenever rampaging fans mobbed the limos, or even turned them over. Ray became the Industry’s go-to “King of the Road,” being responsible for the successful functioning of the initial Tours of The British Invasion bands throughout the country, and the world. Often finding himself “the Adult on the bus” and sometimes being the same age or younger than the performers, he toured with Herman’s Hermits, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Who, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, the McCoys, as well as producing over 60 major shows at Madison Square Garden, including Frank Sinatra’s “The Main Event,” and the equally historic “Garden Party” concert of his friend Ricky Nelson. Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, The Who, Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Animals, Herman’s Hermits, Liza Minelli, Rosemary Clooney, Moscow on Ice, River Dance, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Tom Jones, Willie Nelson, David Cassidy, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Reba McIntyre, Kenny Rogers, The Four Seasons, Jay and the Americans, Tony Bennett, Frankie Avalon, The Yardbirds, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton – the list is endless, recently including his services as Stage Manager for Hurricane Sandy Relief concert “12-12-12” with The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel – and his old friends at Madison Square Garden.
Ray’s Tour Management and Booking responsibilities encompass literally every detail from wardrobe and equipment, air and land transportation (sometimes including armored cars, decoy limousines, delivery trucks, camels, and wrecked limousines throughout the world), hotel accommodations (incl. decoy suites to divert rabid fans, one fan even threatening to jump off the building), and getting everyone paid. Ray’s love for Popular Music and intimate knowledge of the realities and logistics of Stage performance, Touring, and career development continue to keep him constantly busy into his second century of top-level Entertainment Management and hands-on stage production. He is currently compiling a voluminous Autobiography, a video documentary and feature film detailing some of his exploits and hard-won insights, as well as developing new talent for stage, recording, and video production - using modern digital technologies to bring American popular music at its best, to the ears and lives of all generations the world over….as he has personally done since 1954.
Ray suddenly passed away in November, 2016. He left me with his unfinished Memoirs, which I will try to somehow complete, with the help of those who worked with, knew, and you can be sure loved him too. Fortunately, he introduced me to his close friend Tony Belmont, who as a teenager also worked for Alan Freed, and owns the original name "Alan Freed Productions." Tony is a founder/president of the National Comedy Hall of Fame & Museum(R), which he, Steve Allen, and Morey Amsterdam established & registered in 1987. Together we three were developing a revival of Alan's "Rock & Roll Weekends" in Brooklyn...where it all began.
