Co-founder of Chrysalis Records and Founder/President of The Imago Recording Company Terry Ellis has had a long and illustrious career in the music business. His notable past includes work with such music giants as Jethro Tull, Blondie, David Bowie and Roxy Music. During a keynote address on Saturday, May 10th at CMW 2014, the music mogul will examine the history of the music business, offer insights into today’s marketplace, and put the technological changes that appear to be turning the business on its head into true perspective.
As one of the architects of the British Invasion of the 1960’s and 1970’s, Terry Ellis was responsible for guiding the careers of Jethro Tull, Blondie, Pat Benatar. Billy Idol, Huey Lewis and the News, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Roxy Music, King Crimson, Yes, Procol Harum, Robin Trower, Spandau Ballet, Leo Sayer, and many, many more. With his partner and promoter Chris Wright he founded the Ellis Wright agency that he built from a small artistbooking agency into Chrysalis – one of the most successful independent groups of companies in the music industry. With subsidiaries involved in artist management, booking, record labels, music publishing, concert promotion and venue management, the company soon entered the recording studio business with Beatles producer Sir George Martin. In one capacity or another, Chrysalis represented every important influence in British music in the 1970s.
By his early thirties, Terry was living in The British Virgin Islands and walking through the corridors of power of American rock’n’roll as Chairman of the Recording Industry Association of America. He was the only non-American to ever lead the world of US pop music, having risen from humble beginnings to develop Chrysalis Records into one of the world’s most successful and powerful independently owned Record companies.
He discovered a nose for talent early on that allowed him to bring to his college artists like The Animals, Cream, Roxy Music and Rod Stewart before they became household names. Terry wrote a pop music column for the University newspaper, The Courier; his backstage interview with Bob Dylan during the 1965 UK tour was memorialized in the Dylan movie, Don’t Look Back, to Terry’s lasting embarrassment! Enamored by the music business, when he graduated, Terry opened his own booking agency. Subsequently, he developed one of the most successful track records in contemporary music for discovering, developing and exploiting the commercial potential of young recording artists.
In the US, Terry discovered and signed to Chrysalis, Blondie, Billy Idol, Pat Benatar and Huey Lewis and the News and took the artists to international success. He produced two made-for-TV movies and developed the award winning TV series Max Headroom. He has also held the Chairmanship of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and served for five years as a member of the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI).
Whilst running the BPI, Terry was responsible for founding the BRIT School of Performing Arts in Croydon, Surrey, whose notable alumni include Adele and Amy Winehouse. After leaving Chrysalis in 1985, Terry formed Imago Records where he had success with artists such as Baby Animals, Captain Hollywood, The Rollins Band, Aimee Mann, Love Spit Love and Paula Cole whose second album, including the hit songs, “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone,” and “I Don’t Want to Wait,’ sold 3 million albums and Paula was awarded the Grammy for “Best New Artist.”
To attend Canadian Music Week, visit the website – www.cmw.net – to register for your delegate pass.
ABOUT CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK:
Canadian Music Week is Canada’s leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries. Combining three information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; a film festival; a comedy festival; four awards shows and the nation’s largest new music festival, CMW spans a five-day period from May 6 to May 10, 2014 at the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel and over 60 downtown Toronto venues, attracting participants from across the globe.  For more information, visit www.cmw.net.
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