Alex Cooley collection

Collection

Identifier: M207

Staff Only
Not requestable

Scope and Content of the Collection

The Alex Cooley collection is comprised of administrative information and promotional materials for festivals and concerts of the early 1970s in both the Atlanta area and Puerto Rico. The bulk of materials are from various production companies and musical events. The files of the first series, Series I: Administrative and Legal Records, provides a glimpse into the business side of Alex Cooley's concert and festival productions in Georgia and the Caribbean. Contracts and legal documents, as well as company files and correspondence, detail the organization and management of Cooley's various performance productions. Series II: Advertising and Publicity, illustrates the types of promotion and publicity for the different acts that Alex Cooley and his various companies brought to Atlanta and the South. Items include concert programs, magazines, newspaper clippings, and various promotional materials.

Dates

Creation: 1969-1976, 1978

Creator

Cooley, Alex (Person)

Restrictions on access

Collection is open for research use.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

History of Alex Cooley and Atlanta Music

Alex Cooley has been a promoter of musical acts and entertainment in the Atlanta area for more than three decades. Recognized for his music industry efforts by Clear Channel Entertainment with a 2004 Atlanta Heroes Award, Cooley is "a legendary promoter in the Atlanta market." From 1969-1972, he produced two Atlanta Pop festivals, co-promoted a pop festival in Texas, and was the force behind two Puerto Rican music festivals. In the 1980s, after partnering with Peter Conlon, the duo promoted more than 300 shows a year, including concerts at Phillips Arena and the Fox Theatre. Cooley and Conlon also produced the Chastain Park Summer Concert Series and created the Music Midtown Festival in downtown Atlanta.

History of the Summer Music Festivals of the South

More than a month before the three days of Woodstock in August of 1969, there was the July 4-5 Atlanta International Pop Festival. Held at the Atlanta International Raceway, this outdoor music concert "set the standard for large-scale festival events." Later that summer, Cooley partnered with Angus Wynne to form the Interpop Superfest company and from August 30th to September 1 held the Texas International Pop Festival. A year later, the 1970 Atlanta Pop Festival was held in Byron, Georgia. "Like Woodstock the previous summer, the event was promoted as "three days of peace, love and music. On the bill were Jimi Hendrix, the Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull, B.B. King, Ravi Shankar, and others....While the Atlanta festival never garnered the national attention of the festivals in ...New York, and ...California" it was considered the Woodstock of the South.

Commercial Music Department at Georgia State University

Commercial Music-Recording classes were first offered through Georgia State University's School of General Studies in 1969 as an Associate of Science degree program. In 1983 a Bachelor's of Science degree was offered through the College of Public and Urban Affairs. By the 1991-1992 school year, a Bachelor's of Music with a Concentration in Music Industry was made available under the direction of the School of Music. Currently, a Bachelor's of Music can still be obtained through the school's Music Recording Technology program.

Extent

4.5 Linear Feet (in 6 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract:

Alex Cooley has been a promoter of musical acts and entertainment in the Atlanta area for more than three decades. In the 1980s, after partnering with Peter Conlon, the duo promoted more than 300 shows a year, including concerts at Phillips Arena and the Fox Theatre. Cooley and Conlon also produced the Chastain Park Summer Concert Series and created the Music Midtown Festival in downtown Atlanta. The Alex Cooley collection is comprised of administrative information and promotional materials for festivals and concerts of the early 1970s in both the Atlanta area and Puerto Rico. The bulk of materials are from various production companies and musical events.