Musician's Agent

CHRISTOPHER DALSTON, INTERNATIONAL AGENT, CREATIVE ARTISTS AGENCY

Christopher Dalston was a photographer on the European golf circuit, working

for a small photography company in Leeds, England when he decided that he needed

a change. "I'd been to America and I really liked it," he recalls. He moved to Miami,

Florida and signed on as ship's photographer aboard the

SS Norway for three years.

During that time, he became friendly with Phyllis Diller's road manager, and the

comedienne offered to help him find a job if he was interested in getting into the

entertainment industry. "I was pretty naive. One day, I just gave her a call and she

ended up getting me a job working for The Amazing Kreskin." Dalston relocated to

New Jersey and for the next two years he saw every corner of the United States,

serving as road manager for the mentalist. At a show in Los Angeles, Dalston met

three agents from the newly formed Triad Artists Agency. "They said, `If you ever

want to get off the road and get a proper job, give us a call.'" Dalston made the call.

"I started answering the phone, `Good morning, Triad Artists,' and I was pro-

moted to receptionist, to floater, and to assistant. Then, they made me a club agent."

When his boss walked out to take a job at rival William Morris Agency, Dalston

inherited his workload, in true trial-by-fire style and organized international tours for

George Michael and Whitney Houston. Later, when William Morris bought Triad

Artists, Dalston finished out the remaining two years of his contract, then moved to

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1995. www.caa.com

BUCK WILLIAMS, PRESIDENT/OWNER, PROGRESSIVE GLOBAL AGENCY

Music was a driving force in Buck Williams' life from a young age. He grew up in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina and became part of a band in high school. "Eventually, it

had James Taylor in it and his older brother, Alex Taylor, was the lead singer."

Following graduation, Williams served a stint in the army. When he returned to

North Carolina, he discovered a band and decided to call James Taylor, now a major

star, for advice on how to proceed working with the group. Taylor suggested a New

York contact, and thus began William's learning curve, talking to people already in

the business. He got a job with an independent booking agency in North Carolina,

selling talent to colleges and clubs, as well as managing and road managing small acts

signed to the agency. "Then I went on the road with Alex Taylor and toured with him

as a roadie, gopher, harmonica player, and sidekick. I later ended up managing Alex

and I booked all of his dates. From managing Alex, I learned a lot about promoting

shows. I learned about negotiating and I learned about riders."

The skills he gained working with Taylor were an asset when Williams moved to

Washington D.C. and began promoting concerts. "Mostly I promoted jazz concerts at

Kennedy Center," and later worked into the Raleigh, North Carolina area with acts

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Musician's Agent - Page 4