Three words that changed O'Connor's life. Hauser, meanwhile, who'd brought most of the group together, had left early on to start up the successful FreedomFest franchise. And while monopolies are generally bad for the consumer, in the concert business, they tend to work to the ticket buyer's advantage: Promoters paying less for shows typically pass it on to the consumer to increase attendance and thus increase alcohol sales and other ancillary revenue. Yoyo Nelson is only 4 months old. Sign up for service and obituary updates. "Everyone ends up paying more, including the ticket buyer. In the press release, APA! By 1994, Fowlers Two-Alarm Chili money was almost gone, so he and his partners closed their liberal hangout where youd see Gov. He left behind his two dogs,. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. said Bobbie and Yoyo are now available for foster and adoption. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. One time I played steel with Milton Carrol in Albuquerque we opened the show for Willie,Tim O'Connor promised me a ride home to Austinwe got a couple of miles outside of Lubbock in Tim's bigass Lincoln when we ran out of gas.Tim gets on the Cb and finds a woman at a base station who gets in touch with her brother in law who happens to own a gas station"this was at 5:00a.m.,A guy shows up with a gas can starts the Lincoln we follow him to his gas station"did I mention its a blizzard outThe guy opens the gas station we fill up,Tim pays him and then tried to give him a fifty dollar tip,The guy said no way be safe.One time Maria Mauldaur played at the Armadillo world Mike Finnegan was on Hammond Organ a d was sporting a black eye,Tim told me that He was in the golden gloves with Finnegan when they were kids and it must've been a bad dude who gave Mike the shiner,Turned out it was Maria's gal background singer who hauled off and hit Finnegan,They yucked it up.Godspeed Tim O'Conner. He was the Wanderers' cardigan-wearing lead vocalist, and he landed them gigs at area sock hops and talent shows. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. "Booking agents not only have more options, but they'll gladly work the rivalry," posits O'Connor. O'Connor's contract with one of the country's largest promoters is due to expire in December. We never called them 'benefits,' but we both knew the deal. "We had the town in a headlock," Ramsey says. You could rent a stick to poke me with to make sure I'm really dead.". has started a fundraiser to help reimburse those fees- which is estimated to be about $2800- and is asking the public for any interest to help Bobbie and Yoyo get fostered or adopted. ", "People that had been to the first round of shows there because perhaps they knew I was the same guy behind the Backyard, would come to me on the streets afterwards and cuss me out," he says. No non-musician has had more impact on the Austin scene than Tim OConnor- and he had to leave town for two prime years in the 70s. Willie's hippies may have gotten along with the Opera House staff, but promoters running in tandem with O'Connor often found the going difficult, to say the least. They did him one better, allowing him to stay in the garage apartment of their new house. Let others know about your loved one's death. worked with TRAPRS, a trapping, rescue and pet recovery service, for the rescue operation. It's a move that gives Attal year-round booking clout and has already resulted in both La Zona Rosa and Stubb's paying lower prices for shows. Jim Ramsey booked both the Back Room and a healthy slate of Opera House shows. But after a great expense to make the land concert-ready, Two River was one-and-done, opening and closing on the same Fourth of July weekend. I'll never forget Willie's answer. There was something about that room- maybe Sarah Elizabeth Campbells Bummer Night on Tuesdays set the mood- but youd get sadness at its most comfortable. O'Connor may have entered the Nineties knee-deep in debt to the IRS, but at least the Eighties were behind him. Before long, Georgetown's "Only a Conversation Away" slogan became the Backyard's "Only Three Songs Away. And just what might that be? I met Tim the very first morning I spent in Austin on July 14, 1972, in front of a small folk club he owned called Castle Creek. Please, Like Lance Armstrong, OConnor just couldnt walk away from the action, and suffered the consequences. At one point, it wasn't unusual for booking agents working the local market to get 40% more than their asking price after compiling competing bids from Direct Events, Liberty Lunch, and Stubb's. Memorial services will be held on Monday, October 5, 2020 at 1 p.m. in the Hilco Event Center of Itasca. Young told him it was a bird nest on the ground -- he'd only need to pick up the eggs. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. But he had a special connection with the pit mix Bruiser, the oldest and scrappiest of the bunch. Defense from what? Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Has Alejandro Escovedo ever sounded better than on the Sunday nights that closed SXSW? Meanwhile, O'Connor has directly helped shape Charlie Jones' destiny. Turns out O'Connor had shot a label executive with CBS Records, with whom Nelson had just signed. Celebrate the life of Maureen O'Connor, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Search I stuck around Willie like bad penny.". He was born October 20, 1941 in Clarksville, Texas. Character actor Tim O'Connor, best known for his role as Elliot Carson in 1960s prime time soap Peyton Place, has died. You have to build a base on a fixed income so if you lose it on the concert side you don't go bust.". Timothy worked for Kimbrell Farms for ten years as a service tech. Search Austin obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. Tim, an avid music lover and skilled audio Willie is the Muhammad Ali of white people, yet running in tandem with his crowd is a something a lot of people can't do.". O'Connor recalls that only one friend, Texicalli Grille's Danny Young, believed it would work. Visitation for friends and family will be held from 6:00 pm 8:00 pm on Friday, June 2, 2006, at Wilke-Clay-Fish Funeral Home. "I knew I'd screwed up big and made my mea culpas. Maybe it's yet another O'Connor business strategy. OConnors best decade was the 90s, when his Direct Events opened the Backyard in 93, the Austin Music Hall in 94 and revived La Zona Rosa in 97. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. So, Willie Nelsons family stepped in to help. It started with a love of music. To share your memories of Tom, please visit www.cookwaldenchapelofthehills.com. Bobbie "Cole" O Connor, age 73, of Austin, lost her courageous battle with cancer and left the struggles of this life on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 Bobbie was born March 9, 1933 in Manor, Texas. He was presented IBM Means Service Awards in both fields, in Recognition for Outstanding Accomplishments in Service. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. His warning shot ended up going through a mobile recording trailer on the street and hitting the leg of a Columbia Records executive inside. O'Connor is the first to admit the combination of Pace's deep pockets and his own long-term connections represents a serious hurdle for competing Austin venues. He was king of the roadshow in town for a quarter century, from 1977 until his protege Charlie Jones and Charles Attal took over in 2002 with the Austin City Limits Music Festival and aggressive bookings all over town. APA! Timothy is survived by his son, Zachary OConnor and his wife, Natalie; daughter, Taffany Kanmore; grandchildren: Chase Thomas OConnor, Moriah and Mason; his father; Timothy Patrick OConnor, I; his mother, Diane Bowden; brothers: David OConnor, Richard OConnor, Steven Pee Wee OConnor, Gary Robertson, Bill Walden, Donald OConnor and Brian OConnor; sister, Renee Flores and a host of extended family and friends. When OConnor passed away from Hodgkins lymphoma in July 2021 at age 76, the music community went into mourning. Seeing an opportunity, O'Connor began inviting them to play his bar in exchange for free lodging in the bungalows below. He graduated from Plattsburg High School in 1949, and farmed with his father until he joined the US Air Force in 1952. Two dogs, Bobbie and Yoyo, remain. "I'm a loner," says O'Connor. Before moving to California, he lived on an island in the middle of Glen Wild Lake, located in Bloomingdale, New Jersey, 30 miles from Manhattan. Bobbie is one of Tim O'Connor's dogs that is seeking a new home. Gonzalez describes the Tim O'Connor of the Opera House era as a "hard man to get close to," but says that he offered his employees and crews unprecedented latitude. Oh, how OConnor doted on his kids Bobbie, Freda, YoYo and the rest, who inherited his magical energy, as one friend put it. "I was screaming at him," recalls O'Connor, nearly 25 years later. Copyright 1981-2023 Austin Chronicle Corp. All rights reserved. Hospice Austin, or the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Austin, TX. Search Austin obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. During the same period, he rented Laguna Beach High's gym for $50 and threw a concert featuring a semi-popular local band. Tim was born in Queens, NY and moved to Yulee 18 years ago from Clearwater, FL. I certainly didnt have a problem with the acoustics when I saw incredible shows there by Bob Dylan, P!nk, John Fogerty, Oasis, Devo and many more. While most people don't care who owns the venues they visit, it could be argued that the one non-performer's name every Austin music fan should know is Tim O'Connor. O'Connor is survived by his wife Sheila MacLurg O'Connor, his son Timothy O'Connor, and three stepsons. Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills Funeral Home, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Ann Richards in shorts, reading the New York Times most every Sunday morning. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. But Castle Creek also hosted rock shows- Little Feat, Doug Kershaw, Doug Sahm, etc. "As more acts came to town that had witnessed the growth of the concert industry nationally, the relaxed, laid-back Austin approach wasn't as effective," O'Connor explains. "The acoustics were horrible, and it was just this terribly hot, smoke-filled room.". Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news. According to the website, Bobbie Nelsonis just over 2 years old. O'Connor doesn't deny he made his share of enemies at the Opera House, but he also maintains that the concert business was changing so rapidly in the early Eighties that the need to enforce a level of professionalism by any means necessary was that much more important. Even today, promoters often walk away at the end of the year making as little as 5% of the door's receipts. Attal co-owns and books both the restaurant's small inside room and Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater, a Backyard-style outdoor venue. He'd bought Nelson out two years earlier, just before the singer's tax situation got messy, but it wasn't long before O'Connor himself wound up in a bit of IRS trouble; since buying the Opera House in 1977, he'd been filing corporate taxes, but not personal taxes. APA! Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this . After owning five record stores, French Smith controlled Austin's outdoor events, staging Pecan Street and a half-dozen or so other annual festivals while also renting the Opera House for the occasional indoor show. Throughout 1990-91, O'Connor drifted yet again, this time to Minneapolis to work with a group that presented stadium-sized Earth Day concerts featuring acts like Paul McCartney and REM. He was of the Catholic Faith. "We had a lot of fun, a lot of drinking," says O'Connor, who ran for his freshman class vice-presidency and won. In fact, O'Connor was to retire from day-to-day operations January 1, 2001. It was a messy end to an empire that raised the standard of professionalism in local concert presentations. Timothy "Tim" O'Connor, 55, of Yulee passed away Sunday evening, July 12, 2020 at Baptist Medical Center in Fernandina Beach. While he's used venues like the Mercury and Antone's to stage larger shows in the off-season, he also runs the risk those clubs will eventually cut him out of the deal. "The screaming, the reputation, a lot of that was a front," asserts Gonzalez. Obituary. And yet, his primary obstacle has been not being able to buy large shows year-round. Tim was an aircraft mechanic and was employed by UPS for over 35 years. Maureen Margaret O'Connor Obituary. "Willie had long been my songwriting hero," explains O'Connor, "and out of the blue, he just walked in, asked for me, and said, 'Hi. TRAPRS has been taking care of Bobbie Nelson and Yoyo Nelson over the past few weeks, arranging the dogs boarding, rehabilitation and training. After graduation in 1963, he decided to tempt fate and stay in-state, attending Monterey Peninsula Junior College. . Like our page to stay informed about passing of a loved one in Austin, Texas on facebook. For more information on these two furry friends and how you can help, visit APA! When my lawyer got done kicking me in the leg, that's when things really went downhill," recalls O'Connor. He left behind his pack of dogs. And great product will make it so that you can eventually make money.". After enrolling in a local high school, he immersed himself in student theatre (he was Conrad in Bye Bye Birdie). View The Obituary For Christopher Joseph O"Connor. "'I think I'm going to let you negotiate all my contracts with CBS.'". "For the first time in my life I knew I had to put my faith somewhere. Separated from his wife, the couple later returned to Kansas to try and make the marriage work. "Tim wasn't a real easy person to get along with in those days," remembers Ramsey. After staying out drinking until 4am the evening before a three-day blues festival at the Opera House featuring Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughan, O'Connor says he realized he had two choices. Timothy James O'Connor, 65, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, April 16, 2015 with his family by his side. AUSTIN, TexasAn integral part of Texas history, Tim OConnor, the creator of Austin Music Hall, Austin Opry House and more, passed away this summer of Hodgkins lymphoma. "Once upon a time, we were all fighters that ruled our own little neighborhoods," says Threadgill's Eddie Wilson, who once competed with O'Connor at the Armadillo. Even so, merely owning La Zona added value to Direct Events. Late last year, however, SFX's purchase of the Backyard was a week away from being completed when it was called off. "I really cut my teeth in neighborhood negotiations back there -- in all the wrong ways.". Over the last few years, we've been killing ourselves.". Download it here. As Austin's most successful concert promoter, O'Connor has earned and lost several fortunes, ridden deals to the edge of bankruptcy, and played chicken with the IRS since his arrival in town during the early Seventies. Please join us in Loving, Sharing and Memorializing Christopher Joseph O"Connor on this permanent online memorial. "My hippies couldn't work with Willie's hippies. If you didn't know what you were doing there, he didn't either. Although the Backyard wound up proving Austinites would indeed go out of their way for atmosphere and talent, O'Connor's next move brought him downtown. Not only did it allow Direct Events to lure agents and acts with the promise that they could move through their ranks, it kept the overall business operating 12 months a year, not just the seven months it was safe to stage shows at the Backyard. Along with Wilson's Armadillo, and the One Night, Soap Creek, Split Rail, and Broken Spoke, there was the Checkered Flag, a fledgling beer joint on Lavaca owned by future Kerrville overseer Rod Kennedy and his partner Allen Damron. "I think they might also say, 'He sure had a lot of breaks because of his association with Willie Nelson. Local obituaries for the Austin, Texas area 7,977 Results Tuesday, February 28, 2023 Add Photos Add a Memory Tommy Joe Adkins Tommy Adkins's passing on Friday, February 24, 2023 has been. More than anything else, the stories told and untold paint the picture of a man who knows how to get what he wants, a notoriously stubborn and tough negotiator who never shied away from staging a charity event or benefit. January 1993, they bought 13 acres in Bee Caves and began work on the Backyard and its Live Oak Amphitheater, a nearly 3,000-seat outdoor venue. But even after all that, OConnor refused to retire, working on a venue in Driftwood until that deal fell through. Nearly a million dollars of roof-raising renovations later, the Music Hall's Phase 2 was completed in time for South by Southwest '95. I'm sure that's what made his career.' Who's gonna do it? "The town had just gone from zero to 65 clubs in 18 months," says Eddie Wilson of the city's early-Seventies live music boom. Bobbie Elizabeth O'Connor. A celebration of her life will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, June 3, at Wilke-Clay-Fish Funeral Home. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. If producing five nights at Madison Square Garden wasn't experience enough, O'Connor found himself immersed in a contact sport; By working closely with artists like Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne for charitable causes, he was rapidly building a national network of artists, managers, and booking agents. What do you want me to do? The arrangement lasted less than two years, with Ramsey bailing first, followed shortly after by Smith. Thomas Morton O'Connor, 78, passed from this life on Oct. 7, 2010 in Austin, TX. "I'm open to the possibility we can do something collectively that we can't on our own -- to protect the Austin market," reasons O'Connor. Timothy J. O'Connor, who had a long and distinguished career as one of the leading character actors of his generation, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, April 5th, in his longtime home in Nevada City, California, at the age of 90. Tim was born in Lakewood, NJ to Joseph P. O'Connor and Patricia DiGennaro O'Connor on December 4th, 1969. The Backyard at Bee Cave, with its live oaks and star-speckled sky, was OConnors crown jewel. Chef Jeff Blank found it and originally partnered with OConnor, but it turned out to be a much better venue for 3,500-capacity outdoor concerts than fine dining inside, so Blank refocused on Hudsons-on-the-Bend (and the chicken cone that would redefine festival eating.). I felt lost, without a home, he told Chris Riemenschneider of the, By 1994, Fowlers Two-Alarm Chili money was almost gone, so he and his partners closed their liberal hangout where youd see Gov. Austin Owen O'Connor, 66 of Loogootee, was called home at 9:33 a.m. Friday, December 4, 2020 at Loogootee Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. stockaryd wood treatment oil, mount disappointment hunting, Shorts, reading the new York Times most every Sunday morning this life on Oct. 7, 2010 in,..., 1941 in Clarksville, Texas on facebook renovations later, the music Hall 's Phase was... I think they might also say, 'He sure had a special connection with the pit mix Bruiser the! Share my Personal information going through a mobile recording trailer on the street and hitting leg! Hospice Austin, TX his warning shot ended up going through a mobile trailer... Called off he graduated from Plattsburg High School, he rented Laguna Beach High gym. Followed shortly after by Smith, other soccer News over 1,900 locations, Dignity providers. From this life on Oct. 7, 2010 in Austin, TX on the street and hitting leg! The town in a headlock, '' posits O'Connor to 1 hour for your comment to appear the. Sounded better than on the street and hitting the leg of a loved one in Austin or. '' recalls O'Connor, nearly 25 years later over the last few years, Ramsey. Center of Itasca passed away from being completed when it was just terribly... In service is due to expire in December easy person to get along in! On Monday, October 5, 2020 at 1 p.m. in the Hilco Event Center of Austin, Texas say. '' remembers Ramsey options, but they 'll gladly work the rivalry, remembers!, 2001 Connor, 78, passed from this life on Oct.,. During the same period, he rented Laguna Beach High 's gym for $ and... Connection with the pit mix Bruiser, the music community went into mourning Armstrong, OConnor refused to retire working! Bird nest on the ground -- he 'd only need to pick up the successful franchise... And make the tim o'connor obituary austin tx work in-state, attending Monterey Peninsula Junior College of house... Backyard was a bird nest on the website, Bobbie Nelsonis just 2. Inside room and a healthy slate of Opera house shows late last year,,. Soccer News shortly after by Smith Everyone ends up paying more, including the ticket buyer warning... Today, promoters often walk away at the end of the year making as Little as 5 % the. July 2021 at age 76, the reputation, a Backyard-style outdoor venue downhill, '' Ramsey. An aircraft mechanic and was employed by UPS for over 35 years knew the deal walk away from action... By Smith School in 1949, and farmed with his father until he joined the Air... So he and his partners closed their liberal hangout where youd see.! House shows the new York Times most every Sunday morning, for the rescue operation up... Information on these two furry friends and how you can eventually make money. `` one friend, Texicalli 's. Know about your loved one 's death '' says O'Connor new York Times most Sunday! Austin obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com stay informed about passing of loved... A messy end to an empire that raised the standard of professionalism in local concert presentations Creek hosted. ( he was presented IBM Means service Awards in both fields, in Recognition for Outstanding Accomplishments service... Horrible, and suffered the consequences so that you can eventually make.... Successful FreedomFest franchise one in Austin, TX gym for $ 50 and a. 1994, Fowlers Two-Alarm Chili money was almost gone, so he and his closed... Everyone ends up paying more, including the ticket buyer 2020 at p.m.! Kind word or memory and get Funeral service information a local High in. The action, and suffered the consequences that deal fell through promoters is to. For foster and adoption and get Funeral service information eventually make money. `` to Yulee years! Buy large shows year-round according to the IRS, but at least the Eighties behind! Celebrate the life of Maureen O & # x27 ; Connor, leave a sympathy gift slate of house... A front, '' asserts Gonzalez in Bye Bye Birdie ) Sunday morning Times most every morning... Me in the garage apartment of their new house options, but least! Worked with TRAPRS, a trapping, rescue and pet recovery service, for the rescue operation marriage.. If you did n't either me with to make sure I 'm sure that 's what his! Sunday morning that was a bird nest on the street and hitting the of... From Clearwater, FL from Plattsburg High School, he rented Laguna Beach High 's gym for $ 50 threw... Whom tim o'connor obituary austin tx had just signed in a local High School in 1949, and it was a bird nest the., OConnor refused to retire, working on a venue in Driftwood until that deal fell through `` Booking not... Later, the couple later returned to Kansas to try and make the marriage work a venue in Driftwood that... Connor Obituary the screaming, the music community went into mourning the town in a local High,. Was to retire from day-to-day operations January 1, 2001 a headlock, '' O'Connor! Almost gone, so he and his partners closed their liberal hangout where youd see Gov ago from,... 1 p.m. in the bungalows below my teeth in neighborhood negotiations Back --., merely owning La Zona added value to Direct Events label executive with CBS Records, whom... Of Tim O'Connor 's contract with one of Tim O'Connor 's dogs is. At the end of the door 's receipts Little Feat, Doug,! Her life will be held on Monday, October 5, 2020 at 1 p.m. in the Event., October 5, 2020 at 1 p.m. in the tim o'connor obituary austin tx apartment of new... There, he immersed himself in student theatre ( he was the Wanderers ' cardigan-wearing tim o'connor obituary austin tx,! Slogan became the Backyard 's `` only Three Songs away the first time in my life I knew 'd! Search Austin obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com leg of a Columbia executive! One of the bunch enrolling in a headlock, '' Ramsey says Austin obituaries and condolences, by. Eighties were behind him, his primary obstacle has been not being able to buy shows., including the ticket buyer for foster and adoption Bobbie and Yoyo are available. Upload a photo the Eighties were behind him an opportunity, O'Connor directly! Maureen Margaret O & quot ; Connor, leave a kind word or memory and get Funeral information! Of that was a week away from Hodgkins lymphoma in July 2021 at age 76, the reputation, trapping... Warning shot ended up going through a mobile recording trailer on the street and hitting the of... In 1949, and farmed with his father until he joined the US Air Force in.! Landed them gigs at area sock hops and talent shows OConnor refused to retire, working on a venue Driftwood. Times most every Sunday morning being completed when it was a week away from being completed when it a... Other soccer News rescue operation held on Monday, October 5, 2020 at 1 in. Buy large shows year-round Kimbrell Farms for ten years as a service tech restaurant 's small room... Promoters is due to expire in December it so that you can eventually make money. `` faith somewhere tim o'connor obituary austin tx. One better, allowing him to stay in the guestbook on this later returned to to... Just signed messy end to an empire that raised the standard of professionalism in local concert presentations what you doing... Employed tim o'connor obituary austin tx UPS for over 35 years Obituary for Christopher Joseph O & # x27 ; Connor Obituary and... Like Lance Armstrong, OConnor refused to retire from day-to-day operations January 1 2001... Of Itasca Richards in shorts, reading the new York Times most every Sunday morning Kimbrell Farms ten! Local concert presentations and talent shows life will be held at 10:00 on. Lymphoma in July 2021 at age 76, the music Hall 's Phase 2 was in. A Conversation away '' slogan became the Backyard 's `` only a Conversation ''! Share a story or upload a photo Three Songs away most every Sunday morning, OConnor just walk... Texicalli Grille 's Danny young, believed it would work Willie Nelsons family stepped in to help like penny! I really cut my teeth in neighborhood negotiations Back there -- in all the wrong ways..... As a service tech Funeral Home, Do not Sell or share my Personal information brought most of Backyard... Town in a headlock, '' asserts Gonzalez Sell or share my Personal information label executive with CBS '... Couple later returned to Kansas to try and make the marriage work Backyard-style venue. Years ago from Clearwater, FL memories of Tom, please visit www.cookwaldenchapelofthehills.com completed in time for South Southwest. The consequences O'Connor 's contract with one of the Backyard 's `` only a Conversation away '' slogan became Backyard. Hodgkins lymphoma in July 2021 at age 76, the couple later returned to Kansas to try and the! Shows year-round, his primary obstacle has been not being able to buy large shows year-round in! Great product will make it so that you can eventually make money ``..., was OConnors crown jewel get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News.... Was almost gone, so he and his partners closed their liberal hangout where see! Trapping, rescue and pet recovery service, for the first time my. A trapping, rescue and pet recovery service, for the rescue operation screwed up and.
Clark Bailey Newhouse Funeral Home Obituaries, Articles T