By all means necessary. O'Connor claims it's a mystery to him why the deal came off the table, but he maintains the negotiation process hinged on design. 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. His goal was to come out of a negotiation less battered than the other guy. Or maybe it's not ironic at all. "I may not know him as well as Charlie [Jones], but I'm certain it's not the money that drives him anymore. Help CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. Timothy "Tim" O'Connor, 55, of Yulee passed away Sunday evening, July 12, 2020 at Baptist Medical Center in Fernandina Beach. By his own admission, he's been quick-tempered, cold, and generally disagreeable for much of his career. We can help. Whether you know it or not, if you've seen live music in Austin over the past 20 to 25 years, you've likely given money to Tim O'Connor. First there was the Two River Canyon Amphitheater in 2003, a gorgeous 800-acre setting near OConnors Spicewood ranch with the potential to thrill festgoers for decades. "He called me into his office and said, 'Tim, I just want to let you know I think you did a great job, but I think you're maybe just a little ahead of us. When O'Connor passed away from Hodgkin's lymphoma in July 2021 at age 76, the music community went into mourning. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. 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. "Everyone ends up paying more, including the ticket buyer. 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. "It's tough to build momentum as an independent anymore," explains O'Connor. Copyright 1981-2023 Austin Chronicle Corp. All rights reserved. O'Connor controlled the Opera House, routinely dealing with Houston-based powerhouse Pace Productions and their Austin liaison, Steve Hauser. Even worse were the lawsuits from unpaid contractors and architects that began piling up against OConnor and Direct Events. The Nelsons reached out to Austin Pets Alive! O'Connor's contract with one of the country's largest promoters is due to expire in December. "For the first time in my life I knew I had to put my faith somewhere. Tim was in charge of crowd control, earning a reputation as a hard-ass with a soft heart. In the mid-Eighties, Austin's most powerful promoters shared office space at 411 Barton Springs Rd. The venue was charmed from the start, with Leonard Cohen, Jimmy Cliff, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Everly Brothers, Little Feat, the Allman Brothers and a Willie Nelson Fourth of July Picnic that first summer. In 1960, after eight months of marching with a weighted backpack and an M-1 rifle, O'Connor and several other cadets broke ranks, literally running away and leading police on a manhunt. Tim recognized that better than anyone. This was one of those nights. I may have given up a certain amount of information here or there, but my past is that nobody really knows what I'm up to. The promoter shouldve retired in 2001, a move he contemplated in an. But even after all that, OConnor refused to retire, working on a venue in Driftwood until that deal fell through. Former baseball star Kelly Gruber and realtor wife Tosca owned La Zona Rosa for awhile, but it continued to lose money until OConnor took over in 1997. While both sides had worked through 98% of the differences, SFX's plan to expand the Backyard clashed with O'Connor's vision of how he wanted to leave the facility. I felt lost, without a home, he told Chris Riemenschneider of the Statesman in 1996. He is survived by his wife, Beverly, of Austin; son Michael OConnor of Houston; Olive OConnor of Houston; daughter, Loraine Moulder and husband Jim of Cedar Park; three grandsons, Brian Poolman of Austin, TX; Daniel Poolman of Austin/Houston; Sean Poolman of San Marcos, TX; Granddaughter, Melanie Diggins, Great-Granddaughters Adrienne Diggins and Alix OQuinn; a brother, Donald OConnor ( Helen), of Plattsburg, MO; four sisters, Loretta Broderick (Tom), Plattsburg, MO, Juanita Thornton (Jim), Liberty, MO; Charlene Swope (Emerson) of Joplin, MO, Peggy Evans (John) of Smithville, MO; twelve nieces and nephews, all of Missouri, and several cousins, living in the Midwest.. What few of these people will do, however, is tell these stories on the record. Timothy leaves. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. While this cost Direct Events some independence, the contract reserved O'Connor's right to promote 140 acts on his own that he had longstanding relationships with (artists such as Willie Nelson or Little Feat.) Bobbie was preceded in death by her husband, Curly OConnor in 1974; her son, Arvel Franklin; and her parents, Frank and Louise Cole; and two brothers. Before long, Georgetown's "Only a Conversation Away" slogan became the Backyard's "Only Three Songs Away. worked with TRAPRS, a trapping, rescue and pet recovery service, for the rescue operation. On those nights it was a listening room. Memorials and guestbook online at wcfish.com. According to its website,Bobbieis just a little over two years old andYoyois about four months old. 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. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. He was a 1972 graduate of Barr Reeve High School. Over the last few years, we've been killing ourselves.". To maintain a relationship between his people and that wonderful bunch of Damon Runyan characters that hang around Willie still impresses me. "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. Grabbing Nelson's beloved guitar Trigger, pushing the country music icon into a waiting car, and beating a hasty retreat, O'Connor had no idea that the cowboys rushing the stage were merely fans who loved Willie and wanted to show their appreciation. REX/Shutterstock. Search Austin obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. "I didn't have much fear and figured I didn't need to take much guidance from anyone else.". O'Connor denies critics' claims that he's used Pace's muscles to target Stubb's and Liberty Lunch, and maintains that the increased competition he's seen in the past few years has done more to hurt the local concert business than help his own. Backyard II just couldnt accommodate sellout crowds of 7,500, like the May 11, 2011 Arcade Fire show when hundreds of ticketholders had nowhere to park and missed the show. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website, Bobbie "Cole" OConnor, 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. But they all turned to shit. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. When Tim died, there wasnt a word in the Chronicle or Statesman, and still hasnt been to my knowledge. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. And to some degree, it's also about admitting what I've done wrong. Moreover, O'Connor has also long been Austin's king of the private party, hosting as many 200 private events a year at his three venues. October 14, 1949 - April 16, 2015, Timothy O'Connor passed away on April 16, 2015 in De Pere, Wisconsin. "When Willie and I needed to deal with banks, we'd be sure to pull up in front with the bus," explains O'Connor. I stuck around Willie like bad penny.". "He's always held most of the cards, and I've always been the guy fighting to get a few of them.". When OConnor passed away from Hodgkins lymphoma in July 2021 at age 76, the music community went into mourning. Tim O'Connor The Backyard Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area 337 followers 337 connections Join to connect About Established 1993 Activity I recently found out one of my songs which is a. Likewise, his exit strategy remains characteristically ambiguous. His warning shot ended up going through a mobile recording trailer on the street and hitting the leg of a Columbia Records executive inside. "I was screaming at him," recalls O'Connor, nearly 25 years later. Maureen Margaret O'Connor Obituary. 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. He went on to receive and Associates Degree from TSTC. Unfortunately, before he could think on it harder, a night of drinking in Carmel led to another arrest; police picked up O'Connor and his buddies after neighbors reported having seen them prying at a metal cage in front of the local liquor store. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. After significant renovations, he lost nearly $140,000 its opening year and half that its second. Timothy O'Connor, II, 51, passed away on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 in Ennis, Texas Timothy was born on April 23, 1969 in Fond Du Lac, WI to Timothy Patrick and Rhonda (Floyd) O'Connor, I. Timothy attended school in Fond Du Lac and graduated from Rising Star High School in 1988. Like Willie Nelson, Tim O'Connor is a huge part of Austin music history. "He'd sign hundreds of dollar bills and tell the bank president he could come to whatever shows he wanted.". 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. "Have I done it all by myself? But Castle Creek also hosted rock shows- Little Feat, Doug Kershaw, Doug Sahm, etc. 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. starts petition, says its location is in jeopardy, Justin Theroux is supporting Austin Pets Alive! I wanna work your joint.'". "I thought that was the way it was done, but Ms. Martinez at the IRS totally disagreed with my position," says O'Connor of the six-figure penalties he accrued. He brought a level of professionalism to local concert promotion previously unseen, not to mention a wealth of shows unlike anything Austin had ever experienced. I am what I am," he says. Three years later, O'Connor's life changed again, this time by his own choice. Timothy F. O'Connor Obituary. He was the Wanderers' cardigan-wearing lead vocalist, and he landed them gigs at area sock hops and talent shows. Support the Chronicle, O'Connor (l) with Willie Nelson and Darrell Royal backstage at the Austin Opera House, 1979, O'Connor (l) with Willie Nelson at the opening of the Backyard, April 15, 1993, O'Connor with MiddleMan Music's Charlie Jones (l) and Stubb's' Charles Attal, Antones, 1979: Hurricane Margaret blows in, Everything back then felt like us versus them and she was one of us, One click gets you all the newsletters listed below, Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events. Tim sold his share in 1990, too soon, and became an independent promoter, doing shows at City Coliseum and the Palmer. to rescue the dogs. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. This is the first real obit Ive read. You could rent a stick to poke me with to make sure I'm really dead.". Jim Ramsey booked both the Back Room and a healthy slate of Opera House shows. I remember certain nights with Steve Goodman or John Prine where I physically threw people out for talking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFdr_xNcv9s. O'Connor is survived by his wife Sheila MacLurg O'Connor, his son Timothy O'Connor, and three stepsons. "The battles I had with him at Pace over why we couldn't do a certain event always came back to the same thing, 'That's not what Austin's about,'" says Hauser. Somewhere along the way, O'Connor started a band in Laguna. Jones started answering phones for Direct Events in 1993, and just three years later was La Zona Rosa's general manager. The Backyard at Bee Cave, with its live oaks and star-speckled sky, was OConnors crown jewel. Besides being Willie Nelsons promoter and business partner since the second Fourth of July Picnic in 74, OConnor ran the Austin Opera House for 13 years, then founded Direct Events in the 90s, owning and operating such successful venues as the Backyard, Austin Music Hall and La Zona Rosa. O'Connor isn't serious, but given his thoughts of retirement and recent run of heart troubles, he's indeed been spending time pondering his legacy. i'm holding the 25 year chip tim gave me when we both hit 25 years. "When I was there, my goal was to mediate and to make sure everything made money," says Hauser, a booking agent at the William Morris Agency's Nashville office. When a mutual friend invited him to Austin for what amounted to a consulting gig for the venue, O'Connor signed on as a partner and re-christened the club Castle Creek. Then came the mall that swallowed our idyllic music setting. (Austin Pets Alive! Tim sold his share in 1990, too soon, and became an independent promoter, doing shows at City Coliseum and the Palmer. That OConnor had 13 very good years in that former chili factory was remarkable. On Oct. 1, 1957, he proudly became an employee of IBM and enjoyed a career of 30 years - with 22 of them in Kansas City, MO, and 8 in San Jose, CA before retiring in Austin, TX. I dont think he knew how much he was loved. 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. and yea.the gun.timc/s, This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. using a new Instagram account, Austin Pets Alive! Backed by the national clout of Pace, now part of the larger SFX group, O'Connor believes he's been able to bring more shows to town at competitive prices. "I've probably given plenty of people cause not to like me," admits O'Connor. "We had to keep taking things up a notch -- sound, promotion, overall presentation. on its website. Apprehended and returned to Wichita, it wasn't long before O'Connor ran away again. Both are now available for adoption. "Not controlling your own destiny is a distinct disadvantage," says O'Connor. The promoter shouldve retired in 2001, a move he contemplated in an Austin Chronicle cover story that year. ', "I think somewhere along the way, people that know me labeled me as a guy that if I said I'd do it, I did it -- at all costs. "I realized long ago that music was the nighttime job and that you had to be making money during the day," reveals O'Connor. Just as vital to Direct Events' success has been O'Connor's agreement with Pace Productions for the Music Hall and Backyard. California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, California Consumer Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. If you didn't know what you were doing there, he didn't either. Turns out O'Connor had shot a label executive with CBS Records, with whom Nelson had just signed. . They are afraid of strangers and are unwilling to leave OConnors property. According to the website, Bobbie Nelsonis just over 2 years old. By 1994, Fowlers Two-Alarm Chili money was almost gone, so he and his partners closed their liberal hangout where youd see Gov. "I wanted a fight.". The deal Willie made with Terrace Motel owner Dude McCandless included 14 acres on South Congress at Academy for just over a million dollars. Chris was born on July 27, 1959 in Houston, Texas to Joseph L. OConnor and Elizabeth (Penny) Powell OConnor. It was a messy end to an empire that raised the standard of professionalism in local concert presentations. I think Ill let you negotiate all my deals with Columbia, was Willies response. It started with a love of music. Born Sept. 23, 1943, in San Bernadino, Calif., he had been a . Owning the Backyard and Music Hall gave O'Connor an opportunity to formalize their dealings; in 1995, the two companies signed a contract that allowed Pace to co-promote shows in O'Connor's venues. Private Messages But a couple disastrous decisions- rebuilding the Austin Music Hall in 2007 and the Backyard in 2010- cant put a lien on the memories he created in the years between the 1972 opening of Castle Creek and the 2008 closing of the original Backyard. "Booking agents not only have more options, but they'll gladly work the rivalry," posits O'Connor. Maybe it's yet another O'Connor business strategy. Hospice Austin, or the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Austin, TX. The last act to play La Zona Rosa under OConnors ownership was Prince at SXSW 2013. That venue closed after Direct Events filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Aug. 2013, with debts of $3.5 million and assets of zero. What it boiled down to was simple: the collective could pool connections and resources to produce bigger and better shows with more frequency then they could on their own. He went on to receive and Associates Degree from TSTC. "There was an incident in front of the Alliance Wagon Yard," states O'Connor. Charles Attal has spent the past five years receiving a crash course in concert economics at Stubb's. cover story that year. Celebrate the life of Maureen O'Connor, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information. But lastly they'd say, I hope, 'I've had a lot of dealings with the guy, and while he's a tough negotiator and a lot of time you can't figure out what he's up to, he's honest. Parking was rugged and walks were long, but you felt like you were out in the country. It was there in the former Chequered Flag folk club on Lavaca, that OConnor met new Austin resident Willie Nelson. OBITUARY Maureen Margaret O'Connor . He knew that you didn't always have to make money, that you have to give great product. In those days, nobody in Nelson's Family had a title: If you had to ask for one, he didn't need you. "We had a lot of fun, a lot of drinking," says O'Connor, who ran for his freshman class vice-presidency and won. What O'Connor didn't know was they'd since befriended another fledgling band, Buffalo Springfield, and as word of the two bands' association spread, the show sold out on the belief Stephen Stills and company would show up to jam. She is survived by 2 daughters, Sheila Ham and Janet OConnor; 2 sisters and 4 brothers; 10 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren and a host of other family members. His mission was always to bring entertainment for Austin, not bring Austin entertainment just because it worked in Houston or Dallas. At the time, musicians such as Jimmie Vaughan and Rusty Wier began stopping at the restaurant on their way to Winter Park. After enrolling in a local high school, he immersed himself in student theatre (he was Conrad in Bye Bye Birdie). . ", Several months later, the landlord offered him the chance to do just that; after tearing down the wall O'Connor opened the Austin Music Hall with a sign that said "Phase 1. Almost immediately it became the place to not only see roadshows such as John Prine, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt, but the cream of Austin's burgeoning singer-songwriter scene: Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Stephen Fromholz, and Delbert McClinton. Timothy was born on April 23, 1969 in Fond Du Lac, WI to Timothy Patrick and Rhonda (Floyd) OConnor, I. Timothy attended school in Fond Du Lac and graduated from Rising Star High School in 1988. ', "I thought I had done well, but what I was really doing was screwing every relationship he'd established in every little town in Texas and Louisiana. The tale of Tim O'Connor starts with a Baby Doe born in Great Bend, Kansas. We're not bidding shows up 30-40% anymore.". You are invited to a reception following the graveside service at the funeral home. A special thanks to Dr. Michael Watkins, Dr. Robert Canby and staff at Texas Cardiac-Arrhythmia and Dr. Stuart McKennon for their excellent care in the past 20 yrs. Forecast: Severe storms possible Thursday, KVUE remembers the 2018 Austin bombings, 5 years later, Timeline: Severe storms possible on Thursday, Austin Pets Alive! Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. It may not have cost him his friendship with Nelson, but O'Connor's stray bullet came with a hefty price tag -- having to leave Castle Creek. We're talking about a concert promoter 30 years later. It had spread for as long as six months undetected, and surgeons removed not just a testicle, but also portions of his small and large intestines. "I met Willie in San Antonio to apologize to him," recalls the promoter of his last move before leaving Austin. Timothy worked for Kimbrell Farms for ten years as a service tech. I know what I'm going to pay and that's it. And yet, his primary obstacle has been not being able to buy large shows year-round. "Mark my words, if you think it's difficult now, give it 24 months.

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