Mahogany Tv Stands

YEARS OF SHOW BUSINESS, BLACK STARS MANAGED THEMSELVES or were managed by friends and acquaintances, some of them professionals, who counted the house and made dates and travel arrangements. But when Black stardom became a billion-dollar industry involving the destiny of movie companies, record companies and entertainment houses, Americans started drawing a color line between the talent and the money.

To justify that separation, myths were created which said, among other things, that White managers were better equipped--because they were White--to deal with White entertainment magnates and White club owners. One of the first A-stars to challenge those myths was Sammy Davis Jr., who hired a Black woman manager--Shirley Rhodes. Since then, and especially since the revolutions set in motion by the Freedom Movement, an increasing number of stars, including Will Smith (James Lassiter), Queen Latifah (Shakim Compere) and Alicia Keys (Jeff Robinson), have destroyed the myths by hiring Black managers who helped them rise to the top of their fields.

Some of the managers, such as Jonnetta Patton (Usher) and Dolores Robinson (Holly Robinson Peete), are mothers or relatives with a sharp eye and ear and a sure sense of the right career moves. Others, like Greg Lyons, are old friends. Still others are part of a generation of professionals who manage because management is their profession and, they say, their calling. Among these unsung and largely unknown managers are the following men and women, who spend almost every waking hour dealing, plotting, calling, strategizing and scheduling for the stars.

Jonnetta Patton & Usher

She is Usher's mother and manager. Needless to say, Jonnetta Patton is a very busy woman. She has led Usher from singing in the St. Elmo Missionary Baptist Church choir in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tenn., at age 9 to signing a record deal with LaFace Records at age 14 to breaking R&B sales records earlier this year with his new CD Confessions.

Music insiders say Patton--a single mother who has raised Usher and his younger brother James--has done a tremendous job raising Usher and making him the artist who dominated the Billboard charts this year.

Working together so closely, they have their share of disagreements. "I'm able to separate the two," she has said. "The mother-and-son relationship has always been there, but I have been able to put the mother aside when it comes down to dealing with the business. There are a lot of things that I didn't approve of [as a mother], but because this is business, I conducted it as business."

Jeff Robinson & Alicia Keys

When Jeff Robinson met Alicia Keys 10 years ago, she was just a kid he'd heard his brother, vocal coach Conrad Robinson, brag about. "I stopped by the studio one day and heard her sing and play the piano, and I was totally blown away." He started working with her and proudly watched her mature into a beautiful young woman, but also an incredible singer and artist with depth, determination and a constant quest for knowledge. "I like working with young, up-and-coming artists," says Robinson, who works from his MBK Entertainment offices in New York City. "The older artists are set in their ways. I want to work with those who are young and want to grow and develop. I don't believe in putting out an artist before their time."

Well, the time for Alicia (and Robinson) came in 2001, when she released her 10-million-selling debut, Songs in A Minor. Though it had been years in the making, Robinson suddenly had a star client. "Jeff has believed in me from day one," says Keys. "And through every up and down, he's always been there for me, and vice versa."

Greg Lyons & Master P and Lil' Romeo

Dolores Robinson is a legend in Hollywood. Yes, she is Holly Robinson Peete's manager and mother, but Robinson is quick to point out that she has been managing stars for 32 years, long before her daughter got into show business. Robinson's biggest deal was negotiation of the big-bucks Demolition Man movie deal for Wesley Snipes. She resisted the agent's and studio head's offers and "extras," and held out for more money for her client. "I knew how much they wanted him," she says. "In the end, I prevailed. Wesley got paid an extraordinary amount of money [for that and other movies]. It would not have happened if I, as his manager, had not gone above his agent and fought the studio."

While that was an exhilarating experience, is a flip side to her business. "I've been fired by telling the truth," she acknowledges. "Most people don't want to hear the truth."

Snipes fired her, she points out, but so her daughter and Snipes, Robinson's clients have included Estevez, Tea Leoni, Pierce Brosnan, Michael Clarke Duncan Pinkett Smith, Randy Quaid, Linda Fiorantino, Jasmine Guy and Nia Long.

Dolores Robinson & Holly Robinson Peete

As manager for hip-hop entrepreneur Master P and his rapper/actor son Lil' Romeo, Greg Lyons has his hands in virtually every aspect of entertainment. With Master P making music, and clothing, and Romeo starring in the No. 1 TV show on Nickelodeon, Lyons, who is Master P's uncle, says, "It's more than a full-time job. But it's cool because we're family. We started as family first, It's a good position to be in."

Having managed the father-and-son team for five years, Lyons, who is also general manager of the New No Limit record label, handles the travel itinerary and scheduling for the two increasingly independent celebrities, He says that the toughest part of his job is meeting the demands and endless appearance requests for his famous father/son clients.

Lyons believes that his successful management of two of the most versatile celebrities today proves Black managers can be as effective as Whites. "I have had to fight for respect," he says, "and I have no doubt that now I get the same respect as other managers."

Shiba Freeman Haley & Yolanda Adams

Shiba Freeman Haley helped to negotiate the 1997 Elektra Records deal that catapulted Yolanda Adams from "just another gospel singer" to gospel stardom and heavy airplay on R&B and gospel radio. "It was one of the most exciting and rewarding situations," says Haley, who has been Adams' manager since 1990. "It set a precedent for gospel artists."

Yet, if you were to see Haley and Adams hanging out, you would assume they were close friends or even sisters. "We're like sisters in so many ways," says Freeman, whose Mahogany Entertainment Inc.'s offices are located in Maryland. Each woman is also godmother to the other's child. Shiba says she's available to Adams and Tonex, also her client, 24/7, while at the same time she gives them "private time and personal space" (as they do for her). "We laugh a lot and just hang out," says Freeman, who often throws down in the kitchen for her clients. "We're all very much family."

Kenneth Crear Managers Nick Carter, Sisqo, Christine Millian

When he took out a loan to start his management company, Kenneth Crear knew it would take personal sacrifice to make his well-laid plans reality. But his hard work and dedication made him one of the top Black managers in the entertainment industry.

Crear's company, Creative Management Group, now directs celebrities like Sisqo, Christine Millian and Nick Carter. Crear is a part of the new age "star" managers, men and women managers who have become celebrities in their own right for their deal-making prowess.

He says the key to being a successful manager is to always stay ahead of the artist you're managing, meaning always stay necessary. One mistake, he says, up-and-coming Black managers sometimes make is not developing an infrastructure to run a business. "They don't have an office or a staff," he says. "All they have is a cell phone with voice mail."

Crear recently teamed with Johnny Wright, a friend and equally accomplished manager, to form Wright Crear Entertainment Group. "The most challenging thing about the business is breaking new artists," he says. "The game is constantly changing. So it's a matter of staying ahead of the game."

William Brown & Jill Scott

As an African-American manager in an entertainment world dominated White men, William Brown knows where he stands. "I need to be better than the rest, be more connected than most, and work smarter and harder." That personal credo has paid off for the artist manager. He and his most famous client, Jill Scott, have both found success. "My greatest challenge is making sure the artist I represent isn't misrepresented in any way," says Brown, whose Consider It Done Management offices are in the Philadelphia area. "We don't just manage artists far the money; we manage because we believe in the artist."

At times, says Brown, he and Jill are like sister and brother, and at other times, it's all business. "We may not always agree," he says, "but we respect each other. She's not bossy, but she's very deep. Jill is a genius and sometimes we're not always on the same page ... She's been known to voice her opinion, and that's what makes her such a great artist."

Among the challenges Brown has faced as a manager is the time Jill was on stage before the cameras and thought she was about to win a major award. She did not. "That was difficult, frustrating and scary," he recalls. Another time was when Jill, early in her career, had sudden temporary deafness in one ear and had to pull out of a major tour with Sting. "My main concern was for Jill and her overall health," he says.

Brown says he has grown in the job, and that he is much better dealing with people and issues than when he started. He adds: "Be honest with your artist. Managers get a bad rap. People need to know that all managers are not bad. I'd like to be acknowledged as one of the good ones."

COPYRIGHT 2004 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

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