Donald K. Donald sketch and profile by Lou Seligson in the Sunday Express

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Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives via Canadian Jewish Heritage Network (incl. Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives)

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Donald K. Donald sketch and profile by Lou Seligson in the Sunday Express

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Donald K. DonaldThe colossus of local rock 'n rollDOUBLE TAKEStory and drawing by Lou Seligson"But with Sinatra you work for him and him only. He works for no man. So I did it for him on a fee basis. I would have done it for free. He's the finest person I've ever done business with."With a staff of 10 he plots... 'With Sinatra you work for him and him only. I (managed) him on a fee basis. But I would have done it for free. He's the finest person I've ever done business with.'SELIGSON29—Sunday Express, January 23, 197820-Sunday Express January 22, 1978Donald K. Donald sits like a big Buddha behind a huge desk with a pile of ledger paper sheets in front of him, a big telephone console at his right and a calculator at his left.With a flick of his wrist, a push of his finger and a few moments on long distance he can set the course of Canadian live rock music and potential money-making tours.At 33, and probably close to 300 lbs, Donald has spread himself like a colossus in the rock field so that even international stars must come to him. He makes all the arrangements necessary for potential success — and they know it.Last July when the Pink Floyd group came to Montreal it was Donald who brought them to the Olympic Stadium, took care of every detail — from printing tickets to promotion to police protection — for a show that drew 80,000 — the third-biggest rock concert in show biz history featuring a single act.Be it the Rolling Stones or Frank Sinatra, it will be Donald who will be steering Montreal events at their request.Any event at the Forum aside from hockey, ice shows, boxing and the circus is promoted and handled by the Donald organization.In fact the association is so close that even the Pink Floyd event at the Olympic was a 50-50 deal between Donald and the Forum. They took their fee from a $760,000 gross that made it one of the richest single music events here.When Frank Sinatra came to Montreal last year he called Donald directly to ask him to handle the event."Sinatra hired me on his behalf," Donald says. "To produce the whole show and do the PR and all the arrangements. And that's unusual in this field. Usually we do it all with agents and the wheeler-dealers in between.Donald leased the Forum for Sinatra, printed the tickets, set up the advertising and promotion, supplied the crew and equipment and bustled around, taking care of every detail to make the evening a success.When Sinatra arrived, everything went like clockwork. He left happy and grateful, thanking Donald effusively. Donald now has two great colour shots of Sinatra on the walls of his office."It's all organization," he admits. "After years we've finally got it all properly organized."Donald K. Donald is really Donald Tarlton and he knew when he was in high school where he was going. He wanted to be Canada's top music promoter. But why Donald K. Donald?"I liked the name Donald so I used it twice," he chuckles. "And the K doesn't mean anything — it could stand for King or something like that."Donald is king in Montreal and through his partnership with Concert Productions International of Toronto four years ago and Perrycoe Productions in Vancouver he covers Canada like a carpet."We were the two main competitors," he explains. "Concerts and us. We were vicious. We tore each other's guts out. Then one day I went down to Toronto and we made a deal."It was foolish, too costly, a waste. And we decided to stop murdering each other."So we became partners. I wouldn't go into Toronto and Montreal would be mine. We split 50-50 in joint coproductions across Canada."It's great. No arguments, we work together, and it's easy and wonderful. No more aggravations."The operation here is divided among four companies controlled by Donald — Aquarius Records, Terry Flood Management, Promotivations and Donald K. Donald Productions.Aquarius records Donald's acts. One group called April Wine is a solid hit now reaching into its second platinum record with She Won't Dance With Me."Rock and roll is a vicious game," Donald says. "But when you hit big, it means money. I think this record will be a winner."When a record hits sales of over 150,000 in Canada it is platinum. The equivalent in the United States would be sales of two million.Terry Flood and Bob Rags run the Management organization, handling the careers of music groups and individual artists. April Wine and Teaze, two Donald acts, are completely managed by the organization and they serve as agents and managers.Bob Lemm, a commercial artist, is Promotivations, working in the Donald offices, producing all the ads, posters and graphics for them. Donald K. Donald Productions takes care of all the show events and productions from A to Z at home and on tour.But it is Donald himself who is responsible for making the whole thing hum and mesh and he actually needs the heavy poundage to stand up to the tremendous daily pressures.With a staff of 10 he plots and plans Canada's rock music tours for months in advance, assuring himself a tempest of work and profit.Right now, as he sits and phones, calculating figures and leasing arenas in 66 cities across Canada, he is setting the music pattern for what Canadians will hear as far away as next fall."We book tour groups maybe eight months in advance," he says. "Rock shows, however, are closer — maybe on a three-month time-table — geared closer to a schedule around record and album releases so we can cover the product.Usually Donald will get his groups into anywhere from 19 to 86 cities across Canada, depending on how he figures the grosses."After a group does 90 shows in 100 days," he says, "they're vets of the touring world by then. They're finished."At home he rarely listens to music, plays a lot of bridge, and though he never eats lunch he finds himself constantly raiding the refrigerator."It's my nervous energy," he explains helplessly. "I guess that's when I put the weight on."Read automatically; may contain mistakes.

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