BGP Vet Michael Klenfner Dies

Michael Klenfner, a former Atlantic Records music exec and one of Bill Graham’s first employees at the Fillmore East, died in New York City from complications of congestive heart failure July 14.

Klenfner, 62, is credited with transforming the Blues Brothers from a “Saturday Night Live” skit into Grammy Award-nominated recording artists.

He later helped steer Cher’s comeback with her 1998 hit “Believe.” Klenfner also promoted hundreds of musicians in a career spanning more than 30 years.

One of Klenfner’s first duties as a Fillmore East employee was to arrange Jefferson Airplane’s first free concert, alongside the Grateful Dead, at NYC’s Central Park.

According to the book “Got A Revolution!,” the Airplane played on the back of a flatbed truck while Klenfner and his Brooklyn buddies acted as security.