Promoter Maurice Jones Dies

Maurice Jones, the former head of England-based Midland Concert Promotions, died Nov. 9 after a long battle with cancer.

Jones, 64, who began by booking shows from a public phone box, built MCP to become one of the UK’s biggest promoting companies and was one of the first European operations to sell to SFX in September 1999.

Two former MCP promoters, Tim Parsons and Stuart Galbraith, both became key promoters with SFX, the latter going on to be Live Nation’s managing director for UK music.

“Maurice brought an unwavering sense of fairness. He was a hard businessman but he was also very even-handed,” said Galbraith in an interview with The Guardian in 2007.

MCP was the first company to win Wembley Arena’s promoter of the year award for three years in succession (’88, ’89 and ’90), a feat not equaled until Triple A managed it during the first three years of the new millennium.

In ’85, working with Harvey Goldsmith, Jones and MCP played a major role in organising the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium.
Jones started off managing The ’N Betweens, which later became Slade, and became a full-time agent at age 19 by joining Wolverhampton’s Astra Agency.

He booked top names including Yes and Led Zeppelin on a weekly basis for Wolverhampton’s Club Lafayette, and took personal charge of several bands, including Argent, before leaving to form MCP.

Starting the Black Country Night Out show, he built up a business that handled rock stars from Britain, the US and Europe.
Jones leaves wife Diane and daughters Kristy and Nicola.

Funeral arrangements weren’t available at press time.