"I do think it's going to work to the consumer's benefit," reasons Attal, who now shares office space with Jones. Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills Funeral Home, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 's website. They now own 130 venues nationwide, including 44 amphitheaters. 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. When OConnor passed away from Hodgkins lymphoma in July 2021 at age 76, the music community went into mourning. "There would be many times we'd be screaming across the table at each other, and 20 minutes later it would be hugs and kisses. "He pretty much taught me 80% of what I know, and the rest comes from the Pace guys we worked with in his office," says Jones, whose MiddleMan Music produces many of the city's largest outdoor concerts and events, from A2K and the Lance Armstrong celebrations to multi-act KGSR Blues Festivals and 101Xfests. 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. cover story that year. During his career he was Sr. and TRAPRS joined hands for this rescue operation, which was filmed by Amy and sharedonline. When OConnor bought the building at 208 Nueces in Sept. 1994, the Austin Music Hall was its fourth venue that year. They are afraid of strangers and are unwilling to leave OConnors property. Tim O'Connor, longtime club owner, music entrepreneur and erstwhile promoter of Austin music, partner of Willie Nelson as a director of the famed Fourth of July picnics, has died. It just so happened it was my stray bullet.". with all my heart. In the Seventies, he reigned over Castle Creek. Charles "Charlie" M. McLemore 81, passed away Tuesday February 21, 2023. What nobody expected, Jones included, was O'Connor's recent invitation for Attal to begin booking La Zona Rosa. 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. 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. And just what might that be? "It wasn't by design, but it worked out that way.". I'm Willie Nelson. He grew up in Jackson, NJ, and attended Jackson Memorial High School, followed by Belmont Abbey College . Twitter). "Obviously, there's already a pattern developing," smiles O'Connor. Timothy F. O'Connor Obituary. View The Obituary For Christopher Joseph O"Connor. I'd like to think I was one of the architects of trying to make this town's concerts more professional.". "Winters are fairly cold in Colorado, so it became a strong collection approach.". "Tim and Willie were an odd couple," says Arlyn's Freddy Fletcher, Nelson's nephew. Search to the Family. "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. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. "I've probably given plenty of people cause not to like me," admits O'Connor. 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. "You have to create a niche that's so protected and specialized that it doesn't draw too much attention. Recovering from triple-bypass surgery, OConnor opened up to writer Andy Langer in a rare Send In the Clowns manner. His mission was always to bring entertainment for Austin, not bring Austin entertainment just because it worked in Houston or Dallas. In the press release, APA! Over the last few years, we've been killing ourselves.". Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. APA! There was something about that room- maybe Sarah Elizabeth Campbells Bummer Night on Tuesdays set the mood- but youd get sadness at its most comfortable. 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. A year earlier, in Nov. 2007, a rebuilt, 4,400-capacity Austin Music Hall debuted to bad reviews over the sound, which was always the bitch about 208 Nueces. Chris was preceded in death by his father Joseph L. OConnor. They were blessed with two children, Thomas Michael and Anita Loraine. 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. Skeptics, on the other hand, said concertgoers wouldn't drive that far for a show, particularly from North Austin. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. O'Connor doesn't deny he made his share of enemies at the Opera House, but he also maintains that the concert business was changing so rapidly in the early Eighties that the need to enforce a level of professionalism by any means necessary was that much more important. Search Austin obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. Three words that changed O'Connor's life. The Backyard at Bee Cave, with its live oaks and star-speckled sky, was OConnors crown jewel. Tim, an avid music lover and skilled audio Yoyo Nelson is only 4 months old. here. Recovering from triple-bypass surgery, OConnor opened up to writer Andy Langer in a rare Send In the Clowns manner. i'm holding the 25 year chip tim gave me when we both hit 25 years. January 1993, they bought 13 acres in Bee Caves and began work on the Backyard and its Live Oak Amphitheater, a nearly 3,000-seat outdoor venue. That was unique, and I think a lot of that came from working with Willie. Thanks also to Seton Medical Center Austin for the care given the many, many times he was a patient there. I wanna work your joint.'". Although O'Connor believed he could build a venue that reflected "Old Austin," his venue was at least 15 minutes away from downtown. Chris OConnor passed away at his home on Thursday, January 28, 2016. AUSTIN, Texas An integral part of Texas history, Tim O'Connor, the creator of Austin Music Hall, Austin Opry House and more, passed away this summer of Hodgkin's lymphoma. "The first chance he had back in Austin, he fired me," reveals O'Connor. "I've never had a customer tell me I should cut down a 400-year-old oak tree because the sightlines would be better," he says. Funeral Home Se. "I'm dealing with the agents on both venues and putting the show where they'll be best presented. "I met Willie in San Antonio to apologize to him," recalls the promoter of his last move before leaving Austin. We will miss you and love you always, MeMe. "He's always held most of the cards, and I've always been the guy fighting to get a few of them.". Not only did Nelson play Castle Creek, he also offered to take O'Connor on the road. This scene could change as drastically as it did from the Seventies to the Nineties within just a couple of years. They also hung out at another one of O'Connor's clubs. "I'm open to the possibility we can do something collectively that we can't on our own -- to protect the Austin market," reasons O'Connor. 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. Is he showing his hand to lull competitors into a false sense of security, or is coming clean part of a public relations campaign designed to repair his reputation before he eases into retirement? With the $60,000 those lots sold for, the Austin Opera House was up and running. That and inadequate AC: was that shit even on? Attempted burglary charges led to 27 days in jail, a trial in Salinas, and six years of probation. Age 81. Apprehended and returned to Wichita, it wasn't long before O'Connor ran away again. Separated from his wife, the couple later returned to Kansas to try and make the marriage work. That's rarely the case.". Join At one point, it wasn't unusual for booking agents working the local market to get 40% more than their asking price after compiling competing bids from Direct Events, Liberty Lunch, and Stubb's. Thomas Morton O'Connor, 78, passed from this life on Oct. 7, 2010 in Austin, TX. I dont think he knew how much he was loved. Watching football and repairing anything that needed it were among his favorite things to do, as well as playing cards with many of their friends. Chris is survived by his widow, Sandra OConnor, mother Elizabeth (Penny) OConnor, 2 brothers, Tim OConnor, Argyle, Texas and Kevin OConnor and wife Laura, New Mexico, three nephews, Ryan, Matt and Jeffrey OConnor. The promoter shouldve retired in 2001, a move he contemplated in an Austin Chronicle cover story that year. 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. "My relationships are based on the old way of doing business, where theirs are on a new, more aggressive, streamlined, let's-buy-the-tour or region approach. You are invited to a reception following the graveside service at the funeral home. Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news. More to the point, it's been decades since Tim O'Connor carried anybody's guitar and worried about being cold, wet, or hungry. Log in, Steel Guitar Forum LLCPO Box 237Mount Horeb, WI 53572 USA. They did. 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. Timothy David Scott O'Connor On Friday September 30, 2022, Timothy O'Connor passed away at the age of 39. And yet, Attal says he's not waiting in the parking lot for O'Connor to show up with the paperwork. ", "I liked being in Bee Caves," O'Connor says. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. Program Support Representative in Kansas City and San Jose, then worked in Software Test and Development at Santa Teresa Lab in San Jose. "I was screaming at him," recalls O'Connor, nearly 25 years later. It wasnt a bad wound and OConnor wasnt charged, but he had to tell his boss what went down. Yet for all the yelling, he's known real pain of his own: He's lost a testicle to cancer and a daughter to drugs. All three venues were wildly successful, with Tim bringing more high-calibre talent to Austin in the 90s than the Armadillo did in the 70s and Liberty Lunch in the 80s and 90s. In 1975, OConnor was outside the Alliance Wagon Yard at 505 Neches St. when things got heated with another group of men. Ann Richards in shorts, reading the. 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. Folks told OConnor nobody from Austin would drive all the way out to Bee Cave to see a concert, but after Tim timed the route at just 15 minutes, the Backyard came up with its brilliant three songs away tag. And while monopolies are generally bad for the consumer, in the concert business, they tend to work to the ticket buyer's advantage: Promoters paying less for shows typically pass it on to the consumer to increase attendance and thus increase alcohol sales and other ancillary revenue. Timothy J. O'Connor, who had a long and distinguished career as one of the leading character actors of his generation, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, April 5th, in his longtime home in Nevada City, California, at the age of 90. And yet, his primary obstacle has been not being able to buy large shows year-round. Timothy O'Connor Stanton Timothy O'Connor Stanton, born in Ottawa, Illinois on March 3, 1951, passed away June 2, 2008 after a lengthy and courageous fight. If youre not prepared to put half your money in a suitcase and throw it off the tallest building, kid, you dont have what it takes to be a concert promoter.. To share your memories of Tom, please visit www.cookwaldenchapelofthehills.com. 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. Three years later, O'Connor's life changed again, this time by his own choice. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. He passed in his sleep on April 5 in his longtime home . O'Connor controlled the Opera House, routinely dealing with Houston-based powerhouse Pace Productions and their Austin liaison, Steve Hauser. Email admin@steelguitarforum.com for technical support. Parking was rugged and walks were long, but you felt like you were out in the country. Great story Stu, Mike F. is a great soulful singer! He didnt have to say no anymore, just Why dont you run it by Tim?, Read more about Castle Creek, Spellmans, Alamo Lounge, emmajoes. If you didn't know what you were doing there, he didn't either. i fuckin' miss that guy. 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. Berating the singer for letting his encore be overrun, O'Connor began yelling. It was the first O'Connor production to require a 747. "Instead of coming to work with machetes, we tried a pencil and pad. ", 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. Winding up just outside Southern California's Laguna Beach, O'Connor approached a house for sale and asked the family moving out if they'd pay him to help. "It took until I lived there to understand how unique the city is. Employees fear him and competitors loathe him. Like Lance Armstrong, OConnor just couldnt walk away from the action, and suffered the consequences. One pulled out a knife, Tim pulled out a gun. After staying out drinking until 4am the evening before a three-day blues festival at the Opera House featuring Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughan, O'Connor says he realized he had two choices. Called an Ice House for the Arts, La Zona Rosa was a special place, opened by Marcia Ball and husband Gordon Fowler in late 89. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. He loved staying busy. For those desiring, memorials are suggested to Mobile Loaves & Fishes, 903 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin, TX 78746 or at www.mlfnow.org/donate. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. With Nelson's own tax problems, O'Connor didn't have time to implement his traditional Plan B and wound up selling the Opera House at a "fire-sale" price. In the mid-Eighties, Austin's most powerful promoters shared office space at 411 Barton Springs Rd. On those nights it was a listening room. "I got to know an immense amount of people really well," he says. The Backyard had about 10 good years until the Shops of the Galleria began encroaching, eventually eating up most of the parking by its 2005 completion. said it is asking for donations to reimburse TRAPRS for the $2,800 spent. After a short stint at a Jesuit high school, he was again shipped away for discipline: this time to Kemper Military School in Booneville, Missouri. 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. TIMOTHY O'CONNOR OBITUARY. Tim was in charge of crowd control, earning a reputation as a hard-ass with a soft heart. He's maybe a little crusty,'" laughs O'Connor. Through an introduction from Jim Ramsey, O'Connor was brought in to consult on a club called the River's Edge, located at Second and Nueces. Forecast: Severe storms possible Thursday, KVUE remembers the 2018 Austin bombings, 5 years later, Timeline: Severe storms possible on Thursday, Austin Pets Alive! Or, he hints, he could wind up settling for less money to merely close the venue and sell the property outright if he can't find the right buyers. He went on to receive and Associates Degree from TSTC. 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