Montreal based concert producer Sam Gesser has died, aged 78, from cancer. Over a fifty year career Gesser worked in both radio and the recording industry, acting as Canadian rep for the US Folkways label, but it was for his concert promotion work in Canada that he enjoyed most success, work that led to actor musician Harry Belafonte calling him "the best impresario in North America". He was most notable for bringing the likes of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and even the Peking Opera to Montreal, as well as for staging Canadian tours of Broadway musicals like 'The King & I'. A funeral will be held for family and friends only, though some kind of public memorial is also thought to be in the pipeline.
Apr 3, 2008
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1 min read
Sam Gesser dies
Montreal concert promoter Sam Gesser has died aged 78 from cancer, having brought acts including Janis Joplin and Joan Baez to Montreal.