Many rock n roll books tell the story from the stage outward. Mine begins in the booking offices, where tours were built, artists were packaged, and the machinery of the rock business quietly moved the culture forward.
This article is part of my story of my life, and it explains how American Talent International came into existence, how it helped shape touring in the early 1970s, and why the agency itself has almost vanished from the historical record.
For anyone who enjoys rock n roll books, the backstory behind the agencies that built tours is often missing. Yet those stories were very much the time of my life, and they form a major part of this celebrity memoir.
Searching For American Talent International, Ltd. Today
American Talent Int. Ltd., like Biafra or the Republic of West Florida, ATI seems to have disappeared from the map. Google Maps, that is. There is simply not much to be found online about ATI, and it is not even written about in Wikipedia.
This is strange because from 1969 into the 1980s, ATI was one of the most successful rock agencies of its time. The brief Wikipedia mention that does exist is inaccurate, claiming its founder was Jeff Franklin. That is only partially true.
Jeff was running ATI, which originally stood for Action Talent Inc., owned by Betty Sperber. Action specialized in pop and bubblegum artists such as the 1910 Fruitgum Company and the Kasnetz Katz Flying Circus.
In my story of my life, the origin of ATI begins not as a rock agency, but as something quite different. Those transitions are the kinds of behind-the-scenes moments that rarely appear in rock n roll books, but they are central to understanding how the touring business evolved.
Betty Sperber Departs Action Talent, Setting The Way For American Talent International
Just prior to Betty’s departure for the Caribbean and the life all desire, Sol Saffian, who had been my immediate boss at Associated Booking, left to join Action Talent following the death of Joe Glazer.
After Sol joined, I soon followed. I had stormed out of Associated Booking after what I felt was poor treatment by one of the new owners. The first call I made was to Sol.
As the British are fond of saying, the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know.
Sol and I had grown to be good friends. I joined Action Talent just as Betty had a foot out the door. At that moment there was still no American Talent International, Ltd.
Looking back now, it was the time of my life, though none of us realized the scale of what would develop. Moments like that now sit firmly inside my story of my life, and they would later become chapters in this celebrity memoir.
I Brought Us Rod Stewart And Faces, But We Were Without A Headliner
When I arrived, I brought with me Rod Stewart and Faces, Savoy Brown, and several other British bands. They were strong acts, but none were headliners yet.
That technically made me the most important partner in the new organization.
The only time I ever really threw my weight around was when I unilaterally removed the bubblegum bands from the roster. I believed the future of the agency would be rock.
Some weeks later, after Betty had left for her Caribbean life, Sol, Jeff, and I put on our “thinking caps,” a phrase one would only know from watching Romper Room in the 1950s.
We decided to keep the three-letter identity of Action Talent Inc., but to redefine it.
The Result Was American Talent International, Ltd.
In my story of my life, that quiet conversation around a table marked the real birth of the company. For me personally, it was also the time of my life, though we still lacked something critical.
A headliner.
Betty Leaves And American Talent International Forms
Within days of Betty’s departure, the three of us sat down and worked out the structure of the company.
We divided ownership equally between the three partners and gave Mark Meisleman ten percent largely because he was Jeff’s friend.
Looking back, that was probably my first serious mistake in judgment.
Once the corporate papers were drawn, American Talent International, Ltd. officially existed.
We were off to the rock and roll races.
Moments like that are the backbone of my story of my life, and they are rarely described in rock n roll books, which tend to focus only on artists rather than the machinery behind them.
The First Tours: Rod Stewart And Faces
Despite being a brand-new agency, we moved quickly.
The first tour we handled in 1970 was Rod Stewart and Faces. Unlike our competitor Premier Talent downstairs, whose first tours often lost money, this one made a profit.
Billy Gaff was managing Faces at the time.
Key dates included:
March 21, 1970 — Fly to New York/Toronto
March 24, 1970 — New York
March 25, 1970 — Varsity Arena, Toronto (with Canned Heat)
March 27, 1970 — Boston Tea Party
March 30, 1970 — Northern Virginia Community College
March 31, 1970 — Wheaton Youth Centre
April 3–4 — Eastown Theatre, Detroit
April 5 — Fillmore North, Toronto
April 8–9 — Ungano’s, New York
April 10–11 — Electric Factory, Philadelphia
April 15–16 — Beavers, Chicago
April 17–18 — Palladium, Birmingham
April 19 — Labor Temple, Minneapolis
April 20 — Boston Garden
April 23 — The Warehouse, New Orleans
Those months were unquestionably the time of my life, the early days when tours were still experimental, and the rock touring circuit was being invented as we went.
Savoy Brown’s First U.S. Tour
Savoy Brown also made a modest profit on their first tour.
The lineup included Kim Simmonds, Chris Youlden, “Lonesome” Dave Peverett, Tony Stevens, and Roger Earl. The last three would eventually form the core of Foghat.
Harry Simmonds managed the band at the time.
The early itinerary included:
Jan 24 — Steve Paul’s The Scene, New York
Jan 24–25 — Fillmore East
Jan 30–Feb 1 — Boston Tea Party
Feb 7 — Grande Ballroom, Detroit
March 7 — Island Garden Arena
March 9 — Labor Temple, Minneapolis
April 10 — Grande Ballroom, Detroit
We already had two.
These kinds of touring details rarely appear in rock n roll books, but they are part of my story of my life and belong in any serious celebrity memoir of the rock business.
I Had The Components, Sol Saffian Had The Idea
Although we lacked a headliner, we had something equally powerful: experience.
Sol Saffian had spent years packaging artists. In oldies tours and R&B circuits, packaging multiple acts together was the way you filled theaters.
As they say in the music business, it was how you “put asses in seats.”
Sol suggested we apply the same concept to rock.
If we packaged three strong bands together, the combination could function as a headliner.
Rod Stewart and Faces.
Savoy Brown.
So I flew to England to find the third.
Among the groups I met was the Grease Band, Joe Cocker’s former band.
Managed by Nigel Thomas, they were realistic about their value. They could not command a large fee alone, but their association with Joe Cocker and their musicianship gave them credibility.
That completed the package:
Rod Stewart & Faces
Savoy Brown
The Grease Band
It became the first headline package tour for American Talent International.
That tour put us on the map.
And from there, things went skyward.
Artists Represented By ATI In The Early 1970s
As the agency grew, ATI represented a wide range of major acts.
Rod Stewart & Faces
Savoy Brown
Joe Cocker
The Grease Band
Captain Beefheart
Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks
Tim Hardin
David Blue
John Sebastian
Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen
John Hartford
Fleetwood Mac
Black Sabbath
Blue Öyster Cult
Uriah Heep
Rush
Raspberries
War
Mandrill
Buddy Miles
Three Dog Night
Rare Earth
Cactus
Stories
Malo
Elvin Bishop Group
Taj Mahal
Looking back now, those years formed a large portion of my story of my life and shaped what would eventually become this celebrity memoir.
Why This Story Matters
For readers who enjoy rock n roll books, the focus is usually on artists.
But the agencies that built the tours, negotiated the deals, and created the touring infrastructure played an equally important role in rock history.
The creation of American Talent International was one of those turning points.
For me personally, it was more than business history.
It was the time of my life, and it remains one of the most important chapters in my story of my life.
Stories like this are the backbone of any honest celebrity memoir because they show how the industry actually worked behind the scenes.
