Longtime Columbus concert promoter Mike Blackwell dies. He was 69.
If you’ve attended a concert in Columbus, then Mike Blackwell probably brought it to town.
Blackwell, considered the city’s most prolific concert promoter, died Saturday at Piedmont Columbus Regional Northside hospital, according to McMullen Funeral Home and Crematory. He was 69.
A celebration of his life will be 4 p.m. Thursday at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2101 Wildwood Ave., with the Rev. Chuck Hasty officiating.
The family will receive friends following the service at the church, according to McMullen.
Blackwell promoted hundreds of concerts in Columbus over more than 40 years, said Jimbo Martin, managing partner of local radio station owner PMB Broadcasting.
“Mike has been THE concert promoter in this market since the 1970s,” Martin told the Ledger-Enquirer. “… He was always the guy putting them on, even in bad times. He just loved it. It’s certainly a void for Columbus.”
The acts Blackwell brought to town were as varied as the spectrum of popular music, such as KISS, Molly Hatchet, Slaughter, ZZ Top, Willie Nelson, Darius Rucker, REO Speedwagon, the Temptations, the Tams, Hank Williams Jr., Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Randy Travis, Reba McEntire, Ronnie Milsap, Dwight Yoakum, America, .38 Special, Charlie Wilson and assorted rap artists.
“He brought 80 or 90 percent of them,” Martin said. “Even the big promoters that were out of the market, when they would come in, they would call him to handle it here locally and give him a cut of it.”
Blackwell, who used to own a night club and was a former teacher, had his opinions and didn’t mind sharing them, Martin said. He also was the kind of friend who would do anything for you anytime, whether it was shooting a snake in your yard or bringing you collards from his farm.
“It didn’t matter what it was,” he said. “… He was a great friend, a good guy, a happy guy.”
Blackwell taught social studies at Spencer High School from October 1996 to April 2002. He also coached softball and baseball for the school, according to Muscogee County School District communications director Mercedes Parham.
Lisa Goodwin, deputy city manager and interim director of the Columbus Civic Center, told the L-E via email, “Mike helped to create a great quality of life here in Columbus as a promoter that brought diverse entertainment to our city. From Rap, R&B, Country etc., he loved all types of music and believed that music brings people together.”
Goodwin added, “He was a man that wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to getting the most out of his events. He worked hard to ensure that people had a great experience at all of his shows. . . . He never met a stranger. He loved bringing big talent to our city.”
Mark Cantrell, CEO of Action Buildings and District 6 representative on the Muscogee County School Board, met Blackwell 45 years ago, when Blackwell asked him to join the Young Democrats. Blackwell eventually became chairman of the Muscogee County Democratic Party.
But the art of promoting was where Blackwell most influenced Cantrell, who was a disc jockey in the 1980s at Q107.3 and at South 106 in the 1990s-2000s. Cantrell credits Blackwell for teaching him the skills he put to good use as the emcee for 40-50 of his concerts, then for the Shrine Circus, the Chattahoochee Valley Fair and East Alabama Motor Speedway.
“I owe a lot to Mike, opening a lot of doors for me,” he told the L-E.
Cantrell noted the risky business of being a concert promoter — putting thousands of dollars on the line with the hope that folks will show up — and praised Blackwell for “sticking his neck out” to provide local entertainment.
“He would have had to have more wins than losses to continue that,” Cantrell said.
Blackwell also was known for his Georgia-Auburn football game parties and for producing a country show and a rock show at the same time during New Year’s Eve in the Columbus Convention & Trade Center.
“He got creative to put it lightly,” Cantrell said. “… It’s just unbelievable what he did.”
No wonder Cantrell called Blackwell’s death “the day the music died” in Columbus.
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 10:37 AM.
