Terry Blamey’s name is synonymous with successful music management in Australia. For over 25 years, he steered the career of Kylie Minogue in a partnership that would see Minogue become the highest-selling international Australian artist of all time.
Born in Melbourne, Blamey started his career as a band booker while still a student at Melbourne Grammar School in the 1960s. Earning money as a mobile disco DJ and drummer, he was soon booking shows for his own rock group as well as bands around Geelong and the Bayside suburbs.
After completing a Bachelor Degree of Business at The University of Melbourne, he was recruited by Michael Gudinski to run Mushroom’s Premier Artists - the largest booker of bands in Australia, representing the top talent of the day including AC/DC and The Dingoes. By 1974, he had established his own company, Terry Blamey Management, and began to write the blueprint for how artists and bands would be managed in Australia.
Teaming up with Kylie Minogue in 1987 just prior to her debut single, Locomotion, Blamey navigated a path which broke new frontiers into the global music industry. Over the next 25 years, he would help steer Minogue’s career to unprecedented international success while also managing the careers of Deni Hines, Gina G, Fiona Horne and Dannii Minogue with whom he achieved 10 consecutive hits in the United Kingdom.
For his services to music, Terry Blamey was awarded Manager of the Year by the Music Managers Forum in 2002, and Best Global Manager at the International Live Music Conference in London in 2003. In 2012, he received the prestigious Peter Grant Award for his outstanding contribution to the global music industry and in 2023 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia.
In this rare interview, Blamey opens up about the early days of his career, Kylie’s memorable performances at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games and HRH The Queen Diamond Jubilee concert, as well as his time managing some of Australia’s best known artists.
Interviewer: Jane Gazzo
Location: Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, 2023
3 окт 2024
