Jim Halsey Biography
Jim Halsey's career spans over 60 active
years as artist manager, agent and
impresario, discovering and/or guiding the
careers of such illustrious personalities as
Roy Clark, The Oak Ridge Boys, Waylon
Jennings, Reba McEntire, Minnie Pearl, Clint
Black, Tammy Wynette, Mel Tillis, Merle
Haggard, Dwight Yoakum, The Judds, Lee
Greenwood, Hank Thompson and many others.
This year, he celebrates 36 years as the
personal manager for The Oak Ridge Boys who
continue to sellout and perform 160 dates a
year.
Jim Halsey's eclectic tastes have also
enabled him to represent such diverse
artists as Woody Herman and his Thundering
Herd, James Brown, Roy Orbison, Rick Nelson,
The Righteous Brothers, Leon Russell, The
Glenn Miller Orchestra and others.
Jim Halsey has organized and presented
country music performances all over the
world, in many places, for the first time.
His 1976 tour, presenting Roy Clark and The
Oak Ridge Boys in the Soviet Union won
praise both culturally and in diplomatic
circles. Roy Clark's successful return tour
of the USSR in 1988 was the subject of an
award-winning television documentary. The
efforts of Jim Halsey have expanded the
horizons of country music into Europe and
Asia, while maintaining one of the most
highly skilled and motivated booking and
management companies in the world. The
booking agency division of The Jim Halsey
Company, Inc., was sold to the William
Morris Agency in 1990 where he remained a
consultant for several years.
Jim Halsey's focus the past few years has
been directed toward education. From
1995-1999 Halsey created and served as
director of the award-winning Music and
Entertainment
Business Program at Oklahoma
City University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Additionally, Halsey is a Visiting Professor
at HED Music College in Yehud, Israel. He is
currently focused on The Halsey Learning
Center of Music & Entertainment Business, a
online internet school.
Halsey lectures and teaches extensively at
colleges and universities around the world.
Halsey's expertise encompasses more than
just successful talent management and
booking. His business acumen and experience
include broadcasting (he has owned several
radio stations), owning and running a record
label, banking (he has served on the Board
of Directors of three banks), ranching, real
estate operations, and investments. He is
also a successful music publisher. Halsey's
forte' is sales and marketing.
His popular seminar series, "How To Make It
In The Music Business" is filled with much
needed information on the music
business/song marketplace. Explained are the
important functions of managers, agents,
record companies, press and PR, producers,
specialized music/entertainment attorneys,
music publishers, promoters, performing
rights organizations, copyright protection,
and other components that make up the "star
team." Halsey reveals the best way for the
new, hopeful artists to be discovered.
An avid interest in the arts is shared by
Jim and his wife, Minisa Crumbo. Together,
they have created an extensive collection of
American Indian Art. Crumbo is recognized as
one of the leading American Indian Artists.
She has exhibited her works worldwide.
Halsey has served on the following Boards of
Directors: The Country Music Association
(CMA), The Academy of Country Music (ACM),
National Academy of Arts and Sciences
(Austin Chapter), Mercantile Bank and Trust,
Tulsa, Citizens National Bank, Independence,
KS, Farmers & Merchants Bank, Mound City,
KS, Tulsa Philharmonic, Nashville Symphony
Orchestra, Philbrook Art Museum, Thomas
Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, the U.S. Committee
for UNICEF, MEIEA (Music and Entertainment
Industry Educators Assoc.) and the Gilcrease
Museum of Art.
He is listed in the "Who's Who in the
World," "Who's Who in America," "Who's Who
in the Entertainment Business," "Who's Who
in the Southwest," "Who's Who in Business
and Finance," and the "International
Directory of Distinguished Leadership."
Jim Halsey was elected in 1984 as President
of FIDOF (International Federation of
Festival Organizations). Upon completion of
eight years of the presidency, he was
elected President of Honour. This UNESCO
organization has a membership of 360 major
music festivals in 187 countries. Mr. Halsey
brought a vision of global peace and harmony
within the scope of the international
festival arena.
Jim Halsey is co-creator of the Billboard
Magazine Song Contest which is entering it’s
14th year, and is co-sponsored by Sonicbids,
Disc Makers, Epiphone, Digidesign, Elixir
Strings, TAXI, Indie Band Manager and
BluBlocker Sunglasses. This annual contest
awards cash and merchandise for the best new
amateur songs in several categories of
music: Pop, Rock, Country, Gospel, Latin,
World, Jazz, and R&B/Rap.
In May of 1992, Halsey was honored by Baker
University in Baldwin City, Kansas, with the
degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris
causa.In June 1997 Jim Halsey received the
"Lifetime Achievement Award" from the
International Entertainment Buyers
Association (IEBA).
In May of 1999 The Cherokee Honor Society
presented Jim Halsey with their prestigious
"Medal of Honor" during ceremonies at the
Cherokee National Capitol in Tahlequah,
Oklahoma. In 2000 he was inducted into The
Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and received the
“Kansas Impresario Award” from the Kansas
Federation of Music Clubs in 2005.
Halsey currently serves on the Boards of
Directors for: The National Music Council,
International Federation of Festival
Organizations (FIDOF/UNESCO), Tulsa Ballet
Theater, the Business Circle For Arts
Education in Oklahoma, Advisory Council MENC
(Music Educators National Conference),
Oklahoma Music Hall Of Fame, Advisory Board
Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame and the Advisory
Board National Institute of Entertainment &
Media Law (Southwest University School of
Law) in Los Angeles, California.
Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating presented
Impresario Jim Halsey with The Governor's
Arts Award for Arts and Education for his
Music and Entertainment Business Program at
Oklahoma City University. Betty Price,
Executive Director of The Oklahoma Arts
Council assisted in the presentation.
Halsey's award winning music and
entertainment business program is unique. As
an active manager and impresario, Halsey
brings his day to day experience of managing
the pop-country superstars, The Oak Ridge
Boys, into the internet classroom. Students
learn from the day to day experiences and
problems arising from the business.
Jim and his wife are constant world
travelers by virtue of their respective
activities, concerts, lectures, seminars,
exhibitions, and festivals around the globe.
Unity is the enduring theme of Jim Halsey's
contribution to the world through his life
and work.