Cathy Young remembers Sheldon Safran

RIP: SHELDON SAFRAN

Here are a few facts.
Sheldon  Safran was a Golden Gloves champ in college who grew up in Windsor but spent a lot of time across the river in Detroit where he developed his love for music. His pal Shep Gordon and he had a running contest about who could produce the biggest act. Shep had Alice Cooper and Sheldon had the Amboy  Dukes.

Sheldon produced ‘Journey to the center of your Mind’ for the group. He also worked with Bob Shad from Mainstream Records, producing Big Brother & the Holding Company’s demo for the label. The group featured a singer who would later prove to be an icon herself… Janis Joplin.

He brought Bob Shad to Toronto following up on an article written by Ritchie Yorke, to see Cathy Young perform at the Rockpile, and was responsible for Cathy’s signing to Mainstream Records, making Cathy one of the first Canadian musicians to have a world release in 1969. ‘A Spoonful of Cathy Young ‘ subsequently was selected as Billboard Magazine’s  ‘ Pick of the Week ‘.

Sheldon featured the most Canadian musicians to appear on a solo artist’s album in Canadian history. 35 musicians on Cathy Young’s Travel Stained. I had the first video that was ever recorded in Toronto for my song “Eagle” with Mike McDonald and Fingerwood backing me, produced at Advertel and We took it to L.A in Jan.  1973 and when we went to screen it, it turned out the major label had no equipment to view it with.

Sheldon promoted the ‘Sunshine Festival’ and ‘The Rock and Roll Revival’,among other music events. He was also the first promoter to gain access to the Toronto Islands with his ‘Two Days of Blues’  in July 1974. He followed this with ‘Island Dream’ that ran into difficulties when someone ran off with the box office receipts and cash. The headlines the next day were in red letters on the top of the Star paper: “Rock promoter’s cheques bouncing all over town”. It was the end for his Canadian promotion days.

He left the country, and my career was left to stall. I was dropped by the label GRT as there was no new record to continue the relationship as per the agreement. Sheldon, meantime, went to Jamaica and promoted a show called Super Soul ’75 a Two-day festival. He was the first promoter to bring in outside talent to Jamaica in a big festival platform.

He then went to Los Angeles and put together the In Tune Talent booking agency and represented the late Billy Preston and Robin Trower among many other artists. He had some health concerns a few years ago, and moved to Las Vegas where the weather was more conducive to better health. He lately had returned to his Golden Glove roots and had been enjoying mentoring boxers.  He died of complications from an aneurysm on Jan. 20, this year in Las Vegas.

Funeral will be in Toronto this week. He will rest with the the Grossman family, his wife Barbara’s family, as part of their plot at Warden and St. Clair. Ave. in Toronto.

RIP Sheldon Safran.

(Ed. note: Thanks to Cathy Young and Ritchie Yorke for filling in the dots).