CONNECT . MOTIVATE . INSPIRE .
the sound was right, the lights, not just from a technical perspective, but from a musical perspective.” Because HBCUs historically have been underfunded, they often could not afford the prices of top-tier talent. Artists often preferred predominantly white universities (PWI’s) simply because they were better funded, so the artists were paid more. Wooley was able to produce both fledgling acts like Queen Latifah who was at the beginning of her career at the time and established acts for HBCUs. “If HBCUs had called the agents directly, they wouldn’t have had that clout, so the prices wouldn’t have been discounted; and they would not have been able to afford those big names, “said Wooley. Working with HBCUs, he expanded from just doing concerts, to booking lectures with such luminaries as Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.’s daughter Yolanda King, Malcolm X’s daughter Attallah Shabazz and basketball Hall of Famer Walt Frazier. Artists wanted to perform at these HBCUs, but there were very few Black promoters that were able to book top-tier talent. Wooley helped to fill that void for HBCUs – giving artists the chance to appear in front of Black students and conversely to allow those students to be able to watch stars like Run DMC and Frankie Beverly and Maze perform live, taking HBCUs in the region to another level.
“He said, ‘Well, aren’t you Dave Wooley?’ “I said, ‘yeah.’ “He said, ‘Well, you can be the promoter then.’” And it was just that simple. Wooley suggested Ambrosia’s, a Black-owned club in Delaware, and he became a promoter that day fulfilling his desire to focus on the business end of music. “We sold out for two nights. I made more money being a promoter than a drummer in the group,” Wooley recalls. This first gig with Connors was Wooley’s starting point to promote larger venues which he did for many years. “Unfortunately, it’s a crapshoot,” said media mogul and television personality Cathy Hughes about promoting and the lack of Black promoters. “If the weather is bad, if the artist comes down with laryngitis, the artist falls out with their significant other, there are so many moving parts to booking them, promoting them, and then selling their
tickets. It’s a very risky business.”
Wooley eventually found a niche market that he would work primarily with for many years – promoting HBCUs in Pennsylvania like Lincoln University and Cheyney University, and in Delaware and Maryland, like Delaware State, Bowie State, and Maryland Eastern Shore in the 1980s. Wooley had a competitive advantage for this market from having direct relationships with top agencies based in New York City like William Morris, ICM and ABC Bookings from years of booking top acts. “I knew the agents because I had done a bunch of concerts on my own, and they were all successful,” said Wooley. “Not one cancellation. So, when I would call for Natalie Cole or the O’Jays or Run DMC, I would get a huge discount. They knew it would be promoted right, and the artists would be treated first class. Because I was a musician,. I knew when
Once, acclaimed jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis called Wooley. Marsalis was
2 8 | HBCU TIMES SUMMER ISSUE 2023
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online