Tom Donahue

b. 21 Might 1928, South Flex, Indiana, USA, d. 28 Apr 1975, USA. Affectionately referred to as ‘Big Daddy’ in deference to his substantial girth, Donahue performed a pivotal function in the progression of San Franciscan music. He found its way to the town in 1961, having currently set up himself as a respected disc jockey with Philadelphia’s best place WBIG. At KYA he befriended colleague Bob Mitchell, and jointly they began marketing concerts on the Cow Palace auditorium. The Beatles as well as the Rolling Rocks had been two of the works provided there. Donahue and Mitchell founded Fall Information in 1964. They have scored a national strike with Bobby Freeman’s ‘C’mon And Swim’, before embracing nascent American rock and roll using the Beau Brummels. Fellow disk jockey Sylvester Stewart, aka Sly Rock, produced lots of the label’s functions. The business owners also founded a North Seaside club, Moms, which showcased a number of the early functions synonymous using the San Franciscan sound, like the Great Culture. Nevertheless, they singularly didn’t sign other essential functions, like the Charlatans, the Thankful Deceased and Dino Valenti, despite documenting demos together. This hesitancy was among the factors adding to Fall months’s demise. Mitchell passed away in 1966, but Donahue maintained his influential placement. He managed many performers, including Ron Nagle, Sal Valentino and these Valenti, and revolutionized radio at train station KSAN-FM by implementing a daring ‘recording’ format. He masterminded an ambitious touring revue, the Medication Ball Caravan, which later on spawned a film, and Donahue continued to be a fixture within the town until his early loss of life from a coronary attack in 1975.