Noted rock ‘n’ roll Tour Manager Sam Cutler passed away on July 11, 2023 in Brisbane, Australia, after a bout with cancer. He was 80.
Born Brendan Lawrence Lyons in England in 1943, Sam Cutler studied history in college and later taught at Cambridge from 1963-1966. However, with the booming rock ‘n’ roll movement in Britain during those times, he shifted his career focus, joining rock management company Blackhill Enterprises as Stage Manager, where he worked with acts such as Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, and The Rolling Stones.
In 1968, Blackhill began doing free rock shows with top artists in London’s Hyde Park, which continued as free shows through 1971. For “The Stones in the Park” concert in July 1969, Cutler also served as the master of ceremonies for the show, and was said to be the first to use the intro phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World — The Rolling Stones!”
Cutler was later selected for the position of Road Manager for The Stones’ American Tour 1969, which promoted the band’s Beggar’s Banquet album and played 24 dates throughout North America, culminating in the infamous Altamont Speedway Free Concert on Dec 6, 1969. During that event, an unruly fan armed with a pistol tried to get on the stage and was fatally stabbed by one of the Hells Angels, a group that Cutler — in exchange for $500 in beer — had arranged to provide “security” — essentially to protect the generators and keep fans off the stage.
After that tour, Cutler stayed in the states and worked as Tour Manager for The Grateful Dead, successfully organizing the band’s events such as the 1970 Festival Express Canadian tour, the 1972 European Tour and the 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen.
Cutler founded his own tour management company (Out of Town Tours) that worked with clients such as The Grateful Dead, The Band, The Allman Brothers, and others.
In the late-1990s, Cutler relocated to Queensland, Australia. Settling down, he later began writing his memoirs in an extensive 348-page 2010 book called You Can’t Always Get What You Want: My life with the Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, and other wonderful reprobates.
Cutler passed away in Brisbane, Australia on July 11, 2023, at the age of 80. No word on a memorial service had been announced at press time.
