Stevie Wonder Manager Gives Guest Lecture

Students on the Music Business Course were treated to a guest lecture this week from a major player in the music industry. Keith Harris has managed Stevie Wonder since the late '70's and has spent over 30 years in the music industry at the highest levels. It's not every day that you meet someone with that kind of insight into the music business and so students on the course were understandably keen to hear what Keith had to say and get the inside track on artist management.

"Information about the music industry is notoriously hard to come by. And often the only way is through direct, first-hand experience. That's the difference between this course and other similar ones which are led by people with the theoretical knowledge, but not the experience" said Keith.

He headed up Motown's UK operation in the 1970s, representing international artists such as Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, The Commodores, Rick James and The Supremes.  He left Motown in 1978 and moved to Los Angeles to work with Stevie Wonder and became operations manager for Stevie's companies.  On his return to the UK in 1982 he formed his own management company and has been involved in the management of various UK based artists since then . Keith is a former Chairman of the Music Managers Forum, the Chairman of Musictank and Director of Performer Affairs at PPL.