Irving Azoff: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Inductee
A hardworking pioneer in the music industry, Azoff is often cited as the ultimate rock manager -- he is inducted with the Ahmet Ertegun Award
The 2020 Inductees Revealed - Celebrate the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Newest Inductee Class (2020)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Inductees Revealed
Welcome to the official Class of 2020 Inductees, presented by partner Ernst & Young. Watch and celebrate the eight newest Inductees including Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., T. Rex, Jon Landau and Irving Azoff.
Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff’s name has become synonymous with the entertainment industry. From his earliest days, when he began promoting and booking bands during his Danville High School and University of Illinois college years, to his success as an agent, personal manager, concert promoter, movie producer, independent record label owner, merchandiser, music publisher and record company CEO, Azoff has always put his unique stamp on his accomplishments.
Irving Azoff Report Cards, Danville Junior High School (1962-1963)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Irving Azoff Report Cards, 1962-1963
A good student, as evidenced by these straight-A report cards from Danville Junior High School, Azoff considered a career in medicine before deciding to focus on music. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2003.
REO Speedwagon Concert Poster (c. 1971)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
REO Speedwagon Concert Poster, c. 1971
Azoff booked bands while attending University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign but dropped out to focus on the music business. Champaign-based rock band REO Speedwagon was Azoff’s first management client; this poster advertises an early show put on by Azoff & Associates.
Irving Azoff and Joe Walsh of the Eagles (c. 1972)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Irving Azoff and Joe Walsh of the Eagles, c. 1972
In 1974, Azoff formed his own Front Line Management Company and became the sole manager of the Eagles, a relationship that has continued for over four decades. Walsh, already an Azoff client, joined the Eagles in 1975.
“I was totally down and out…Lost. Couldn’t get any gigs…made a solo album, and the IRS was auditing me three years running,” Walsh told Rolling Stone. “My manager [at the time] didn’t even care. Out of nowhere, Irving came up, saying he believed in me.”
Irving Azoff Tour Jacket (c. 1975)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Irving Azoff Tour Jacket, 1975
Only a handful of these custom Eagles tour jackets were created for the band and close associates like Azoff.
“The first night we met Irving,” remembered Glenn Frey, “[Don] Henley and I…started telling Irving our problems with the band, our producer, how we wanted our records not to be so clean and glassy and how we were getting the royal f*ckin’ screw job."
Frey continued, "He told us he had come in with Walsh and Fogelberg and didn’t know himself…We decided that night that Irving would manage us.”
Letter from Irving Azoff to Peter Rudge (1978)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Letter from Irving Azoff to Peter Rudge, 1978
Azoff executive produced the 1978 film FM, which featured several of his clients on its best-selling soundtrack album. However, Azoff removed his name from the movie’s credits because he felt it was “not an authentic representation of the music business.”
In this letter, Azoff tells then-Lynyrd Skynyrd manager Peter Rudge his decision.
Irving Azoff (c. 1979)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Irving Azoff, c. 1979
Azoff moved to Los Angeles in 1971, taking clients like Dan Fogelberg and Joe Walsh with him. He first worked for Jerry Heller’s Heller-Fischel booking agency, and then joined David Geffen and Elliot Roberts at Geffen-Roberts Company, where Azoff began working with the Eagles.
Script for Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1981)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Script for Fast Times at Ridgemont High, 1981
Azoff co-produced the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, based on Cameron Crowe’s book of the same name. This script has notes about potential soundtrack songs in the margins.
Patti LaBelle and Irving Azoff (c. 1986)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Patti LaBelle and Irving Azoff, c. 1986
Azoff was the chairman of MCA Music Entertainment Group from 1983 to 1989, where he diversified the label’s roster by signing more Black artists, including Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, New Edition and Bobby Brown. Azoff left MCA and launched Giant Records.
Irving Azoff and Elton John (c. 1987)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Irving Azoff and Elton John, c. 1987
When he was head of MCA, Azoff worked with Elton John. This photo may have been taken during the recording of John’s twenty-first studio album, Reg Strikes Back (1988).
Irving Azoff MTV Video Music Award (2001)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Irving Azoff MTV Video Music Award, 2001
“Lady Marmalade,” from the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack, featured Azoff’s client Christina Aguilera’s powerhouse vocals and won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film and Best Video of the Year.
Billboard Magazine (February 4, 2012)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Billboard Magazine, February 4, 2012
In addition to the Eagles, Azoff’s Full Stop Management represents Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Earth, Wind & Fire and The Doobie Brothers, as well as a wide range of other artists, including Harry Styles, Anderson .Paak, Gwen Stefani and Roddy Ricch.
Irving Azoff Plaque (c. 2014)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Irving Azoff Plaque, c. 2014
Cameron Crowe once described Irving Azoff as the enfant terrible of the music business, a man who would “rip up a contract, yell, scream, terrorize, stomp, pound and destroy inanimate objects gleefully” to get his artists “top dollar.”
This plaque, a gift made by Irving’s son Jeffrey, is inscribed with a tongue-in-cheek motto attributed to Azoff when crossed in matters both personal and professional.
Irving Azoff GRAMMY Industry Icon Award (2016)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Irving Azoff GRAMMY Industry Icon Award, 2016
As a longtime music industry kingpin and philanthropist, Irving Azoff was honored with the GRAMMY Industry Icon Award in 2016. Other recipients of the award include Ahmet Ertegun, Berry Gordy and Clive Davis.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Irving Azoff Acceptance Speech (2020)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Irving Azoff Induction Acceptance Speech, 2020
The 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees exhibit was onsite at the Rock Hall from August 14, 2020 to June 14, 2021.
