Clifford Hocking
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Clifford Hocking | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 February 1932 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died | 12 June 2006 (aged 74) Melbourne |
| Occupation(s) | Impresario, festival director |
| Awards | Helpmann Award, Ken Myer Medallion for the Performing Arts |
Clifford Henry Hocking AM (9 February 1932 – 12 June 2006) was an Australian impresario and festival director.
He was born in Melbourne on 9 February 1932 to Olive and Fred Hocking, the fifth brother in his family and the youngest.[1]
His first entrée into the arts world was as a messenger boy for ABC Radio in 1949. After travelling overseas he returned to Melbourne where he and a business partner opened Thomas' Records, which he managed until 1965.[2]
After meeting a then-unknown Barry Humphries in 1962, he became Humphries' manager for three Australian tours between 1962 and 1969 ("A Nice Night's Entertainment", "Excuse I" and "Just a Show").[2]
He also began to contract overseas artists to perform in Australia, such as Max Adrian, Ali Akbar Khan,[2] Ravi Shankar, and others.[3]
In 1965 David Vigo (1943–2016)[4] joined his company, and the list of artists then extended to such names as American stars The Pointer Sisters, Blossom Dearie and Alvin Ailey; British performers Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, Donovan, Elvis Costello, Derek Jacobi, Pam Ayres, Lenny Henry and Rowan Atkinson; and European performers such as Victor Borge, Stephane Grapelli, Paco Pena and Alirio Diaz.[2]
Local artists included Don Burrows, Slim Dusty, Slava Grigoryan, and Kate Ceberano.[2][3][1]
He co-directed the 1988 Melbourne Summer Music Festival.[2] He was artistic director for the 1990 Adelaide Festival and the 1997 Melbourne International Arts Festival.[2]
Clifford Hocking died on 12 June 2006, aged 74, in a Melbourne hospital,[5] survived by his two elder brothers. On 15 June, Senator Rod Kemp, the Minister for the Arts and Sport, paid tribute to Hocking in a speech to parliament.[1] A celebration of his life was held in Hamer Hall, Melbourne, on 29 August.[2]
