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Susan Silver

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Susan Silver
Born
Susan Jean Silver[1]

(1958-07-17)July 17, 1958(age 66)[1]
Seattle,Washington, U.S.[1][2]
EducationUniversity of Washington
Occupations
  • Music manager
  • entrepreneur
Years active1983–present
Spouse
​
​
(m.1990;div.2004)​
Children1

Susan Jean Silver(born July 17, 1958) is an American music manager and businesswoman, best known for managingSeattlerock bands such asSoundgarden,Alice in ChainsandScreaming Trees.[3][4]Silver also owns the company Susan Silver Management,[5]and co-owns the clubThe Crocodilein Seattle.[6]Silver was named "the most powerful figure in local rock management" byThe Seattle Timesin 1991.[4]

Biography

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Early life

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Silver was born inSeattle,Washington, on July 17, 1958, to Samuel and Emmogene (Jean) Silver.[2]She is the oldest of three children.[1][2]Her father was Jewish and came from Russia.[7]

Silver majored in Chinese at theUniversity of Washington[8]and had been to all the major concerts in Seattle since she was 15. She started by booking for the club The Metropolis andSub Popco-founderJonathan Poneman's club parties.[9]

Career

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Silver started working as a music manager in 1983.[3]Her first clients were the bandsThe U-Menand First Thought.[3]In 1985, Silver metSoundgarden,whose lead vocalist was her then-boyfriendChris Cornell,and in the following year she started managing the band.[3]Back then, Silver was also managingScreaming Trees.[3]Silver said she became a manager because she wanted to help musicians achieve their dreams.[9]

At the same time that she was managing Rock bands, Silver was also the manager of aJohn Fluevogshoe store in Seattle.[10]The store would become famous years later for selling theDr. Martensboots worn by several members ofGrungebands from Seattle.[10]One of Silver's co-workers at the store at the time wasKevin Martin,lead vocalist ofCandlebox.[10]

In 1988, Silver met music manager Kelly Curtis.[3]Curtis and his friend Ken Deans owned a company, and Deans was the manager of the bandAlice in Chains.[3]Deans gave Silver a cassette tape of Alice in Chains and she liked it.[11]Silver then went to an Alice in Chains concert and thought they were fun and very energetic.[11]When Curtis became interested in working with the bandMother Love Bone,Deans decided that he did not want to work with Alice in Chains anymore, so he offered the managing job to Silver and Curtis,[11]who started co-managing the band.[3][11]Curtis and Silver passed on the Alice in Chains demo tapeThe Treehouse TapestoColumbia Records'A&Rrepresentative Nick Terzo, who set up an appointment with label presidentDon Ienner.[12]Based on that demo, Terzo signed Alice in Chains to Columbia in 1989.[12]Some time later, Curtis started managing the bandPearl Jam,and Silver became the sole manager of Alice in Chains.[3]

In May 1990, record labelSub PopsentNirvanaa new proposed contract, but vocalistKurt Cobainwas reluctant to sign it, complaining about the label's lack of promotion for their debut album,Bleach.Cobain and bassistKrist Novoselicconsulted Silver for advice, and she looked at the contract and told them they needed a lawyer. They met Silver in Los Angeles and she introduced them to agent Don Muller and music business attorney Alan Mintz, who specialized in finding deals for new bands. Mintz started sending out Nirvana's demo tape to major labels looking for deals.MCA Recordsexpressed interest, but the band ended up choosingDGC(part ofGeffen Records) following advice fromSonic Youth,and the label released their hit albumNevermindin 1991.[13][14]Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic offered her the opportunity to manage them, but she refused because she was too busy with her bands.[9]"There aren't many things I regret about my life, but of course not managing Nirvana was a mistake", Silver said in 2022.[9]When Nirvana was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 2014, Novoselic thanked Silver during his speech for "introducing them to the music industry properly".[15]

In 1995, Silver supported Krist Novoselic's political-action committee,Joint Artists and Music Promotions(JAMPAC), to defend the rights of artists and their fans.[16]

In 1996, Silver was featured on theDoug PraydocumentaryHype!,talking about the Seattle music scene.[17]

Among Silver's clients in the 1990s were the bandsHater,[18]Inflatable Soule,[19]Crackerbox,[20]Sweet Water,[20]Sponge,[20]singerKristen Barry,[4][21]and producerTerry Date.[4]

In 1998, Silver retired from the music business to concentrate on her family.[3]In 2005, Silver and Deborah Semer formed a new company in Seattle, Atmosphere Artist Management. Their first client was the music and dance group Children of the Revolution.[22]

Alice in Chains was inactive from 1996 until 2005. After lead vocalistLayne Staleydied of a drug overdose in 2002,[23]the band only performed in public again in February 2005 for a benefit concert with guest vocalists in Seattle.[24]After that experience, the band called Silver and said they wanted to tour as Alice in Chains again.[25]The band released their first album with new vocalistWilliam DuVallin September 2009,Black Gives Way to Blue.[26]The album debuted at No. 5 on theBillboard 200chart, and was certified gold by theRIAAin 2010 for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.[27]

Since 2009, Silver co-manages Alice in Chains along with David Benveniste and his company Velvet Hammer Management.[28]

Other ventures

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Since 2009, Silver co-owns the clubThe CrocodileinSeattlealong with Alice in Chains' drummerSean Kinney,[29][30]Capitol Hill Block Partyco-founderMarcus Charles,[6]Peggy Curtis,[6]andPortugal. The Manguitarist Eric Howk.[6]

In 2013,Rolling Stonenamed The Crocodile as one of the best clubs in America, ranked at No. 7.[31]The Guardianincluded the club in its list of the "Top 10 live music venues in Seattle".[32]

On November 21, 2019, Silver interviewed writer and political activistGloria Steinemat theParamount Theaterin Seattle when Steinem was promoting her new book,The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off!.[33]

Personal life

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In 1985, Silver started datingChris Cornell,the lead vocalist ofSoundgarden,a band that Silver started managing a year later,[8][34][3]and they got married in 1990.[35]Cornell wrote the song "Moonchild" from his debut solo albumEuphoria Morningfor Silver.[36]The couple's first and only child, a daughter named Lillian Jean, was born in June 2000.[37]The couple divorced in 2004.[38]

Silver says: "Movement and dance... for the last 25 years, helps me physically feel better but lifts me emotionally in a profound way. I got lucky enough to get introduced to TM (Transcendental Meditation) when I was in high school so that was really important... Therapy has been really valuable for me and getting out in nature... those are the pillars for me. Having a spiritual practice… really important for me. It has been for decades and decades."[39]

When asked about his heroes during a press conference in 2002,Alice in Chains' vocalist and guitaristJerry Cantrellnamed Silver as one of his heroes.[40]Cantrell also thanked Silver for being one of the people who helped him get into rehab during his speech at theMusiCares MAP Fund Benefiton May 31, 2012, where he was awarded theStevie Ray Vaughan Award.[41]

Filmography

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  • 1996:Hype!,documentary
  • 2001: VH1 News Special: Grunge, TV Movie documentary
  • 2011:Pearl Jam Twenty,documentary
  • 2012:Metal Evolution,TV Series documentary: Grunge
  • 2021: Loudwire: 30 Years of Grunge, TV Mini Series documentary: Who Invented Grunge?

References

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  1. ^abcdDavid De Sola (August 4, 2015).Alice In Chains: The Untold Story.Thomas Dunne Books. p. 101.ISBN9781250048073.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedNovember 21,2020.
  2. ^abc"Emmogene Molly (Jean) Silver".Legacy.com.January 23, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2018.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  3. ^abcdefghijk"Susan Silver".Stargate.Archived fromthe originalon June 2, 2017.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  4. ^abcd"Faces To Watch In '91 -- A Look At Up-And-Comers Who Will Be Helping To Shape The Arts This Year".The Seattle Times.January 6, 1991.Archivedfrom the original on June 3, 2017.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  5. ^"Recording Academy's Pacific Northwest Chapter Elects Leadership".Mix Online.August 25, 2003.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2018.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  6. ^abcd"The Return of The Crocodile".The Stranger.March 26, 2009.Archivedfrom the original on March 29, 2009.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  7. ^"Jewish Telegraph - 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹'𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆'𝘀 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲".Facebook.September 22, 2020.RetrievedJune 12,2023.The daughter of legendary rock singer Chris Cornell has clarified, for the first time, her family's Jewish lineage — and admitted she wanted to explore it more. Speaking to the Jewish Telegraph about her new Instagram interview series Mind Wide Open, Lily Cornell Silver, whose father was lead singer with rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave before committing suicide in 2017, aged 52, explained: "My mom Susan's dad — his whole family is Jewish and from Russia." They emigrated to Ellis Island in America from there. "There is Jewish heritage on my dad's side, as my grandma — his mum — does talk about it." They were raised Irish Catholic, Chris's dad was Irish Catholic, but there is definitely some Jewish heritage there, but none of us really know for sure, and it's something I really do want to learn about. "
  8. ^abJae-Ha Kim (April 27, 1997)."Susan Silver steers careers toward rock stardom".Chicago Sun-Times.Archived fromthe originalon November 25, 2004.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  9. ^abcdGroß, Torsten (February 23, 2022).""Godmother Of Grunge" Susan Silver im Interview: "Ich bin glücklich, ein Teil der Bewegung gewesen zu sein""[ "Godmother Of Grunge" Susan Silver Interviewed: "I'm Happy To Have Been A Part Of The Movement" ].musikexpress.de(in German). Archived fromthe originalon February 24, 2022.RetrievedMay 12,2022.
  10. ^abcMark Yarm (September 6, 2011).Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge.Three Rivers Press. pp. 355–356.ISBN9780307464453.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedNovember 21,2020.
  11. ^abcdMark Yarm (September 6, 2011).Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge.Three Rivers Press. p. 177.ISBN9780307464453.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedNovember 21,2020.
  12. ^abMusic Bank(Media notes). Alice in Chains.Columbia Records.1999. 69580.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^Everett True (March 13, 2007).Nirvana: The Biography.Da Capo Press. pp. 191–192.ISBN9780786733903.Archivedfrom the original on November 12, 2020.RetrievedDecember 17,2019.
  14. ^Cross, Charles R.(August 15, 2001).Heavier Than Heaven.New York City:Hyperion Books.pp. 486–488.ISBN0-7868-6505-9.
  15. ^"Read Nirvana's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Acceptance Speech".Rolling Stone.April 11, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on June 13, 2019.RetrievedDecember 17,2019.
  16. ^Russell, Deborah (February 18, 1995)."Nirvana Bassist Forms Artist, Fan Action League In Seattle".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on June 30, 2014.RetrievedDecember 17,2019.
  17. ^"Hype! Film".hypethemovie.com.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2017.RetrievedDecember 30,2018.
  18. ^Nickson, Chris (September 15, 1995).Soundgarden: New Metal Crown.St. Martin's Griffin.ISBN9781429941013.Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2022.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  19. ^"Inflatable Soule Is Band That Is On Its Way Up".The Seattle Times.August 19, 1994.Archivedfrom the original on August 28, 2017.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  20. ^abc"Chris Cornell, Searching for Solitude".Pitchfork.May 19, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2018.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  21. ^"Kristen Barry".These Streets.28 January 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 22 December 2018.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  22. ^"Susan Silver creates Atmosphere Artist Management".Seattle Post-Intelligencer.January 6, 2005.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2018.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  23. ^"The Last Days of Layne Staley".Rolling Stone.June 1, 2002.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2018.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  24. ^"Kinney drums up enthusiastic response for tsunami benefit".Seattle Post-Intelligencer.February 17, 2005.Archivedfrom the original on December 1, 2017.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  25. ^"Putting The Band Back Together".PollstarPro.February 17, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon February 4, 2011.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  26. ^Lipshutz, Jason (September 18, 2009)."Alice in Chains back in" Black "after 14 years".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on July 18, 2019.RetrievedJuly 18,2019.
  27. ^"ALICE IN CHAINS Strikes Gold With 'Black Gives Way To Blue'".Blabbermouth.net.May 25, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedJuly 18,2019.
  28. ^"Alice In Chains Signs With Virgin/EMI".Blabbermouth.net.April 25, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon April 27, 2009.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  29. ^"Legendary Crocodile, the cradle of grunge, rocks into its next stage".The Seattle Times.March 21, 2009.Archivedfrom the original on August 22, 2017.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  30. ^Gillian G. Gaar (February 2, 2010)."Alice in Chains' Homecoming".Seattle Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon June 20, 2018.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  31. ^"The Best Clubs in America / 7. The Crocodile in Seattle".Rolling Stone.March 28, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on April 3, 2013.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  32. ^Simmons, Abbey (May 25, 2013)."Top 10 live music venues in Seattle".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on April 8, 2014.RetrievedDecember 17,2019.
  33. ^Harris, Sonya (November 29, 2019)."Gloria Steinem still has hope for the U.S."KUOW.Archivedfrom the original on November 30, 2019.RetrievedDecember 17,2019.
  34. ^"Becoming Chris Cornell: Inside the Early Days of Soundgarden".Billboard.May 15, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2017.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  35. ^"Chris Cornell: His Rise to the Top of the Seattle Scene".People.May 18, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on May 22, 2017.
  36. ^"Chris Cornell Talks 'Euphoria Morning' in 1999 SPIN Interview".SPIN Magazine.May 18, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on May 21, 2017.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  37. ^"Chris Cornell Feels" Euphoria "With Newborn Daughter".MTV.July 6, 2000. Archived fromthe originalon August 4, 2017.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  38. ^"Chris Cornell, Singer with Soundgarden and Audioslave, Dies at 52".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on May 18, 2017.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  39. ^"CHRIS CORNELL's Daughter and Ex-Wife Discuss Overcoming Loss and Grief on Final Episode of 'Mind Wide Open'".Blabbermouth.net.20 July 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 21 July 2021.Retrieved21 July2021.
  40. ^"Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell:" Layne Staley, Sean Kinney and Susan Silver are my heroes "".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.
  41. ^"Jerry Cantrell Thanks Alice in Chains' Manager Susan Silver in his Stevie Ray Vaughan Award Speech".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on April 29, 2021.RetrievedDecember 21,2018.

Further reading

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[edit]
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