Page 5 – That Eric Alper

20 Booking Agents That Actually Work With Indie Artists

Eric Alper

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Jun 10, 2026

20 Booking Agents That Actually Work With Indie Artists

For an independent artist, streaming numbers and press are only half the battle. The real career gets built on the road, in 200-capacity rooms, one city at a time. Independent music doesn’t survive on streaming playlists alone. It survives because artists still get in vans, play rooms with 200 people, slowly build trust with audiences, and find teams willing to grow with them long before the industry catches up. The booking agent is the person who makes that grind sustainable. But knowing which agencies take indie and developing acts seriously, rather than only chasing arena-level names, is half the job. Here are 20 agencies known for championing independent artists, along with what makes each one worth a pitch.

One thing worth saying up front: reaching out to a booking agency isn’t about blasting the same generic email to every contact page you can find. Research their roster, identify which agent handles artists in your lane, and send a concise, professional note with a short intro, recent ticket data, notable press or streaming milestones, upcoming routing plans, and a clean live video link. Agents are looking for momentum they can scale, not potential they have to create.

Ground Control Touring

One of the most respected indie agencies in North America. Founded in 2000 by Eric Dimenstein and Jim Romeo, this boutique Brooklyn- and LA-based agency offers exclusive North American tour booking across rock, indie, folk, americana, punk, and experimental music. Its roster includes Waxahatchee and Japanese Breakfast, and in 2026 it created its first head-of-festivals role to deepen festival bookings.

Panache Booking

Founded in the mid-1990s and based in New York, Panache built its reputation in alternative and indie touring by focusing on steady, long-term career growth rather than short-term hype. It works primarily across indie rock, alternative, and left-of-center pop, and is known for backing artists with strong live shows and distinct identities.

ROAM Artists

Built from the foundation of Arrival Artists and ATC Live, ROAM quickly became one of the strongest independent agencies supporting emerging and culture-shifting artists, with a focus on helping musicians grow sustainable touring careers without losing their identity.

Arrival Artists

Launched in 2020 by six longtime colleagues, with offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle, Arrival has a team culture rooted in art and inclusivity and a reputation for guiding artists from underground clubs to major venues.

International Talent Booking (ITB)

A respected independent agency representing artists across rock, indie, alternative, electronic, and punk, ITB has built touring careers for both legendary acts and emerging artists through a boutique, artist-focused approach.

Sound Talent Group

Founded in 2018 by industry veterans Dave Shapiro, Tim Borror, and Matt Andersen, Sound Talent Group combines the reach of a large firm with the personalized touch of a boutique agency. Particularly strong in rock, punk, and metal.

Coda Agency

Coda is known for its strong focus on nurturing emerging talent, working closely with new artists to give them opportunities to grow, with an artist-centric approach and deep industry roots.

Primary Talent International

An established agency with extensive global reach whose clients range from emerging artists to established stars, Primary offers a broad platform for artists looking to break into international markets, with a track record across tours, festival placements, and one-off shows.

High Road Touring

A long-running, fiercely independent California agency known for a roster spanning americana, indie, world, and roots music, and for taking a relationship-first, career-long approach to artist development.

Day After Day Productions (DADP)

Based in Los Angeles and led by Seth Shomes, DADP has carved out a unique niche in casino bookings and was nominated for Pollstar’s Independent Booking Agency of the Year in both 2023 and 2024.

Paradigm Talent Agency

A major agency with a deep music division that still actively develops independent and mid-level touring acts, offering indie artists access to wider routing and festival relationships as they grow.

Wasserman Music

The former Paradigm music group, now one of the largest agencies in the business, with agents who came up in the indie world and continue to sign developing artists alongside headliners.

WME (William Morris Endeavor)

One of the global giants, but worth knowing because its agents do scout and sign rising independent acts who have proven they can sell tickets, opening the door to larger tours and festivals.

CAA (Creative Artists Agency)

One of the world’s premier agencies across film, television, and music. Getting signed here isn’t a starting point but a result of proving you can generate demand, so build your audience and show you can move tickets first.

Wondersound

A boutique indie agency built around hands-on artist development, known for working closely with rising alternative and indie acts and taking a patient, market-by-market approach to growing live audiences.

Partisan Arts

A boutique agency with a strong americana, folk, and singer-songwriter roster, respected for nurturing literate, road-tested artists and building durable touring careers rather than chasing trends.

The Feldman Agency

One of Canada’s most established agencies, with a broad roster spanning emerging and major Canadian artists across rock, folk, pop, and roots, and deep relationships with venues and festivals nationwide.

Paquin Artists Agency

A leading Canadian agency representing a diverse roster across folk, roots, world, and contemporary music, known for developing homegrown talent and routing both domestic and international tours.

APA (Agency for the Performing Arts)

A long-established full-service agency with a music division that books across many genres and works with developing acts alongside established names, useful for artists ready to expand into wider markets.

KORD (formerly Lower Level / boutique indie roster)

A boutique agency focused on alternative, indie, and electronic artists, valued for a curated roster and an emphasis on creative, sustainable touring strategies for developing acts.

Belfast Punk: How a City’s Anger Became Great

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 10, 2026

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Belfast Punk: How a City’s Anger Became Great

In the late 1970s, Belfast was one of the most dangerous cities in Western Europe. The Troubles had hollowed out the city centre, social life had retreated behind closed doors, and a generation of teenagers grew up with checkpoints, curfews, and the constant threat of violence as the backdrop to ordinary life. Social life more or less shut down with the onset of the Troubles as people stayed in their own homes and their own areas, and the once-vibrant music scene of central Belfast collapsed. Out of that bleakness came one of the most thrilling and improbable explosions in the history of popular music.

The unlikely hero of Belfast punk wasn’t a musician at all. He was a one-eyed record collector and idealist named Terri Hooley. At the height of the violence, Hooley decided that if he was going to get killed anyway, he might as well do something he loved, and in 1976 he opened a record shop called Good Vibrations on Great Victoria Street, then considered the most bombed quarter-mile in Europe. The area had been so badly hit that the landlord gave him the first six months rent-free.

The shop quickly became a refuge and a hub. Hooley began championing local bands, particularly in the emerging punk scene, and started releasing their music on a label he named after the shop, with its first release being the 1978 single “Big Time” by Rudi. What made the scene radical wasn’t only the noise. In a city violently split along sectarian lines, the punk scene was made up of young men and women who identified not as Protestant or Catholic but simply as punks, and soldiers and authority figures alike were openly baffled that musicians from both communities weren’t divided by religion. Punk gave Belfast kids a third identity, one that belonged to none of the warring tribes.

The defining moment of the scene happened in 1978, when two Northern Irish bands sent their debut singles to BBC DJ John Peel hoping for airplay. The Undertones’ “Teenage Kicks” got played twice in a row and passed into legend as Peel’s favourite track of all time, while Stiff Little Fingers’ “Suspect Device” was played every night for a week, with the only London shop stocking it constantly running out. Hooley took “Teenage Kicks” to London, left a copy with Peel as a last resort, and The Undertones signed an American record deal within the week.

The two bands represented opposite poles of the same scene. Stiff Little Fingers, formed in Belfast in 1977 and fronted by Jake Burns, started as a rock cover band before seeing The Clash live and turning to songs drawn from life during the Troubles. The Undertones, up in Derry, had been around since 1974 and evolved under punk’s influence, but sang about teenage angst and desire rather than the conflict. The rivalry was real: the two bands’ singles landed the same week, with Stiff Little Fingers accused of cashing in on the misery of the Troubles, and The Undertones accused of sidelining a conflict they had the reach to address.

What gives Belfast punk its lasting power is the way it transformed fear and boredom into something electric. Jake Burns described “Alternative Ulster” as written in the classic punk mode of having nothing to do, capturing the sheer tedium of having nowhere to go and nothing to do when you got there. Bands like Stiff Little Fingers, Rudi, and The Outcasts gave voice to young working-class people who were most likely to fall victim to paramilitary or state violence, and who lived with poverty and unemployment. The music was political, but it refused both the state and the paramilitaries; it was anti-violence and anti-sectarian above all. Wikipedia Powderfingerpromo

The influence ran deep and wide. Asked in 2007 whether “Teenage Kicks” was the best song about being a teenager, Bono replied that his own soundtrack was more “Alternative Ulster” by Stiff Little Fingers. Stiff Little Fingers’ debut album Inflammable Material helped give Rough Trade the funds and confidence to become the market-leading indie label that would later give the world The Smiths. A scene born in the most bombed half-mile in Europe ended up reshaping the entire architecture of independent music. Vivid Seats Ticketmaster

Belfast today is a profoundly different place. The Troubles largely ceased with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, and the city has since transformed itself into a vibrant hub for the entertainment industry, becoming home to the production wing of Game of Thrones. The anger that once poured out of cramped venues and a tiny record shop has become part of the city’s proudest cultural inheritance, a reminder that some of the greatest art is made by people with every reason to despair and a refusal to do so.

That same spirit of music as common ground carries into this summer, when Belfast hosts one of the great celebrations of Irish traditional music. Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann takes place in Belfast, August 2–9, 2026. For more information visit fleadhcheoil.ie, visitbelfast.com, and discovernorthernireland.com.

Country Radio Hall Of Famer And Grand Ole Opry Voice Bill Cody Has Died

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 10, 2026

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Country Radio Hall Of Famer And Grand Ole Opry Voice Bill Cody Has Died

Bill Cody, one of the most familiar and beloved voices in country music broadcasting, has died after a recent health battle. He passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 9, surrounded by family, at the age of 67.

For more than 30 years, Cody hosted WSM-AM’s flagship morning show, Coffee, Country & Cody, three words that started the day right for generations of listeners. He joined WSM on April 25, 1994, bringing Charlie Daniels in as his first in-studio guest, and went on to forge countless friendships across three decades at the station. He later developed the morning show into a series on the Circle Network and routinely hosted the Grand Ole Opry, including the long-running Opry Country Classics.

Born in Lebanon, Kentucky, Cody fell in love with radio young. His father, a Baptist preacher, recorded his Sunday sermons and dropped the tapes at local station WLBN, and 12-year-old Cody found the place so fascinating he began spending time there. By 17 he had landed a deejay job at Lexington’s WVLK, adopting the name Bill Cody, in honor of his childhood hero “Buffalo Bill” Cody, at his boss’s request. He bounced through stations in Louisville, Orlando, and San Antonio before reaching his dream job at the mother ship of country radio.

Cody was a champion of traditional artists, up-and-comers, legends, and independents that other broadcasters sometimes ignored. Independent artist Addison Johnson recalled Cody as one of the first people in town to believe in him, saying his dream was to have Cody announce his Grand Ole Opry debut. Garth Brooks put it simply, saying that while someone somewhere might have loved country music as much, nobody loved it more than Bill Cody.

His honors run deep. Cody was inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in 2008, received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in 2024, and will be posthumously inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in 2026. In the coming days, WSM will honor him with a marathon of unforgettable Coffee, Country & Cody moments, and the Opry will dedicate its Saturday night show to him.

Cody leaves behind his high school sweetheart and wife, Rebecca, and three children. He also leaves behind dead air that will be difficult, if not impossible, to fill. He was 67.

Peter Frampton Drops Trailer For His Career-Spanning Documentary ‘Frampton’

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 9, 2026

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Peter Frampton Drops Trailer For His Career-Spanning Documentary ‘Frampton’

Five decades of triumph, loss, and comeback get the big-screen treatment. Peter Frampton released the official trailer for his new documentary ‘Frampton’, tracing the rock icon from the arena-shaking success of ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’ to a final tour shaped by a degenerative diagnosis. The film follows a guitarist who lost everything and fought his way back, again and again.

Marking the 50th anniversary of ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’, the career retrospective is an uplifting portrait of the legendary guitarist and singer as he continues performing today. Directed by Frampton’s longtime bandleader Rob Arthur, it lets the British musician recount in his own words how he rose through The Herd and Humble Pie before going solo and skyrocketing to sold-out stadium shows in 1976.

The documentary made its world premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on June 4. It features appearances from a roster of his contemporaries, including Ringo Starr, Bill Wyman, Tom Morello, Sheryl Crow, Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, and Nancy Wilson, alongside family members Julian, Mia, and Jade Frampton.

Frampton framed the release with characteristic warmth, saying he’s thrilled to share the trailer and calling it an incredible experience to reflect on his journey and the people who have been part of it along the way. It’s a moving look at one of rock’s most resilient figures, still standing and still playing.

Video: Foo Fighters Ignite Paris At The 2005 Rock En Seine Festival

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 9, 2026

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Video: Foo Fighters Ignite Paris At The 2005 Rock En Seine Festival

A summer night outside Paris catches one of rock’s biggest acts at full power. In August 2005, at the peak of the In Your Honor tour behind their self-titled double album, Foo Fighters played Rock en Seine at the Domaine de Saint-Cloud, the annual alternative-rock festival drawing 30,000 fans. Captured in high quality, their hour-long main stage set on August 26 marked the climax of the European tour, with Pat Smear’s guitar riffs merging with Taylor Hawkins’ drum power and Dave Grohl’s vocal intensity to spark euphoria under summer skies. Running through tracks like “In Your Honor,” “Best of You,” “Times Like These,” and “Everlong,” the show underscored the band’s veteran status in post-grunge and turned the festival grounds into a realm of collective unity.

Americana Rockers Dauzat St. Marie Join Sammy Hagar’s “Best Of All Worlds Tour” With New Single “Worlds Collide”

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 9, 2026

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Americana Rockers Dauzat St. Marie Join Sammy Hagar’s “Best Of All Worlds Tour” With New Single “Worlds Collide”

A summer on some of rock’s biggest stages awaits one of the genre’s most compelling live duos. Americana rock pair Dauzat St. Marie, formed in 2015 by guitarist Mat Dauzat and vocalist Heather St. Marie, join legendary vocalist Sammy Hagar’s highly anticipated “Best Of All Worlds Tour,” bringing their blend of fiery rock energy and soaring harmonies to amphitheater crowds. The run coincides with their new single “Worlds Collide,” out across all digital outlets June 10. Pre-save it here.

The “Best Of All Worlds Tour” celebrates Hagar’s Van Halen years with an all-star band featuring Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, and renowned drummer Kenny Aronoff, on a stacked bill that also includes rock icon and longtime Hagar collaborator Rick Springfield. Some dates are expected to draw more than 25,000 fans per night.

The duo is no stranger to that scale. Fresh off a U.S. arena tour supporting REO Speedwagon and an amphitheater run alongside Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Dauzat St. Marie has steadily built a reputation on infectious chemistry, powerful songwriting, and unmistakable vocal harmonies. In 2023 the pair toured the world with Seal on his 30th Anniversary World Tour, with Dauzat tapped as guitarist and backing vocalist and St. Marie later joining as a backing vocalist.

“Worlds Collide” arrives at a pivotal moment, capturing the emotional intensity and anthemic spirit that has become the duo’s hallmark, blending heartland rock influences with modern energy, cinematic storytelling, and Laurel Canyon charm. Their sincerity has resonated widely, with their song “Where Were You?” landing on the 2021 Grammy Awards ballot in three categories, including Song of the Year.

With a new single, a major national tour, and momentum still building, 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year. It’s a powerful, harmony-rich single from a duo built for the big stage.

Best Of All Worlds Tour Dates:

June 12 – Kansas City, MO – Grinders KC

June 13 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater (w/ Sammy Hagar)

June 14 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center (w/ Sammy Hagar)

June 16 – Jackson, MI – Roadhouse

June 17 – Mt. Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino (w/ Sammy Hagar)

June 18 – Hillsdale, MI – Hillsdale Brewing Company (w/ Sammy Hagar)

June 19 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre (w/ Sammy Hagar)

June 20 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center (w/ Sammy Hagar)

June 22 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center (w/ Sammy Hagar)

June 24 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center (w/ Sammy Hagar)

July 3 – Mahomet, IL – Yellow & Co.

Synth-Pop Pioneers Soft Cell Bid Farewell With Final Album ‘Danceteria,’ A Tribute To The Late Dave Ball

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 9, 2026

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Synth-Pop Pioneers Soft Cell Bid Farewell With Final Album ‘Danceteria,’ A Tribute To The Late Dave Ball

A wild night in early ’80s Manhattan becomes the setting for one of synth-pop’s most poignant goodbyes. Electronic music legends Soft Cell, the duo of singer Marc Almond and multi-instrumentalist Dave Ball, release ‘Danceteria’, their sixth and final studio album, on September 25 via Republic of Music. The first proper single, the title track, is out now alongside a dazzling discotastic video by collage artist Vicki Bennett.

“Danceteria” opens the album as a joyous burst of disco pop, Almond’s iconic vocals soaring over Ball’s masterful John Barry-esque minor chord progressions. It pulls back the velvet curtain on a record that bounces through a symbolic day in New York, from late nights to bleary daybreak and back to the club. The 12-track album expands to 14 on CD, adding the bonus tracks “Crackland” and “What Is Your Morality.”

Almond calls the record a love letter to New York in the early ’80s, the city where the pair recorded their first three albums and came of age as artists and people. He framed it as a fitting farewell to Dave Ball, who co-wrote and produced the album before his untimely passing on October 22, 2025. Ball finished ‘Danceteria’ just two days before he died, and the release went ahead in full tribute to him.

The album has to be the last, Almond explained, because there can be no more Soft Cell recordings without Ball, who was half of the band and irreplaceable in the writing room. The record is set in the legendary Manhattan nightclub where the two art students from Leeds Polytechnic partied after sessions for their 1981 debut ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’, a venue where the queer community thrived and where Almond witnessed Madonna’s first-ever performance.

The album closes with a cover of Was (Not Was)’s mutant disco classic “Out Come The Freaks,” featuring Ball on vocals and a guest turn from Labelle’s Nona Hendryx. Soft Cell are currently on the Generations Tour across North America with The Human League and Alison Moyet, a run that winds down July 2 in Niagara, Ontario. It’s a big, classy, and deeply moving farewell to 47 years of music from one of Britain’s trailblazing sonic forces.

The Generations Tour Dates (with The Human League and Alison Moyet):

Jun 11 – Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre (SOLD OUT)

Jun 12 – Las Vegas, NV – Fontainebleau Las Vegas (SOLD OUT)

Jun 13 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre

Jun 16 – Dallas, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre

Jun 17 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre

Jun 19 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre

Jun 20 – Charlotte, NC – The Amp Ballantyne

Jun 21 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry

Jun 23 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre (SOLD OUT)

Jun 24 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple Detroit

Jun 26 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall (SOLD OUT)

Jun 27 – Boston, MA – Wang Theatre

Jun 28 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia

Jun 30 – Vienna, VA – Filene Center

Jul 1 – Northfield, OH – MGM Northfield

Jul 2 – Niagara, ON – Fallsview Casino Resort (SOLD OUT)

‘Danceteria’ CD Track Listing:

“Elusive”
“Danceteria”
“The Space Inside”
“Times Square”
“Two Of A Kind”
“The Rainbow Room”
“In Heaven (When I Dance With You)”
“Decadence Is Hard Work”
“Crackland”
“What Is Your Morality”
“Losing Yourself”
“After Hours”
“Wave To America”
“Out Come The Freaks”

Country Rocker Stephen Styles Bares His Soul On New Radio Single “Whiskey And Vinyl”

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 9, 2026

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Country Rocker Stephen Styles Bares His Soul On New Radio Single “Whiskey And Vinyl”

A quiet room, a turntable, and the weight of a heavy night sit at the center of Stephen Styles’ most vulnerable song yet. Fresh off the momentum of his chart-climbing hit “Bar By Now,” the country rocker takes an emotional turn with his latest single “Whiskey And Vinyl,” now impacting country radio and available across all major streaming platforms. Solely written by Styles, the track pulls back the curtain on late-night moments that don’t make the highlight reels, when music is the only thing that truly understands you.

Styles framed it as deeply personal, calling vinyl raw, imperfect, and real, the same way emotions are. He described the song as using music to survive hard moments, a tribute to the artists who helped him through his own difficult times, and a hope to be that same voice for someone else. Music, he said, is his therapy, and he wants listeners to feel less alone on the nights the world feels heavy.

The track leans into his signature blend of classic country grit and Southern rock edge, a sound he calls “Zero to Hillbilly,” while showing a more therapeutic, confessional side. Released via Plow House Records and produced by Grammy-nominated Brad Hill, whose credits include Maren Morris and Brothers Osborne, it builds on the success of “Bar By Now.”

That previous single made real noise, peaking at No. 51 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart, ranking among the Top 10 most-added songs at country radio, and reaching No. 2 on PlayMPE’s UK Streaming Chart and No. 3 in Latin America. It surpassed 1 million Spotify streams and landed on more than 2,500 playlists.

The son of Wayne Moore, bassist for the influential ’60s group Nashville West, Styles carries a rich musical lineage while carving out a lane all his own. Frequently compared to Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, and Koe Wetzel, he’s proving his rise in country music is only gaining speed. It’s a heartfelt, honest single from a rocker showing he can hit just as hard when he slows things down.

Barry Gibb’s Secret Hit Factory: All the Smashes He Wrote for Everyone Else

Eric Alper

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Jun 9, 2026

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Barry Gibb’s Secret Hit Factory: All the Smashes He Wrote for Everyone Else

When you think of Barry Gibb, you think of the Bee Gees: the falsetto, the white suit, “Stayin’ Alive.” But here’s the wild part. Some of the biggest hits of the last 50 years weren’t sung by him at all. He just wrote them, handed them over, and watched other people ride them to number one. Frankie Valli, Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, Celine Dion. The man was a hit factory who kept giving away the merchandise. Here’s as complete a roundup as we could assemble of the songs Barry Gibb wrote (or co-wrote) for other artists, and the stories behind them.

“I Just Want to Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb (1977)

Barry wrote his little brother’s debut single and it shot to No. 1 in the US. Family business has never paid off quite so handsomely.

“Love Is Thicker Than Water” by Andy Gibb (1977)

Another Barry co-write for Andy, another US chart-topper, part of an astonishing run where Barry-penned songs simply refused to leave the top spot.

“Shadow Dancing” by Andy Gibb (1978)

Credited to all four Gibb brothers, it became Andy’s third straight US No. 1. Three singles, three number ones, all with Barry’s fingerprints.

“Emotion” by Samantha Sang (1977)

One of Gibb’s best-known compositions for another artist, “Emotion” remains Samantha Sang’s signature hit. Barry sang backing vocals on it, and decades later Destiny’s Child took their cover into the charts too.

“Grease” by Frankie Valli (1978)

Written by Barry Gibb as the title song for the movie musical, and recorded by Frankie Valli. It was a solo Gibb composition that became a US number one. Peter Frampton plays guitar on it, a fun bit of trivia for a song that screams 1950s nostalgia but was pure ’70s creation.

“If I Can’t Have You” by Yvonne Elliman (1978)

One of the hit tracks on the Saturday Night Fever album credited to the Bee Gees, it was taken to the top of the US charts by Yvonne Elliman. Part of the reason that soundtrack became a juggernaut.

“More Than a Woman” by Tavares (1977)

Funk, soul, and R&B group Tavares recorded “More Than a Woman” for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Two versions appeared on the album, the Bee Gees’ own and the Tavares cut that became the single.

“Woman in Love” by Barbra Streisand (1980)

Co-written with Robin, this is Streisand’s biggest-ever hit. It stayed at No. 1 for three weeks, and the video featured clips from Streisand’s 1976 film A Star Is Born. Barry either wrote or co-wrote all nine songs on her album Guilty.

“Guilty” by Barbra Streisand with Barry Gibb (1980)

The title-track duet won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group and hit the US Top 5. One of two duets Barry sang with Streisand on the album.

“What Kind of Fool” by Barbra Streisand with Barry Gibb (1981)

The second Streisand-Gibb duet, it reached the US Top 10 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. Proof the Guilty partnership was no fluke.

“Heartbreaker” by Dionne Warwick (1982)

Written by all three Gibb brothers, with Barry’s vocals on the chorus. The brothers wished they’d recorded it themselves, and it became one of Warwick’s biggest hits and her eighth No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Barry produced the whole album.

“All the Love in the World” by Dionne Warwick (1982)

Another Gibb cut from the Barry-produced Heartbreaker album, one of Warwick’s best-selling records.

“Islands in the Stream” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (1983)

The big one. The Bee Gees originally wrote it in an R&B tempo, and it was handed to Kenny Rogers for his Eyes That See in the Dark album, where he turned it into a duet with Dolly Parton. Robin Gibb once claimed it was written for Marvin Gaye, though Barry has always said Diana Ross was the intended artist. Either way, it became one of the best-selling country singles of all time.

“Eyes That See in the Dark” by Kenny Rogers (1983)

Barry wrote and produced the entire Rogers album of this name, not just the famous duet. A full-album handover to a country superstar.

“Eaten Alive” by Diana Ross (1985)

The title track of the Ross album Barry largely wrote and produced, co-written with Robin, Maurice, and even Michael Jackson.

“Chain Reaction” by Diana Ross (1985)

A deliberate Motown throwback that took Ross to No. 1 in the UK. Barry later admitted it was the last song they cut and they were almost too scared to play it for her because it was so Motown-ish, until Robin convinced her by framing it as something she’d have done with The Supremes.

“Come On Over” by Olivia Newton-John (1976)

Written by Barry and Robin, it became the title track of Newton-John’s seventh album, having originated on the Bee Gees’ Main Course.

“Save Me, Save Me” by Network (1977)

A lesser-known Barry co-write later covered by a string of names including Frankie Valli, Dusty Springfield, and Teri DeSario.

“Ain’t Nothing Gonna Keep Me from You” by Teri DeSario (1978)

Barry wrote it and provided background vocals, a deep cut beloved by Gibb completists.

“Hold On to My Love” by Jimmy Ruffin (1980)

Co-written and produced by Robin and Barry, it gave the Motown veteran a late-career hit.

“Immortality” by Celine Dion (1998)

The Bee Gees supplied backing vocals for Celine Dion’s “Immortality,” which they also wrote; it was a commercial hit in Europe and did well in Canada.

Farm Aid Heads To Virginia Beach With Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Mellencamp And Dave Matthews

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 9, 2026

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Farm Aid Heads To Virginia Beach With Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Mellencamp And Dave Matthews

The longest-running benefit concert in America sets up shop by the ocean this fall. Farm Aid makes its Virginia Beach debut on September 26, inviting fans to soak up the ocean air, enjoy incredible music, and celebrate the farmers who grow the country’s food. The event lands at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach.

The board artists anchor the bill, with Willie Nelson, Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Margo Price, and Nathaniel Rateliff all set to perform. The lineup runs deep beyond them, featuring The Turnpike Troubadours, Lukas Nelson, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Jesse Welles, Sierra Ferrell, Mon Rovîa, I’m With Her, Amythyst Kiah, Lily Meola, and Chris Pierce.

Nelson framed the move in a statement, saying family farmers grow our food and strengthen communities, and that fewer of them remain on the land now than when Farm Aid started. He said bringing the festival to Virginia stands with the farmers and fishers who feed Hampton Roads and beyond, working toward a food system that works for everyone.

Beyond the music, the FarmYard Stage gives attendees a chance to hear from farmers and artists on pressing issues, with agrarian skill demonstrations in the HOMEGROWN Skills tent and family farm-identified, local, and organic food at HOMEGROWN Concessions.

Nelson, Young, and Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and keep farm families on the land. Since then the event has raised more than $90 million to support a strong and resilient family farm system. A limited number of presale tickets open at 10am ET on June 10, with the public sale starting Friday, June 12 at 10am ET. It’s a powerful cause and a stacked bill rolled into one unforgettable day.

Farm Aid 2026:

Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026

Venue: Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach

Presale: June 10 at 10am ET

Public on-sale: June 12 at 10am ET via FarmAid.org/tickets