Probably best known for his time with Bill Graham Presents, Morty Wiggins has worked extensively in various areas of the music and entertainment businesses.
“I was a music fan and a big business fan,” said Wiggins. “I met a folk rock band that I followed around, and in 1975 I came from New York to the Bay Area, where I cut my teeth with Bill Graham. It was the highlight of my business life.”
Wiggins described Graham, who he names as his biggest mentor” as, “Very demanding, loyal, kind to people he cared about, very inspirational, a real leader and very philanthropic.”
During the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake,” Wiggins says “he (Graham) produced a marathon to raise funds to help the survivors. He donated company time, resources and he personally donated the first million (to the fundraising effort). It was a very sad time when he passed.”
Wiggins was recruited by and became the general manager of A&M Records in Los Angles in 1996 where he oversaw innovative promotion strategies and broke the careers of young artists such as Jonny Lang until the company closed in 1999. That’s when Wiggins and his family returned to the Bay Area.
Wiggins became a consultant to various entertainment companies until he founded his own record label, 33rd Street Records for Tower Records.
After Graham passed away, Wiggins became one of the founders of the Bill Graham Foundation, which seeks to carry on Graham’s philanthropic visions.
About five years ago, Wiggins and a partner launched Second Octave Talent Agency in Petaluma, where, he says, “We represent Sonoma County, local and national clients. My typical day is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and it’s mostly phone calls and emails. Literally what I do is to talk to people all day.”
Looking forward to retirement, Wiggins’ philosophy is to, “Do honest business,” while that most important to him is his family.
Describing himself as a “generally comfortable person,” he says the craziest thing he ever did was “to hitchhike across the country in winter as a young person. I am lucky that I didn’t freeze,” he adds.
Wiggins says that having children was his biggest turning point.
He has no hidden talents; in fact, he says, “I know that I am an average person.”
He declines to give advice, but if there was one thing in the world he would change, it would be to “end violence as a solution to anything.”
(Contact Lynn Schnitzer at argus@arguscourier.com)
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