Cooley, Alex.

Alex Cooley and Atlanta: Alex Cooley has been a promoter of musical acts and entertainment in the Atlanta area for more than three decades. Recognized for his music industry efforts by Clear Channel Entertainment with a 2004 Atlanta Heroes Award, Cooley is "a legendary promoter in the Atlanta market." From 1969-1972, he produced two Atlanta Pop festivals, co-promoted a pop festival in Texas and was the force behind two Puerto Rican music festivals. In the 1980's, after partnering with Peter Conlon, the duo promoted more than 300 shows a year, including concerts at Phillips Arena and the Fox Theatre. Cooley and Conlon also produced the Chastain Park Summer Concert Series and created the Music Midtown Festival in downtown Atlanta.

Summer Music Festivals of the South: More than a month before the three days of Woodstock in August of 1969, there was the July 4-5 Atlanta International Pop Festival. Held at the Atlanta International Raceway, this outdoor music concert "set the standard for large-scale festival events." Later that summer, Cooley partnered with Angus Wynne to form the Interpop Superfest company and from August 30th to September 1, held the Texas International Pop Festival. A year later, the 1970 Atlanta Pop Festival was held in Byron, Georgia. "Like Woodstock the previous summer, the event was promoted as "three days of peace, love and music. On the bill were Jimi Hendrix, the Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull, B.B. King, Ravi Shankar, and others....While the Atlanta festival never garnered the national attention of the festivals in...NewYork, and ...California" it was considered the Woodstock of the South. Commercial Music Department at Georgia State University: Commercial Music-Recording classes were first offered through Georgia State University's School of General Studies in 1969 as an Associate of Science degree program. In 1983 a Bachelor's of Science Degree was offered through the College of Public and Urban Affairs. By the 1991-1992 school year a Bachelor's of Music with a Concentration in Music Industry was made available under the direction of the School of Music. Currently, a Bachelor's of Music can still be obtained through the school's Music Recording Technology program.

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