Joe Gannon

This entry is not to be confused with the Dublin-born writer-director Joe Gannon who was Pink Floyd's first lighting designer and light-show pioneer.

Joe Gannon is a Philadelphia native, recording producer, director, musical stage lighting and production designer. Gannon operated and managed Frank Zappa’s record company and produced records for CBS. He worked as road manager for Bill Cosby and staged Madonna's first film appearance. He toured internationally as a producer, director and lighting designer for such stars as Alice Cooper, Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, Barry Manilow, Julio Iglesias.

In 1970, Gannon was one of the first production designers to use moving sets on rock concert tours while working with Neil Diamond. Joe Gannon was Neil's road manager, lighting director and show consultant in the early 70's. Gannon's involvement was credited as the reason for the great improvement in Neil's stage presentations by the time of the legendary 1972 Hot August Night concert series.

Expanding upon creative input from Alice Cooper and Shep Gordon, Gannon was responsible for turning Cooper's vision into a tangible, three-dimensional nightmare reality of magic and wonderment. These set designs resulted in some of the most elaborate stage and light presentations of any rock show, setting a new standard in terms of sheer massive size. In 1974, Gannon directed the documentary film, Good To See you Again, Alice Cooper, which was re-released in 2005.

In the early 1950s after serving the Navy, Gannon attended Menlo Park College, School of Business Administration in California. There he met Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds and singer Barbara Bogue (she later became his wife) who together began a singing group called "Dave Guard & the Calypsonians" and later, "The Kingston Quartet". The group performed at college frat parties and were regulars playing the Cracked Pot Club across the street from campus, Gannon playing stand-up bass. He left the group after graduation in 1956, moving to Minneapolis where he went into business. The Calypsonians regrouped with Guard, Reynolds and Bob Shane becoming known as The Kingston Trio. Gannon returned to California and eventually became the long-time road manager, then later business manager for the Trio. In 2000 The Kingston Trio was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

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