Ed Dougherty not only put the Oregon State Fair, Salem, on the map, he also put a lot of Northwestern fairs in play, booking big name entertainment and providing the production to boot – a one man shop.
“Everything I know about entertainment, I learned from Ed,” said Don Hillman, retired manager of the Oregon State Fair from 1979-1994. “Ed booked the right acts at the right time.”
Dougherty died July 12 at the age of 77 in Salem, Ore. He had retired from the business in the early 2000s, but his mark was made. In the early 1960s, he founded EJD Enterprises and spent the next 40 years bringing name talent to West Coast venues.
His first concerts and dances were at the Salem Armory Auditorium and the VFW Hall, much like the late Bill Graham's beginnings as a dance hall operator. Dougherty got his start in the music business booking weekend dances because, being a teacher at the time, he wanted to give the kids in Salem something to do.
In the '70s, Doutherty started booking the Oregon State Fair and eventually, through his Concert Services Inc., other fairs, conventions, corporations and special events up and down the West Coast.
Hillman recalled that in 1993, Dougherty booked an amazing 10 sellouts out of 11 concerts at the 8,500-seat Oregon State Fair amphitheater. “He had them all, including Alan Jackson. The stars aligned for him that year. He knew the acts.”
Dougherty's son-in-law, Tom Fohn, worked with him for awhile and, when Dougherty sold his company, Fohn started his own Northwest Events & Marketing, which books and produces talent at fairs and events. Fohn is a member of the International Entertainment Buyers Association, to which he was introduced by his father-in-law.
Dougherty's son, John, who currently works for Microsoft, was also part of Concert Productions International for awhile, and Fohn recalled that John told some amazing stories about the old days during a memorial service for Dougherty.
One concerned a female star who refused to take the stage after a backstage breakup with her husband. With minutes to go, Dougherty finessed the star into performing while also wrangling a chance at fame for a gifted stagehand who helped kill some time playing the National Anthem while Dougherty repaired the damage and convinced the star taking the stage would be sweet revenge. "Don't let him get you, you get him," Dougherty advised her.
"He used to say to me, 'Next,'" Fohn recalled. "If you have a problem, deal with it and move on to the next thing."
Greg Stewart, manager of the Central Washington State Fair in Yakima, agreed that Dougherty "had a certain knack, that sixth sense about who was coming up." Stewart recalled Dougherty's booking LeAnn Rimes before she was known, helping mentor her in the business and pairing her with Brenda Lee. "He helped her out a great deal."
The carnival side of the business also knew and enjoyed Dougherty's wit and wisdom. Ron Burback, Funtastic Shows, could count on a call from Dougherty if he had a spot and needed a carnival, and if it was Dougherty and the date was available, Burback would book it. "He was a guy that was in the loop," Burback said. "He made many a spot cook."
Dougherty was one of the last of the breed of full-service talent bookers, said Steve Chambers, executive director, Western Fairs Association. “He was three companies, booking the main stage acts and doing staging and sound and lights.”
Chambers knew him as “Mr. Dougherty,” being a newbie to the business, and commented on his very dry sense of humor. “It makes me smile to talk about him. He had that thin smile. You knew Ed Dougherty was enjoying himself,” which is not always the case in the highly competitive entertainment side of the fair business.
Fellow entrepreneur Dave Snowden, Triangle Talent, who has been booking fairs for 35 years and just won the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, called Dougherty a trailblazer. "He was a super guy and very innovative. On the West Coast, he was the driving force and a very good businessman," Snowden added.
Ever faithful to his roots, Dougherty was also a leader in the Salem business community. He served as president of the Salem Chamber of Commerce and Salem Convention and Visitors Bureau. Governor Tom McCall appointed him to the Oregon Film Commission, where he was instrumental in bringing filming of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to Oregon.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jan; son, John, and his wife, Eva; daughter, Joni, and her husband, Tom Fohn; grandsons Jake and Connor Fohn and Eddie Dougherty; and granddaughters Grace and Helena Dougherty.
Interviewed for this story: Don Hillman, (503) 887-3564; Steve Chambers, (916) 927-3100; Ron Burback, (503) 761-0989; Dave Snowden, (502) 267-5466; Tom Fohn, (503) 763-1944; Greg Stewart, (509) 248-7160