Paul Charles and Paul Fenn Announce Closure of Asgard Agency

Paul Charles (pictured) and Paul Fenn have decided to bring the Asgard Agency they founded back in the 1970s to a close.

The agency, based in London, has been centrally involved in live music for the past fifty years, booking many of the leading lights of American music into UK, Irish and European tours. Their roster of artists has included dozens of US heroes – and also major stars of the British and Irish music scenes.

“We think the time is right now to bring that chapter to a close,” Paul Charles told Hot Press. “We’re not getting any younger, and neither are the artists we have been representing. Paul Fenn and I are still good friends and will continue to be so. The cards fell in a certain way and it seemed like the right thing to do. We have had to speak with all of the artists, which has involved moments of great sadness. But we are lucky to have spent our lives involved with some of the greatest artists that have ever graced a stage. It is a wonderful way to make a living, doing something that you love. So while there is sadness, there are no regrets. It has been a fantastic journey.”

Paul Charles told the extraordinary story of his personal involvement in music in the acclaimed book Adventures In Wonderland, which is published by Hot Press Books.

OBSESSION WITH MUSIC
Paul originally went to London as manager of the highly-rated Northern Irish band Fruupp – with whom he also wrote the song lyrics – and when that adventure stalled, he joined Paul Fenn in creating Asgard.

Since then, he has worked with many of the leading Irish artists of the modern era, including Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, Christy Moore, Planxty, The Chieftains, The Undertones, Hothouse Flowers, Mary Coughlan, Brian Kennedy, Paul Brady and many more – including The Waterboys.

“I’ve known Paul Charles for a very long time,” Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said. “He booked Eyeless – the band I was in with my brother Dermot – on shows in the National Stadium, in Queens University and a few other places besides back in the 1970s, and at every stage it was evident just how much he loved music and how committed he was to the artists he represented. Paul's presence at the heart of things in London was a hugely positive factor in supporting the growth and development of Irish music on the world stage.

"He was always interested in and inspired by songs, and by the quality of what his artists were writing. That’s why he was such a great fit for people like Van Morrison, Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Gerry Rafferty, Christy Moore, Paul Brady – and indeed all the rest of the Irish artists he took under his wing at Asgard. But, of course, he also loved great musicianship and guitar-playing – which is why he was such a fan of Taste and of Rory Gallagher.

“He was always on the side of the artist. He was totally committed to the cause of doing the very best he could for anyone he was agent for, and showed again and again that he was a great man to have in your corner. He was an ideas man, who brought a fresh approach to getting the best for his artists – even if that meant taking on the promotion of gigs as he did, for example, with The Hothouse Flowers in London.

“We were very proud to publish Adventures In Wonderland, which really is a remarkable, must-have book about a life-long obsession with music. And it was a thrill to see it doing so well and being reviewed so positively. At every stage, Paul was ready to roll up his sleeves, take on any challenge – even allowing me to act as Prosecution Counsel in a trial we held, with none other than Brian Kennedy as judge, at the International Literature Festival, Dublin a few years ago. He was, inevitably, found guilty of spreading the gospel of rock ’n’ roll…

“The decision to close Asgard is the end of an era, but what a contribution the two Pauls made to music – not just in Ireland and the UK, but right across the world. And now, it is on to the next adventure! The best of luck to everyone involved."

WEATH OF EXPERIENCE

Others Paul Charles worked with include The Kinks, Ray Davies, Tom Waits, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jackson Browne, Loudon Wainwright, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Ry Cooder, Carly Simon, Gerry Rafferty, Robert Plant, Nick Lowe, Ani di Franco, The Buzzcocks, The Blue Nile, Nanci Griffiths – and far too many more to list here! As manager, he also launched the hugely successful career of Tanita Tikaram. Paul also booked the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury for Michael Eavis, for the past 30 years and ran a legendary series of shows at the National Stadium in Dublin that included gigs by Elton John, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, BB King, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and Carole King, as well as many of Asgard’s own artists – including a particularly renowned classic, featuring Ry Cooder and the Chicken Skin Music Band, with Flaco Jiménez.

Paul Fenn, meanwhile, has acted as agent for James Taylor, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Steve Earle & The Dukes, Janis Ian, k. d. Lang, Martha Wainwright, Nona Hendryx, Alison Krauss, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Holly Williams and dozens more...

Paul Charles has lectured on the Hot Press-run MIX course over the past few years, offering a wealth of experience and insight to people who are coming into the industry and looking for knowledge and guidance. Paul was always willing to provide that in abundance.