Chris York, a widely respected live music executive and director of renowned UK concert promoter SJM Concerts, has died aged 55 after a long illness.
SJM Concerts announced the news on Thursday (July 25).
Yorke joined Simon Moran in SJM concerts in 1993 and they worked together for more than 30 years, making the company one of the UK’s most high-profile promoters.
The executive started his career working at the Venue in London’s New Cross, then worked with John Curd at Straight Music and finally with Tim Parsons at MCP Concerts before joining SJM.
According to SJM, Yorke formed a “strong and unshakable partnership and friendship” with Simon Moran that would last throughout his career.
Chris York has worked with some of the biggest live artists in the UK and the world including Oasis, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Chemical Brothers, lily Allen, Massive Attack, Robert Plant, Underworld, Lorde, Morrissey, Placebo, Suede and stereoetc.
York began promoting many of these artists from entry clubs to touring stages and stadiums.
Since 2006, York has been working with who Roger Daltrey, live producer Des Murphy and SJM director Rob Ballantine serve as lead talent bookers for the annual Teenage Cancer Trust event series at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall.
To date, the concert has raised over £30 million It has hosted concerts by British superstars including Take That, Ed Sheeran, Florence and the Machine, Arctic Monkeys, Pet Shop Boys, The Cure, New Order and Sir Paul McCartney.
Chris Yorke also helped launch and develop the annual Country Music Festival, which played an important role in bringing the country music genre to new audiences in the UK.
In recognition of this, in 2021, the Country Music Association awarded York the Joe Walker Meadow International Award.
In 2022, Yorke received the annual Lifetime Achievement Bottle Award at the International Live Music Conference.
York and SJM hold the record for the best-selling UK concert tour in history and the best-selling UK comedy tour in history.
The company has more than 80 full-time employees and a similar number of freelance workers. There are currently over 1,000 shows on sale.
“[SJM] is a company shaped and built by Chris, Simon and Rob over three decades, helping to define the UK’s live music scene,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.global music business
