It may seem like the history of some other place, but there was a time when Coloradans wanting to see the big names in music and comedy had to travel to the coasts to see the best acts.
No longer. Thanks to the visionary Chuck Morris and his many partners, who include Barry Fey, Don Strasburg, Brent Fedrizzi and The Bill Graham Company, Colorado and its venues have become must-haves on any A-list performer’s tour schedule.

Colorado and its Red Rocks Amphitheater, Ball Arena, Paramount Theater, Fillmore Auditorium, Fiddler’s Green and several others have become the go-to places for music and comedy lovers.

Morris, who was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2018, began his career in promoting musical acts when he dropped out of grad school at the University of Colorado Boulder in 1968 and began promoting, with the backing of Herbie Kuvar, local acts for The Sink, a college hangout where he managed. He and Kuvar then opened Tulagi’s Nightclub. Morris moved next to promoting the acts of up-and-comers such as the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, ZZ Top and others.

In 1970, he joined with Denver music promoter Barry Fey, and the caliber of the acts that he drew to Colorado continued to rise. Lynryd Skynyrd, Little Feat, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin and others performed in the state, adding options for Coloradans and exposure among big name performers for the state.
Morris and Fey joined the ranks of the leading concert promoters in the country, turning Colorado from a fly-over state to legitimate concert destination for the top acts in the music industry.
Red Rocks Amphitheater became the number one outdoor concert venue in the nation.
Morris then added artist management to his portfolio of activities. He represented the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bank, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Lyle Lovett and others.

In 1990, he partnered with Bill Graham Presents to create Chuck Morris Bill Graham Presents and worked on building the Denver Fillmore Auditorium, among other things. His company was later acquired by SFX Entertainment and became known as Live Nation, which Morris continued to operate and consult with.
Still later, in 2007, he joined with Anschutz Entertainment Group, known as AEG Worldwide, where he helped build the Rocky Mountain Region, including building Mission Ballroom, taking over Fiddler’s Green among other clubs and venues across the state. AEG became the largest promoter in the region and the second largest promoter in the world.

Aug 25, 2026

The Forge Events Center Collaboratory Room

5:30 – 7:30 pm.