User:Annpmundaymuse

Ann P Munday B June 1949 London, England of Irish mother (Cork) and English father (London) has two brothers, two sisters and a lovely sister in law, as well as wonderful nieces and nephews.

One of the first women ands well as one of the youngest people at that time to run a music company in the 70s Ann Munday has experienced the highs and lows of a long career working with many great songwriters and contributing to the development of some of the most innovative UK music publishing companies. . After leaving school at 17 ½ without too much academic success, (as she was generally to be found in the art department!), Ann, after 2 months working for a stuffy bank in Piccadilly, London, made the decision to find worked in art related fields. First with JWT including, as a cartographer. Followed by running a photographic studio at 19, in Piccadilly Circus, then other jobs with ad agencies/pr departments. She entered the music business working for Alan Sanford at the London office of US music book company, Charles Hanson. Most notable memory from that period was lunch with Harry Nilsson, when she was sent to try (and failing)and dissuade/persuade Harry Nilsson fron insisting on a cover photo for the front cover of his music folio which showed him being a photo of him with a bottle of beer -– which would have offended American prudishness at that time  -  and she didn't succeed in dissuading him! However, she learned that he had worked for a bank as a computer tech and loved his family, and was a "regular guy and charming". She bumped into Harry again with Ringo Starr at Bernie Taupin's private (the British Film Board banned it in the UK) screening of Texas Chain Saw Massacare at a small cinema in South Audley Street. Ann had had a meeting in a pub (of course!) adjacent to Elton John's office with one of her close and long term friends, Vic Smith (producer of the among others, The Jam, Black Sabbath and The Vapours' "Turning Japanese" [banned from certain radio stations in the US car states because they thought that it supported Japanese products!] and engineer and mixer for among others, The Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, and Billy Preston). They had been invited at the last minute. Ann remembers being pretty happy after a few glasses of wine; and that she laughed through much of the film (Kiki Dee, with whom Ann also worked) left early, and the rest of the audience slid further and further down in their seats. Ann continued to laugh, but eventually had to give up at the start of the final dinner scene with the appearnce of the necrophiliac! After Charles Hansen was bought by Chappell and although offered a job with them, she joined Music Sales to work for the visionary Bob Wise, who took the rare approach of treating her as a professional equal. She worked on music books for artists including David Bowie, the Beatles and David Cassidy.. "working for Bob was a gift. He treated me as an equal, and as a woman (with no silly remarks about women's rights!).  I loved putting music books together, David Bowie, Great Songs of the  40s - 70s, ensuring that the Beatles Compleat had all of their songs; etc., David Cassidy for news stands (girls started phoning the office for the "rest of his photo" - we'd cropped above Annie Lieberwitz' photos of him, originally showing more pubic hair). There was something very satisfying about ending up with a printed book (some of which are still for sale) that you had helped produce."

After 18 months with Bob, she was approached by John Reid, then managing Elton John's and Bernie Taupin's manager, John Reid  to take over as General Manager of Big Pig Music and Rocket Music, despite her being only 24. She was frank in her interview that she had limited knowledge at the time of copyright management, as well as song plugging. "Bernard Brown who did copyright for Apple was an infinite source of wisdom and help." "Caribou", "Captain Fantastic, The Brown Dirt Cowboy and "Rock of the Westies" albums were released during her management, and plus she got to work with Brenda Russell, Kevin Ayers - and a never to be seen again band from Holland (that one of her bosses wanted signed) met Sir George Martin for the first time, as well as legendary songwriters Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook, and got her first cover. Took her first trip to the US – where she would later enjoy the peak of her career. First class, caviar and champagne and arrived in New York with a hangover to stay at the Pierre. Saw a private showing of Blazing Saddles.  Had her first experience of a large concert, at Madison Square Gardens to see The Who (remembers being stunned by the semi rioting of the audience, when the band refused to come back on stage for an encore - and that was followed by a taxi driver who drove through all the red lights on the way back to hotel!").

She met the Beach Boys at Dodgers' Stadium, where Elton John joined the Kiki Dee Band to sing the duet, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", his first number 1. She found that Elton was a shy man offstage, however, "Elton wearing his famous white peacock outfit became the amazing stage performer."

The hard work included listening to many hopeful writers performing quite often hopeless songs and looking for a publishing deal; the special times included listening to Elton John’s demos and discussing them with him, and having access to wonderful music, world class writers and performers-as when she was in New York. Ann recalls: "Elton and Bernie set the bar really high for future songwriters I would work with" and "Elton was frequently at clubs, and would give my name to anyone who came up to him saying they had a song for him!" "…when people called the office with the opening 'Elton had told them to call me, I would invite them in.  This resulted one time in having to listen to a really bad singer presenting their song accapella to me,  while just a few feet away from me behind my desk, trying really hard not to laugh it was so appalling." Briefly met and shared a box with Paul and Linda McCartney at the amazing Midsummer's concert at Wembley Stadium for a concert, with incredible performers, including the wonderful Rufus and Chaka Kahn, Joe Walsh, Kiki Dee, the Beach Boys and headlined by Elton, with his new band. Had the privilege of listening to Elton's demos, "which he would play to me for my opinion", as well as seeing him perform solo several times, with the fantastic and really good man/percussionist, Ray Cooper.

Elton brought Ann the final mix of "Philadelphia Freedom". "It was the only copy and Elton asked me to listen to it, and to be very careful because it was his only copy". At a time when demos tapes were regularly rough edited and respliced she could not resist straight facedly handing him a pile of tape pieces on his return to the studio and remembers his facial expression on receiving them. "Elton came back to learn of my opinion of his new song, and with a straight face, I handed him some tape pieces - his expression was priceless, however, he had a great sense of humour." The other side of the coin at that period, was discovering that the music business had a powerful "boys club" which ran on politics and flattery. "As well as the brown nosing and politicking that goes on around major stars." "Hated this, and never ever got used to it." Was fired after 18 months, and thanked John Reid for his doing so. "We met up a few years later, and he told me that he was proud of what I had achieved after leaving Rocket/Big Pig."

Shortly after leaving Elton in the summer of 1973 Ann was desperately worried that she would never find another job in the industry, which she had become addicted to. But, on the basis of what she thought was a terrible job interview, Ann next won the role of Professional Manager Ann was fortunate enough to be interviewed pretty quickly by Chrysalis MD, Terry Connolly, and co-owner, Chris Wright for a job as Professional Manager for the Chrysalis publishing companies. She thought that she gave a rotten performance, as she debated "heatedly" with both of these men over a variety of issues. This opinion was later confirmed by Connolly, however, she got the job. In hindsight, Ann realized that she was also fortunate enough to be around when the UK passed laws on equal opportunity equal rights for women was passed in 1976 in the UK. Companies were scrambling to find women for management jobs. She was head hunted by various other companies intent on the same. Not that Ann considers that this was the only reason women were or are given jobs!

In 1977, Chrysalis Music Ltd's GM, Tim Whitsett (who moved to the UK from running Memphis Music, which for some unaccountable reason, Chrysalis refused to purchase!) left to form his own company, and Ann was offered the job. Joe Lustig (a wonderful character and manager of Jethro Tull, the Chieftains, and Mel Brooks' UK rep) made the after Tull show party into a celebration of Ann's promotion. Terri Anderson (a wonderful woman, Ann is still proud to call a friend) did the first and one of the only few interviews she ever granted for any newsprint for Music Week. "I got fed up with being asked to do them, because I was a woman." Although she did relent for an interview with US Cosmopolitan in 1981, invited to do so shortly after she was promoted to Vice President/General Manager – a notable achievement for a female in the business -. Later that year, she was asked to move to California; which she did in February 1978; to develop the music publishing companies, which she named The Chrysalis Music Group (still used today), to avoid having to constantly list the various BMI and ASCAP companies.

Ann was responsible for hits in pop, r & b and country music and is credited with developing The Chrysalis Music Group USA into one of the leading independent publishing companies. She particularly loved going to Nashville, and was really proud to collect two Country song awards from ASCAP in the same year, unusual for an outsider company. She recalls "that people kept coming up to me after the awards part was over, and saying hello Ann, including the wonderful Steve Cropper (I didn't know who he was!) Bob Seger and various others; and I didn't know why. "That was the first year the society had live cameras for the audience, and since Chrysalis received two awards, they concentrated on just me as I collected the second. When I found out, all I could think of was that I had a flappers style silk chiffon dress on, which you could see through when the light was bright and behind me!" Ann remembers having a wonderful time for a few years (and was promoted to Vice President in 1980. After Chrysalis co-founder), until Terry Ellis decided to leave the US and return to the UK changes in the company did not favour her particular talents and ways of working. She could not see eye to eye with the man appointed head of the company, and managed to keep the publishing company in the black, while the record company sales ailed badly.  Ann had an even harder time with subsequent president, Jack Craigo, although she was promoted to one of only three Senior VPs at Chrysalis.  In 1985, she gave up the struggle for a reasonable work place and left the company to manage Carlene Carter who remained for many more years one of Ann's closest friends. When they firs met, Ann recalls "I loved Carlene's voice, I loved her, and I loved her ability to write songs.  Plus, we could party as much as each other!" Through Carlene, she obviously got to meet and stay with Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, who "were two of the best people I have ever known. Nothing false about either of them. And they were not surrounded by sycophants." June called Ann, "little Annie", although "June wasn't much taller unless she had one of her famous double turbans on". Again through Carlene she got to know Nick Lowe, a British songwriter and performer who, she still considers one of the best in the world. "Nick told me once that he didn't write good songs! I disagreed forcefully!" At their house in Chiswick, Ann partied with the best of them. John Hyatt, Pete Thomas, In 1991, Ann returned to the UK to work for Terry Ellis at Imago. This was not an enjoyable experience, and coinciding with the death of her father, as well as giving up alcohol, contributed to her descent into clinical depression.

In 1997 Ann returned to Los Angeles for family reasons, and for a time worked as film and TV consultant for the prestigious Boosey & Hawkes' classical music company. "I was introduced to some of the finest of contemporary classical music. Was just puzzled by some of John Adams' work, as I prefer Beethoven, loved Steve Reich and James Macmillan.  It was an honor to work for the company."

But further family issues again proved too much to cope with alongside a career  and and after the death of her beloved aunt Tricia (closest she'd had to having a mother),  Ann had another bout of deep depression and she left the music business. She battled with alcoholism during the late 90s. Ann hit "rock bottom" and in July of 1999, found that although she had previously given up alcohol in February of 1993 without any problem; although attending sometimes 4 meetings a day, particularly easy to do in New York; she now couldn't. Helped by the Musicians Union and the Grammy Foundation, she was admitted to Cirque Lodge, in Sundance. There not only did she finally give up alcohol, she learned a lot valuable information about herself. She also learned how long the family tendency to depression had affected her (since childhood, in fact) Particularly, "that people don't think the same!". She also finally accepted the medical fact, that she is an alcoholic and cannot drink, but that the alcohol had been a wall between her and the depression she's had since she was a child. Depression runs through both sides of her family. And if she did not learn to manage the depression, she would either die, or return to alcohol and death. With no medical insurance and because of the very isolating nature of the illness, it was a slow process finding help, as well as the best combination of medication for her. In 2006 a few weeks before her brother David (her closest sibling with 15 months age difference) had a massive heart attack resulting in the permanent loss his left ventricular muscles, she was prescribed Cymbalta. David was readmitted to hospital within a month have suffered severe blood loss due to a tumour in his colon. Ann remembers that she had been her Dad's advocate in his losing battle with colon cancer, and that now without alcohol and with the better medication, she was able to be a better advocate and certainly a more calm one! It wasn't until 2008 that she learned she also had panic disorder. She'd always thought that this was a symptom of depression and had learned to "manage it" (some of the stories associated with it are painful, however, some are very funny!) and was prescriped medication to manage that. Ann’s story includes many harships and family tragedies, as well as friendships lost and found and  some astonishing acts of bad faith  by friends- balanced sometimes by the kindness of acquaintances. Back in late 2002, having stayed in sporadic contact with Carlene, (through Carlene's relationship with Howie Epstein "a lovely, lovely man and a very decent human being, as well as great bass player"), she once again started managing her friend and in 2003 when Howie died from an overdose tried as best as her friend would allow to get her through a really tough time as Howie's not close brothers took over Carlene's and his property in Tesuque, New Mexico and their home in Beverly Hills. Going to Carlene in Nashville a day after Howie's where she was living at her parent's home, this was to be the last time Ann met Johnny and June. Loving memories of a truly married couple, who had always been kind and welcoming. Managing Carlene dd not work out and to this day, she does not know what was achieved through her and lawyer, Tom Bolan's (Ann's Copyright and Legal Manager at Chrysalis) hard work on Carlene's behalf to try and salvage Carlene's property and homes. But most sad, her long friendship with Carlene was severed and that most particularly, as well as a few more half hearted attempts to do anything in the music business, including a disasterous for her meeting up with Jimmy Destri again; another person she had considered a trusted and true friend; lead to her decision to leave a business she had at one time loved. Now homeless and couch surfing, Ann has her beloved german shepherd dog, Anita, a german shepherd, who had belonged to Carlene, and who Ann saw through a pregnancy resulting in 8 puppies. Ann has some funny memories from ths motherhood she shared with Anita! Anita kept her at least walking outside. – who makes her walk. Sometime in 2006 watched a Larry King Show hosted by Joan Rivers, with her daughter Melissa, Mariel Hemmingway and telephone calls from other celebrities who had suffered suicide by close relatives, and Ann finally found a resource, Survivors After Suicide, to deal with the suicide of her mother, when she was five. 5, and her brother, 4. It was both stunning and helpful for her to learn from other members of the group she spent one evening a week for 8 weeks, that they had similar stories of relatives' reaction, police action (her Dad was briefly accused of murdering his beloved wife) and the never ending sense of abandonment and loss, survivors are left with. SAS also introduced her to the Did Hirsch Mental Health Center, where she found help to at least start to reclaim a livable life. The Grammy Foundation, through Harold Owens had helped her considerably a few years earlier and introduced her to a psychiatrist who was ultimately able to persuade to give in and seek financial help until she was able, if ever, to work again. From earning $1500 per week at one time, and because she had not been able to work consistently for the required years she was only entitled to SSI, a bare minimam. Currently reduced by Governor Schwartzenegger to $850 per month. In late April of 2008, Ann moved into a Federally funded house, where she has a small room (full of cds, and her art stuff!) with other women, each with their own mental difficulties.

In 2011 after some tough years, Ann is managing singer/songwriter Jack Lee (who she had signed to Chrysalis Music) "he just popped up earlier this year" concentrating on her painting skills and hopes one day "to at least make some money from watercolors and her art and design skills". Having an Perfect English rose accent, the description a Voice Over Agent she met gave her, while in England earlier this year visiting family, she is also planning on doing voice overs. "Anything I can do to earn my own living, and not depend on the State."

Articles: Music Week 1977 "First Lady of Chrysalis" by Terri Anderson Cosmopolitan article 1981 "She Bop The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul" by Lucy O'Brien