Donald K. Tarlton, CM (born 12 May 1943) is a Canadian record producer and promoter. He promoted many concerts and Canadian musicians under the name Donald K. Donald.

Early life and education

Tarlton graduated from

Rosemere High School Rosemere High School (RHS) of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board is a high school located in the town of Rosemère, Québec, Canada. It is housed in a two-story structure with enrollment of approximately 1,200 students. The building is adjac ...

in the Montreal area and then attended Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University). His interest in entertainment promotion began in his youth.

Career

In 1966 Tarlton founded Donald K. Donald Productions, a concert promotion and booking company. Tarlton was one of several people who founded the Montreal-based Aquarius Records, noted for artists such as

April Wine April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwin since its inception, April Wine's first success came with its second album, '' On Record'' (1972), which rea ...

, Corey Hart and Sum 41. Tarlton has also been an occasional theatre promoter in America, including the Tony Award-winning ''

Black and Blue ''Black and Blue'' is the 13th British and 15th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1976 by Rolling Stones Records. This album was the first recorded after former guitarist Mick Taylor qu ...

'' and ''

Tango Argentino Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in patterns such as AB ...

''. In 1998, Tarlton founded the music industry promotion company Le Groupe DKD and founded several new music labels.

Awards and recognition

* 1982:

Félix Award The Félix Award (french: Trophée Félix or Prix Félix) is an award, given by the ''Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois'' ( ADISQ) on an annual basis to artists working in the music and humor industry in the Canadian ...

, Producer of the Year * 1989
Tony Awards
Nomination, Best Musical "Black and Blue" * 2000: Appointed Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

* 2007: Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award, presented at the

Juno Awards The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

* 2015:

SOCAN The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...

Special Achievement Award

References

External links

Le Groupe DKD (The Donald K Donald Entertainment Group)Encyclopedia of Music in Canada: Donald K. Donald
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarlton, Donald K 1943 births Anglophone Quebec people Aquarius Records (Canada) artists Businesspeople from Montreal Canadian record producers Impresarios Living people Members of the Order of Canada Sir George Williams University alumni