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 in the Montreal area and then attended Sir George Williams University (now

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

). 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, Halifax, Nova Scotia, led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwyn until his death in 2023. April Wine first experienced success with their second album, ' ...

, Corey Hart and

Sum 41 Sum 41 was a Canadian rock band formed in Ajax, Ontario, in 1996. The band's final lineup consisted of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason McCaslin (bass, backing vocals), Tom T ...

. Tarlton has also been an occasional theatre promoter in the United States, including the Tony Award-winning ''

Black and Blue ''Black and Blue'' is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1976, by Rolling Stones Records. This album was the first record after former guitarist Mick Taylor quit in December 1974. ...

'' 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 A ...

''. 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 ( 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 province of Quebec. The award The firs ...

, 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 () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

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

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

* 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 175,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collect ...

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 Canadian impresarios Living people Members of the Order of Canada Sir George Williams University alumni