Walter James "Herbie" Herbert II (February 5, 1948 – October 25, 2021) was an American

music manager A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager, or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of Entertainer, artists within the entertainment industry. The responsibility of a talent manager is to ove ...

and musician. He was best known for his work with

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

and Journey.

Early life

Herbert was born in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, on February 5, 1948. His family moved to nearby Orinda when he was a child. He attended

Campolindo High School Campolindo High School is a public high school located in Moraga, California, United States, and is in the Acalanes Union High School District. In 2022, Campolindo was ranked 27th in California (and 221st nationally) by '' U.S. News & World Re ...

and also resided in

Lafayette, California Lafayette (formerly La Fayette) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 25,391. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer of the American Revolutionary ...

and Mendocino County.

Career

Herbert got his start in the music business in 1966. Bud Herbert was dubbed "Herbie " by his partner, Jim Nixon, also known as Oakland Dupree, when they co-managed Frumious Bandersnatch. Jim introduced Herbie to Bill Graham and also secured his position with Santana. Bill then mentored Herbie. Bill Graham, after Stan Marcum, served as the manager of

. Herbert then became a roadie for the group, along with the Villanueva brothers John and Jackie, (where he met

Neal Schon Neal Joseph Schon (born February 27, 1954) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist for the rock band Journey. He is the last original member to remain throughout the group's history. He was a memb ...

and

Gregg Rolie Gregg Alan Rolie (born June 17, 1947) is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter. Rolie served as lead singer of the bands Santana (band), Santana and Journey (band), Journey – both of which he co-founded. He also helmed rock group The ...

). He had previously co- managed Frumious Bandersnatch (where he met

Ross Valory Ross Lamont Valory (born February 2, 1949) is an American musician who is best known as the original bass player for the rock band Journey from 1973 to 1985 and again from 1995 to 2020. Valory was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as ...

and

George Tickner George Tyndall Tickner (September 8, 1946 – July 5, 2023) was an American rock musician who played rhythm guitar and co-wrote songs as a founding member of Journey. Prior to joining Journey, Tickner was a member of the San Francisco psychede ...

). When Santana imploded in 1973, Herbert put together the original lineup of Journey (consisting of Schon, Rolie, Tickner, Valory and drummer

Prairie Prince Charles Lempriere "Prairie" Prince (born May 7, 1950) is an American drummer and visual artist. He came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the San Francisco–based rock group The Tubes, was a member of Jefferson Starship from 1992 to ...

, who was soon replaced by Aynsley Dunbar) and remained its manager through 1993. Herbert was heavily involved in all business aspects of the band and travelled as their road manager. With a sharp business sense, Herbert brought everything in-house under the name of Nightmare Productions and pioneered the use of large screen videos (via the creation of Nocturne Productions), impressive lighting and sound for stadium-sized concerts. A shrewd businessman, Herbert made a fortune with Journey's real estate holdings, Nocturne Productions, and catalog management. He and Jim Welch, Journey's art director, devised a creative marketing plan to promote the band using artists

Stanley Mouse Stanley George Miller (born October 10, 1940), better known as Mouse or Stanley Mouse, is an American artist who is notable for his 1960s psychedelic rock concert poster designs and album covers for the Grateful Dead, Journey, and other bands. ...

and Alton Kelly, thematic one-worded album titles, and exposure at point-of-purchase outlets. In 1993, then lead vocalist

Steve Perry Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and frontman of the rock band Journey during their most successful years from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He wrote/co-wrote ...

asked that Herbert be replaced due to personality conflicts. By 1995,

Irving Azoff Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American businessman, who is chairman of Full Stop Management, a company that represents recording artists. During the course of his career, he has worked as an agent, personal manager, concert pr ...

was hired by the band to be the next manager. In addition to his work with Journey, Herbert managed

The Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1966. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock rad ...

and co-managed Swedish groups

Roxette Roxette is a Swedish pop rock duo originally consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, both of whom were already established musicians in Sweden prior to the band's formation. Fredriksson had released a number of successful solo albums, ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. He also managed Mr. Big, Enuff Z'Nuff, and Journey offshoots The Storm and Hardline. During the late 1990s, Herbert moved from behind the scenes into the spotlight, recording three albums as Sy Klopps and touring the San Francisco Bay Area with the Sy Klopps Band, which has included current and former Journey band members Schon, Rolie, Prince, and Valory. Herbie, as Sy Klopps, sang lead in the Trichromes, a band featuring Bill Kreutzmann, Ralph Woodson, Steve Kimock and Ira Walker. Trichromes were managed by Herbie's long time pal Steve Parish of the Grateful Dead.

Personal life

Herbert was married to Maya Herbert for 20 years until his death. Together, they had two children: Katherine and Seaya. Herbert died on October 25, 2021, at his home in Orinda. He was 73, and suffered from an unspecified "prolonged illness" prior to his death.

References

External links

Sy Klopps Official web siteInterview by Matt Carty
1948 births 2021 deaths American music managers People from Berkeley, California {{Mr. Big