Jerry Kravat, Legendary Entertainment Booker, Passes Away

Jerry Kravat passed away this morning at Sloan Kettering hospital. A native New Yorker, Mr. Kravat was the founder of Jerry Kravat Entertainment Service Inc.

He produced "Mayor," the off-Broadway musical based on New York Mayor Edward Koch's book, and presented Barbara Cook: A Concert for the Theatre.

He started his journey into show business by working his way through New York University (he was a journalism major) as a bandleader. After graduation and then a stint in the Army, he kept working as a musician, becoming steadily more successful at it.

In the late '60s, in addition to being a bandleader, Kravat joined the Waldorf-Astoria as its entertainment director, setting up artists talent for night clubs like the Empire Room. He took on other New York hotels as clients and then, as nightclubs declined and his circle of contacts widened he brought his skills to the corporate world by creating live entertainment events.  In addition to his long career as an entertainment booker, for many years he served as the entertainment director for the fabled Cafe Carlyle.

Jerry Kravat Entertainment is a full-service entertainment and corporate event planning company. Through their Park Avenue Productions arm, they have organized events such as product launches, sales meetings, trade shows and training programs. The many entertainment services they have provided include coordinating musical acts such as string quartets, big bands, jazz trios, and chamber orchestras, as well as booking name-talent for private performances. Jerry Kravat Entertainment has a roster of famous performers it has booked for its clients, such as Tony Bennet, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, James Taylor, Barry White, the Temptations and many others.

 Jerry Kravat also acted as Barbara Cook's longtime manager.

More details as they become available, for information on Mr. Kravat visit www.jerrykravat.com