Clifford Hocking
Clifford Henry Hocking (9 February 1932 – 12 June 2006) was an Australian impresario and festival director. Biography. He was born in Melbourne, the fifth brother in his family and the youngest. His first entrée into the arts world was as a messenger boy for ABC Radio in 1949. After travelling overseas he returned to Melbourne where he and a business partner opened Thomas' Records, which he managed until 1965. After meeting a then-unknown Barry Humphries in 1962, he became Humphries' manager for three Australian tours between 1962 and 1969 ("A Nice Night's Entertainment", "Excuse I" and  Just a Show). He also began to contract overseas artists to perform in Australia, such as Max Adrian, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and others. In 1965 David Vigo (1943-2016) joined his company, and the list of artists then extended to such names as American stars The Pointer Sisters, Blossom Dearie and Alvin Ailey; British performers Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, Donovan, Elvis Costello, Derek Jacobi, Pam Ayres, Lenny Henry and Rowan Atkinson; and European performers such as Victor Borge, Stephane Grapelli, Paco Pena and Alirio Diaz. Local artists included Don Burrows, Slim Dusty, Slava Grigoryan, and Kate Ceberano . He co-directed the 1988 Melbourne Summer Music Festival. He was Artistic Director for the 1990 Adelaide Festival and the 1997 Melbourne International Arts Festival. Honours. Hocking was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1990, for service to the arts and entertainment. In 1991 he was awarded the inaugural Ken Myer Medallion for the Performing Arts. At the 1st Helpmann Awards in 2001, he was given the JC Williamson Award for Lifetime Achievement, along with actress Ruth Cracknell. Clifford Hocking died on 12 June 2006, aged 74, survived by his two elder brothers. On 15 June , Senator Rod Kemp, the Minister for the Arts and Sport, paid tribute to Hocking in a speech to Parliament. A celebration of his life was held in Hamer Hall, Melbourne on 29 August.