Charlotte Music Awards

Co-Founders

		Jeffrey Cheen

		Jeffrey Cheen has spent more than 40 years in the music business. He started his career as national promotion director for Bill Cosby’s Tetragrammaton Records, with a list of clients that included Deep Purple, Joan Rivers and Tiny Tim. He then helmed Mercury Records’ Hollywood office before managing Capitol Records’ Rock A&R Department. Subsequently, he headed Far Out Music and Publishing’s management division where he guided the careers of War, Ronnie Laws, Funkadelic and Rick James. Jeffrey partnered with Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and the L.A. Forum, to present concerts and TV productions. He also produced all the entertainment at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City for three years. Jeffrey then moved his focus to the emerging Asian market, producing the Pacific Rim Festival in Los Angeles and serving as a consultant to the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Culture and the Australian government’s Ausmusic. Jeffrey recently served as vice president of business development for B.B. King’s Blues Clubs, overseeing worldwide corporate licensing and heading the company’s record label. Jeffrey is currently president of Charlotte-based Succession Records.

Michael D. Evans

Michael D. Evans has more than 30 years experience in communications. From the technical side (typography and editing) to the creative side (writing and public relations), he has done it all. Michael has always kept a foot in the music business, from his early 1980s management and booking venture, Broken English Productions, to his current promotional agency, High Timberline Media.

His publishing efforts include a founding role in two of Charlotte’s early alternative publications, The First Amendment and Mandrake. He has been a columnist for Uptown Magazine and CityPolitical Magazine, and currently serves as the editor for Amps 11, a local music magazine. Over the years, he has also been a film critic with his reviews published in Tokyo Today and Postscript. In addition, he has edited a number of books and journals.