Fred Jones
Fred Jones, Jr., has devoted his life to entertaining others. Born January 2, 1948, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Lula and Freddie, Jones was the fourth of five children. He attended public schools in Memphis and then went on to earn his B.A. in 1971 from the University of Memphis.
While at the University of Memphis, Jones worked for Union Planters Bank as an internal auditor and assistant branch manager. Following graduation, however, Jones moved into the entertainment industry, working as a tour manager for Isaac Hayes until 1975. Jones then went on to do independent promotions, managing and producing events, for many in the entertainment industry. In 1984, Jones founded Summitt Management Corporation, where he currently serves as president.
During his career, Jones has created numerous entertainment promotions, including the Southern Heritage Classic Music and Football Weekend and the Southern Heritage Classic 2 Basketball Weekend, featuring ever-popular competitions among historically black colleges and universities. He also created the world-renowned Memphis Blues Festival. Jones has also brought Memphis some of its largest concerts and has taken concerts to African American audiences across the country.
Jones has been the recipient of numerous awards over the years, including the 2002 Award of Excellence from the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund; the 2002 African American Male Image Award for Business from Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity; the 2000 Outstanding Community Sales Award from the Sales and Marketing Executives of Memphis; and the 1996 Black Business of the Year Award from the Memphis Black Business Association. He is active in a number of civic organizations, including as a lifetime member with the NAACP, a member of Leadership Memphis, and as President of the Southern Heritage Foundation.
Jones and his wife, Carolyn, live in Memphis. They have six children.
A2003.144
Male
6/26/2003
Jones
Married
Booker T. Washington High School
University of Memphis
No
Fred
Memphis
JON06
Summer
Tennessee
Hot Springs, Arkansas
You Can't Use Yesterday's Ball Scores In Today's Ball Game.

Tennessee
1/2/1948
Memphis
United States
Spaghetti
Event management chief executive, entertainment promoter, and music manager Fred Jones (1948 - ) founded Summitt Entertainment. Prior to that, he was the tour manager for Isaac Hayes and the Isley Brothers.
Summitt Management Corporation
Black
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Fred Jones' interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Fred Jones lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Fred Jones describes his family history
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Fred Jones talks about his family's history of sharecropping and migration
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Fred Jones talks about his father
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Fred Jones talks about his respect for his father and his father's generation
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Fred Jones talks about his mother
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - Fred Jones talks about his parents' relationship
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - Fred Jones describes the sights, sounds and smells of growing up
Tape: 1 Story: 10 - Fred Jones talks about how his childhood neighborhood has changed
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Fred Jones talks about his childhood and teachers from his grade school years
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Fred Jones talks about his childhood dream of becoming an accountant
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Fred Jones talks about playing sports in high school and meeting Olympians Wilma Rudolph and Bob Hayes
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Fred Jones talks about joining his junior high honors society and learning to play music
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Fred Jones talks about the plane crash that killed four members of the Bar-Kays and Otis Redding
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Fred Jones talks about his decision to attend Memphis State College in Memphis, Tennessee
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Fred Jones talks about the Vietnam War draft and his first job
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Fred Jones talks about how he got a job at Union Planters Bank in Nashville, Tennessee
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Fred Jones talks about his reaction to the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Fred Jones talks about the racial climate in Memphis, Tennessee after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - Fred Jones talks about graduating from the Memphis State College in 1971 and working for HistoryMaker Isaac Hayes
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Fred Jones talks about changes in the recording industry
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Fred Jones describes his responsibilities working for HistoryMaker Isaac Hayes
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Fred Jones talks about becoming an entertainment promoter
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - Fred Jones talks about the first Southern Heritage Classic in 1990
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Fred Jones tells stories about working with artists like Count Basie, Bill Cosby, and John Davidson.
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Fred Jones talks about demands from artists he worked with as an entertainment producer
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Fred Jones talks about his personal and professional relationship with the Isley Brothers
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Fred Jones talks about filing for bankruptcy and rebuilding his business
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Fred Jones talks about creating the Southern Heritage Classic
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Fred Jones talks about events during the Southern Heritage Classic and a rewarding experience
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - Fred Jones talks about the black community in Memphis, Tennessee
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Fred Jones talks about the Memphis Grizzlies and explains why Memphis, Tennessee did not get an NFL franchise
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - Fred Jones talks about his role in securing the Memphis Grizzlies
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - Fred Jones talks about the Memphis Grizzlies and what he hopes the team does for the City of Memphis, Tennessee
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - Fred Jones talks about his hopes for the black community and for his future
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - Fred Jones reflects upon his legacy
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - Fred Jones talks about how he would like to be remembered
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