Judi Bernstein-Cohen Passes Away

	Judi Bernstein-Cohen

Judi Bernstein-Cohen was born in Brooklyn, New York and graduated Adelphi College in 1958. Bernstein-Cohen was a people person. She started in the music industry as a talent agent, working for Frank Barsalona, with Premier Talent Agency in New York City where she booked Herman's Hermits, Eric Burton and the Animals, among other acts.

She moved to Boston in 1964 to work for John Sdoucos, Music Productions, Inc. to do personal management. At the time they managed Barry and the Remains, (second act on the second Beatles US tour).

In 1967, Bernstein-Cohen became general manager of Hanley Sound, Inc., where she worked closely with Bill Hanley, (a Parnelli Innovator Award winner) and recently dubbed "The Father of Festival Sound." Bernstein-Cohen wore many hats: overseeing the business office, in-house technical staff, negotiating contracts with promoters and band managers, assigning sound crews, and taking care of the necessary-permits. She also supported Hanley's audio systems engineering, in-field activities with the clients, i.e. groups, managers, promoters, and scouting venues.

Bernstein-Cohen had many firsts. When the Beach Boys wanted Hanley Sound as their sole sound company for their live performances, drawing on her talent-agent background, she created the first industry sound rider. Clients were varied from rock: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jefferson Airplane; to folk: Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary; soul: James Brown, Aretha Franklin; Motown: the Temptations and the Four Tops.

She was involved in managing sound for rally's at the Washington Monument in addition to speeches and press events at the White House. She also oversaw sound equipment installations at Fenway Park; clubs in New York, Café Au Go Go, Bitter End, Steve Paul's Scene East and West; and in Boston, the infamous Boston Tea Party on Berkeley St., Paul's Mall, The Jazz Work Shop, and the Boston Club.

Also, at Hanley Sound she assisted in doing many major music festivals that include, Woodstock 1969, Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, New Orleans Jazz, Miami Pop, Ann Arbor Blues Festival, and others. Bernstein-Cohen was most proud of being the on-site technical director for Festival Express in 1970, traveling on a train that went across Canada carrying major artists such as Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Ian and Sylvia, to name a few. Her responsibilities on this tour by train included managing the crews for live-sound equipment, stage, and lighting plus the audio recordings that made possible the DVD documentary of this tour.

In 1975, she became the administrative assistant to Larry Blakely, director of marketing at dbx, inc. until 1978, when he left the company. Then Vinnie Testa and Paul Gallo, hired Bernstein-Cohen as the founding editor of Pro Sound News; now in its 37th year. Her last position, before retiring, was as manager of Terry Hanley Audio Systems, Inc., in Woburn, Massachusetts.

Bernstein-Cohen also had a charitable side that included positions as executive director of the Boston Chapter of Hadassah, supporting Hadassah Hospitals in Israel, a regional representative for Women's American ORT, which supported trade schools in Europe including training for sound technicians.

She passed away after a brief illness on May 26, 2015. Bernstein-Cohen is survived by her husband of 44 years, Harold Cohen, her brother Dr. Arthur Bernstein, in addition to many close family-members and friends.