ISAAC TIGRETT: "MY GURU MADE ME DO IT!" [CAR 50 + HOUSE OF BLUES OPENING: MYRTLE BEACH]
ISAAC BURTON TIGRETT, Founder-Creator of Hard Rock Café & The House of Blues was born in 1948 into an influential Southern family that founded Jackson, Tennessee in the 1820s. Family entrepreneurial activities included lumber, farming, railroads, bus lines, real estate, banking, and manufacturing. Tigrett moved to England in 1967. On a 600 pound savings, Tigrett founded the Century Carriage Company in 1968 which exported used Roll Royce and Bentley automobiles to the U.S.A. Tigrett cleared $250,000 in 1969, which financed the Hard Rock Café in 1971. Tigrett had 1 child, Augusta, with Maureen Starkey Tigrett (formerly married to Ringo Star) and raised her children, Zak, Jason, and Lee from 1976 until her death 19 years later. Throughout his professional career Isaac Tigrett has followed the evolution of music, art and other social trends and their impact on culture. Mr. Tigrett's keen insights into trends and social/cultural movements, together with expansive creative capabilities, fuel his visionary approach to creating experiences and environments that entertain and educate customers and participants. In his early career, Mr. Tigrett's focus was on the evolution of music and pop culture and their impact on society. In 1971, at the age of 22, he created the world famous Hard Rock Café in London with his 50/50 partner Peter Morton (23).
Tigrett was the concept creator and named the venture HARD ROCK CAFÉ. Morton was from a distinguished restaurant family in Chicago USA. He supplied the food and catering know-how. Eric Crisman, an early manager, describes the two young entrepreneurs.
Tigrett and Morton couldn't have been more dissimilar! Like oil and water! Tigrett was a revolutionary hippie activist with long hair, dressed in King's Road blue velvets and snake skin boots. Morton sported Saville Row tailored blue blazers and Gucci shoes
Tigrett and Morton held together their shaky partnership until 1981. Tigrett then bought out Morton's interest in the only existing Hard Rock Café on London's Hyde Park Corner and all World Rights to the name Hard Rock Café. Tigrett and Morton sold their perspective Hard Rock Café companies to England's Rank Origination PLC.
Following the sale of his interest in the Hard Rock Café, Mr. Tigrett created the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medicine for his guru, Sai Baba: a free 500-bed advanced surgical hospital that serves the rural poor in Anantapur, India.
Following the opening of the Medical Institute, Mr. Tigrett turned his attention to his next venture. Using the skills that he has demonstrated in building the Hard Rock Café Brand, he again wowed the music community with his new creation, the famous HOUSE OF BLUES, again with long time friend and Blues Brother Dan Akyroyd.
Mr.Tigrett's vision for The House of Blues grew from his belief that popular tastes were evolving from rock 'n' roll to alternative original music art forms such as Blues, Jazz, Latin, Country & Western, Urban, Rhythm & Blues and Rap. Tigrett's new HOUSE OF BLUES cultural creation consisted of a dynamic Live Music Venue for 2000 people plus, an exclusive Private Club and gourmet restaurant called The Foundation Room, and a 350 seat New Orleans Restaurant filled with previously unseen original American Folk and Outsider Art.
Tigrett founded the much-heralded HOUSE OF BLUES venues in Harvard Square, Cambridge MA; New Orleans, LA, Los Angeles CA, Myrtle Beach, SC; Orlando, FL; and Chicago IL.
Tigrett left HOUSE OF BLUES in 1998 after a Board Room power grab by directors Chase Bank, The Disney Co., The Aeneas Banking Group and Goldbury Ventures.
Tigrett now lives in Prasanthi Nilayam in South India at the Ashram of his Master Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Tigrett is currently launching his next venture, a Spiritual Retreat in the rain forest of S. India - at the behest of his Master, THE MYSTIC INN OF THE 7TH RAY.
In 2007 British Rank Origination PLC sold Hard Rock Café's 124 Cafes, 4 Hotels and pair of Casinos to the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida for US $965 million. In 2007, The Hard Rock rights for Casinos and Hotels in half of the USA was sold to Morgan's Hotel Group for US $770 million. In 2007, Live Nation (Clear Channel Com., Inc.) bought the House of Blues Entertainment group for US $350 million, and is launching HOBs Across Europe and Asia.
