Legendary Hawaii concert promoter and radio DJ Tom “Uncle Tom” Moffatt passed away in the comfort of his home on Monday. He was 85 years young.
Jimmy Buffett posted on Facebook while visiting Cuba this week: Tom Moffatt was the voice of Hawaii to locals and visitors alike. As a promoter, he brought every kind of music imaginable to the islands. I happened to be one of those lucky coconuts that dropped from his tree.
The first time I ever played for him was in October 1979, opening for the Eagles at Aloha stadium. When I met Tom the first time at that gig, I remember thinking, “This guy has the best job in the world. He lives in paradise, plays music on the radio and promotes shows under the stars.” It wasn’t long before we were doing more than business together. We became friends. (continue reading)
From Venues Today: Moffatt was a true gentleman and everyone liked him, to the extent that big name acts like Elton John and Jimmy Buffett wouldn’t play Hawaii with anyone but Moffatt. Bradley recalled when Moffatt took Buffett to Tahiti many, many years ago and when they landed, they asked the venue manager how many tickets had been sold. He said, “None, but we’ve had some phone calls.”
Moffatt and Buffett immediately hit the street handing out flyers and saved the day. That was before Tahiti became a good routing option, especially for reggae.
Photo: Buffett and Tom Moffatt on the set of Hawaii Five-0 back in 2013 (read more).