Legendary Entertainment Lawyer Katz Remembered

Joel Katz, the Atlanta attorney who died last month at the age of 80, was, during his lifetime, among the most important figures to shape the world of entertainment.

For years he was at the top of Billboard Magazine’s Power 100 list and represented a who’s who in popular music. He was the lawyer for such music legends as B.B. King, Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Jimmy Buffett as well as such contemporary stars as Jamie Foxx, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill.

What kept him at the forefront of entertainment law was his ability to see early opportunities for his clients in the rapidly changing world of entertainment. As he viewed technology advance from eight track tape cartridges to compact discs and streaming by such giants as Apple, Spotify, and Amazon, he was an early advocate of profitable new business strategies.

His Atlanta firm, Katz Smith and Cohen, was one of the nation’s largest entertainment law firms before it merged in 1998 with Greenberg Taurig. In an industry where big money deals are commonplace, he negotiated some of the largest and most important agreements of recent years.

He represented The Recording Academy in its $600 million, 10-year broadcast deal with the CBS Television Network for broadcast rights to the Grammys. He played a prominent role in Michael Jackson’s $750 million sale of his interest in the Sony/ATV Publishing business.

One of Katz’s biggest deals was the $750 million sale of Michael Jackson’s interest in Sony/ATM.

He also oversaw the $300 million purchase of Big Machine Records in 2018. It earned him the deep appreciation of Scott Borchetta, who had founded Big Machine 10 years before the sale.

“Joel Katz was the most creative attorney in the business,” Borchetta said. “He figured out ways to connect people and make deals that, simply, no other attorney could make. He always found a way to build a bridge and lift people up, was a brilliant storyteller and loved great wine. I will miss him and never forget him.”

Katz’s career had humble beginnings. He paid his way through the University of Tennessee Law School by working the night shift from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. at a nearby Holiday Inn. His first office in Atlanta was a single small room that shared a secretary with three other young attorneys.

But that all suddenly changed in 1971 when, with little experience in the entertainment industry, he was hired by James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul,” to negotiate a new contract with PolyGram Records. Although he was Katz’s first important client, he won for Brown a multi-million dollar advance from the label, use of a company jet, and the rights to his musical compositions and master recordings.

After the deal, a grateful Brown slipped him an envelope with $50,000, which was three times more than Katz had ever made in an entire year as a lawyer. It didn’t take long for him to decide what he wanted to do with his law degree.

Significantly, word of the successful deal quickly led to a meeting with Willie Nelson, who helped Katz sign Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. His reputation as a tenacious negotiator quickly earned him the devotion of his long string of A-list clients.

Katz underwrote one of the nation’s largest music business programs at Kennesaw State University.

The law library at the University of Tennessee is named in his honor and the silver, gold and platinum records that his clients earned line the halls of the building. He endowed a professorship in entertainment and sports law at the school and was named a distinguished alumnus in 2017.

He served as a board member for Hunter College, the Berklee College of Music and the Grammy Museum. Katz was also chairman of the board of the T.J. Martell Foundation that has given over $280 million for cancer research.

In 2017, he received the Distinguished Service Award of the City of Hope, one of the nation’s most important cancer treatment and research centers. The facility was founded more than 110 years ago by Jewish philanthropists. In February 2024, he was honored with The Recording Academy Trustee Award in recognition of his contributions to the field of recording.

Closer to home, he underwrote one of the nation’s most successful music and business entertainment programs at Kennesaw State University and has served on the board of Clark Atlanta University. A section of Northside Parkway is named in his honor. It is near Howell Mill Road, where the Breman Jewish Home and The Jewish Tower are located.

In summing up Joel Katz’s life, Irving Azoff, former chair of Ticketmaster and Live Nation Entertainment and a close friend, had these words.

“Joel Katz was a pioneer in building the music business as we now know it today. I will love and miss him always. He was the ultimate mensch.“