Who is Libby Anthony?
Libby Anthony is an entertainment agent and entrepreneur, event planner, publisher and proponent of the live entertainment industry.
Libby Anthony served as Executive Director of the National Club Owners, Promoters & Entertainment Conference (COPE), Inc., a national trade organization devoted to the business, promotion and marketing of African American nightclubs and entertainment events. In this position, she was responsible for building coalitions of support for nightclubs and event promoters; developing COPE projects and fundraising for the organization.
Under her leadership, COPE received support from such corporations as Miller Brewing Company, Seagram, Bacardi, Hiram Walker, Coors, Anheuser Busch, Philip Morris, R J Reynolds, Columbia Records, Warner Brothers, SESAC and others.
Since 1977 Libby Anthony has owned Independent Productions, Inc., an employment agency specializing in the temporary employment of musicians, singers and other entertainers, nationally and internationally. Over the years her agency has provided bookings for such recording acts as Lakeside, Roger/Zapp, Manhattans, Lil Jon, Roy Ayers, The Deele, Millie Jackson, Taj Mahal, Patti Labelle and scores of others.
When Larkin Arnold wanted to put After 7 on their debut tour, he called Libby Anthony. Success! They played the club circuit until they joined M. C. Hammer for a national concert tour.
When Private Music Records wanted to expose Taj Mahal to a wider range blues audience, Libby Anthony was brought on board to develop a strategy to promote his album “Dancing the Blues”. Success! He charted on 3 national charts, was featured in national magazines and played highly visible concerts with a number of great television appearances.
When Frank Alexander wanted to open a nightclub in his entertainment complex, Screamin’ Wheels, Libby Anthony accepted the challenge. Success! She ordered the furnishings, created the décor, managed the stock, arranged the music and packed the club on weekends often working behind the bar mixing and pouring drinks.
Using her entrepreneurial talents and extraordinary sales ability, Ms. Anthony has enjoyed success as manager of Alexander’s Sports Bar & Grill; distributor of children’s entertainment products through her partnership in T. L. Sunny LTD; and project director of the Institute for Furtherance of the Arts, (IFA) Inc. She is a charter member of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Consolidated Licensed Beverage Association. She is often called upon by her “political friends” to participate on panels to discuss issues of importance to women and entertainment business people.
A talented writer, Libby Anthony has published articles in numerous magazines and publications. She served as editor of “Network News” a monthly live-entertainment publication and is author of “College Concert Handbook”, a how-to of concert production and promotion. Additionally, she served as editor of “The COPE Times”, a bi-monthly publication of the COPE organization.
While continuing to build her ‘boutique agency’, she received appreciation for her contributions to the industry with honors from Anheuser Busch; the Blues and Soul Summit; Entertainment Atlanta Magazine and the City of Atlanta.
Libby Anthony is a graduate of Southern University and the Grady Hospital School of Medical Technology. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and New Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, she is the mother of one son, Leandre Raj, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the George Washington University Law School.
