Jim Halsey

(1930 - Present)

Profession: Agent, Manager

Hometown: Tulsa

Inducted: 2015

Originally a Kansas native, Jim Halsey discovered his calling in high school while doing a report on former Russian entertainer and manager Sol Hurok. This inspired Halsey to host shows and dances at the local Memorial Hall in Independence, Kansas. At the young age of 18 he promoted his first show for a Western Dance act called "Leon McAuliffe" which opened more opportunities for a budding career.

Forming the Jim Halsey Co. Talent Agency in 1951, he established an Oklahoma office one year later with Hank Thompson and the Brazos Valley Boys being his first clients. His company grew over the next forty years into the largest country music agency in the world. Halsey managed more than 159 artists during his career, including Wanda Jackson, Clint Black, Leon Russell, Don Williams, and Reba McEntire.

He regularly booked artists to perform in Madison Square Garden, Constitution Hall, Carnegie Hall, and countless stages across the world. Among other contributions, Halsey organized a diplomatic and cultural tour through the Soviet Union in 1976 during the Cold War.

He also created educational programs for schools in Oklahoma and Kansas that taught the values of both music and business. Halsey, who always considered Tulsa his hometown, believed that everyone was capable of helping those in need.