I am deeply saddened by the loss of my good friend, Don Bernstine.  

I met Don when I joined Rainbow in 1979 and he taught me so much about the business of music.  Employed by Bruce and Thames Talent he was in charge of promotion.  The first time we worked together was on Since You’ve Been Gone and it is with no small thanks to him that that song became what it did.  

Touring America with Rainbow in those years, whenever we hit a city he would haul me off to the local radio station, do an interview, hang out with the musical director and the staff for half an hour or so, and leave them promising to add the record to their playlist.  We did hundreds of such visits, sometimes two or three stations in one afternoon.  After the tour was over he made me sit down and write follow-up letters of thanks to those stations where I’d had a particularly good time or who had added the record and stayed with it.  It paid dividends.  He knew everybody he needed to know and his network of contacts was enormous.  

On return visits to stations, and there were many, I would have forgotten everything, but Don, walking towards the station entrance, would prepare me… “The DJ’s name is Curtis, the other one’s Jim, you had a great interview with them last year, Curtis just got married.”  Etc.  I would then steam into the place like an old friend paying a visit, they would be charmed and flattered by my memory, and we’d all have a jolly good time – would you like passes for the show, are you going to add the record? Oh, thanks.  Etc.  He knew all the tricks. Through all this time together we became everlasting friends.  

Years later, Hard Rock Café tapped into Don’s vast knowledge of the music business and put him in charge of acquisitions.  He made that job his own.  And the job made him; he was great at it.   

Although our paths kept us apart a bit over the last few years, we kept in touch and it was always a great day whenever I saw Don, with his infectious laugh, barreling towards me, arms wide open for the bear hug.

We have lost a real gem.

RG