Remembering Fred Shade
• Services were held Saturday in Union City, PA for a beloved friend and colleague of many in our industry — Fred Shade, 58, who passed away unexpectedly on Monday, March 31.
Perfectly described as an “Innovator, Talent Agent, Talent Manager, Advisor, Accelerator, Marketer, a Development Specialist, and Mid-Century Modern Enthusiast,” Shade grew up in Union City, PA, but had called Cleveland home for the past 20 years.
Shade got his first industry break at WZZO/Allentown, PA, before transitioning to the label side, joining A&M Records in 1993. He continued his career trajectory through subsequent stops at Epic, Virgin and Wind-up Records before joining Glassnote Records in 2013 as Director of Promotion. In 2020 Shade established Long Story Short, an artist development and promotion company, and he most recently used his years of experience and prodigious skills as a talent agent at King’s Queens Entertainment.
Lorraine Caruso, a longtime colleague of Shade, said, “Fred was a lifelong friend and co-worker. I have had the joy of working with him From our early days at A&M records, Wind-up, and recently until his passing as a consultant at Mascot. He was an unwavering confident to me and others. He was brilliant, and had a kind soul. His passion and love for all the artists he worked with, his friendships with them, along with his friends at radio, and his co workers, gave him joy and purpose.”
Shade is survived by his mother, Mary Ann Shade, sister Melody Shade of Columbus, OH, brother Terry (Traci) Shade of Edinboro, PA, and nieces Taylor Regan (Jeffery) of Richmond, VA, and Allison Shade of Edinboro.
To truly understand just how important Fred was to those in his life, please take the time to read all the heartfelt expressions of love and loss filling Fred’s Facebook page.
In lieu of flowers, you are humbly asked to think of Fred when you attend any performance or listen to any genre of music. As Fred would say, “THE SHOW MUST GO ON!”
