Remembering Jim Del Balzo
• Our industry lost one of the good guys this week with the passing of Jim “Rocky” Del Balzo, probably best known for his 21-year run as Columbia Records’ SVP of Rock Promotion, who died Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018 after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. He was only 62 years old.
Earlier in his career Del Balzo was National Promotion Manager at Polydor Records, followed by a stint as Director of Artist Relations at MTV. For the past 16 years Del Balzo was President of Jim Del Balzo Entertainment, an artist management and consulting firm.
Del Balzo’s beautifully written obituary accurately described him as “a larger-than-life guy, a straight shooter, and a lifelong friend to anyone who called him a friend, of which he had many. He was the quintessential family man who put the love of his wife, daughters, son-in-law, fur children, and extended family above all else.” The tribute continues, “His boundless energy and curiosity made him passionate about his primary profession, the record, music and entertainment industries as well as golf and books. He was an audiophile with a special gift for crafting playlists and a lifelong Strat-O-Matic baseball fanatic. His encyclopedic knowledge of sports including baseball, football and basketball made him a popular trivia partner. Even in his last days, Jim was full of life, discovering new comedy and music, and he had recently delved into enjoyment of jazz. His long conversations with friends and rants about music, the Giants and the Mets will keep him warm in our hearts.”
Del Balzo is survived by his wife, Mary Beth, daughters Jessica (Cording) and Julia, son-in-law Theo Tsakalis and many other family members, including his dogs Satch, Janey and Eli and “grand-dog” Delbert.
Visitation will be held on Friday, Sept. 7 from 2-4pm and 6-8pm at C.C. Van Emburgh, 306 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450. Funeral services will take place on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 9:30am at St. Gabriel’s Church, 88 East Saddle River Road, Saddle River, NJ 07458. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Jim’s name be made to the ASPCA.
