Remembering Chris Crist
• We were saddened to learn of the recent death of former longtime Warner Bros. Records promo rep Chris Crist, 85, who passed away of heart disease at home in Palm Springs with his wife, Cheryl by his side.
Born in Salinas, CA, Crist initially flirted with a career in entertainment, performing comedy routines in the area and eventually in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 1957 he joined PSA Airlines in San Francisco, served in many capacities, including air traffic controller. He later landed an on-air gig at KDON/Monterey, CA, eventually leading him into the record industry, where he thrived for the next 32 years, doing promotion for RCA, Capitol and United Artists Records. Crist later moved to Los Angeles as Regional Promotional Mgr. for Columbia/Epic Records, and in 1975 he was hired by Warner Bros. Records, where, for the next 22 years, Crist had the pleasure of working with such iconic artists as Frank Sinatra, Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen, Prince, Madonna, The Doobie Brothers, Elton John, George Harrison and many more, until he retired in Palm Springs.
• In a message posted to the Music Industry Reunion Los Angeles Facebook page, Greg Lee, a former Warner Bros. colleague, spoke for many in our industry when he said of Crist, “Chris was the epitome of a professional and had the respect of his peers at WB and WEA, other record companies, radio stations, artist management and retailers. During the time we worked L.A. Local Pop/AOR promotion together, Chris was a mentor and a great partner. We’ve all lost another friend from our music community.”
Crist is survived by his wife of 48 years, Cheryl, his two daughters, Christyl Everleigh (and son-in-law Dan Zelinski) and Tianna Campbell. No services are planned at this time.
