‘Talent Wrangler’ keeps music alive

Ranger Bill Belian was born and raised in Detroit in the 1950s and ’60s during the Motown musical era, along with such greats as The Supremes and The Temptations.

As a kid, Belian would go to a full Motown review each year at the Fox Theater downtown. He would see greats like Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Martha & the Vandellas and others perform.

Detroit was also becoming known as the “Motor City,” with the auto industry booming. Rock ’n’ roll acts like Ted Nugent and Bob Seger were part of a huge list of musicians going national and international.

For a period of time, Belian worked on and off at the Grande Ballroom, which weekly featured groups such as Cream, Janice Joplin and Traffic. Belian recalled a fond memory of seeing Jimi Hendrix in concert.

Afterward, Belian, Hendrix and a few friends went out for dinner. Later, Hendricks looked at Belian upon leaving and said, “Be groovy.”

Belian was also a drummer with the band called The People, who would open for Seger. He later became part of The Red, White & Blues band, with members from downtown Detroit.

After that, Belian was asked to be a road manager for Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels. He began traveling and learning the tour business. Ryder still performs today.

Belian later went on to work with a band called The Sky that included Doug Fieger, who went on to form The Knack, and John Corey, who today plays with The Eagles and Rod Stewart.

“My friends were going big time,” he said.

He was asked to help promote concerts in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan, which had some great facilities available. Great events there included BB King, Billy Joel, ZZ Top, John Lennon & Yoko Ono as well as Elvis Presley. His first show was Ike & Tina Turner, right at the time their song “Proud Mary” was topping the charts.

“At that time, I remember walking in on The Ikettes while in their dressing room – oops. They were dressed but didn’t have their wigs on,” Belian said. He apologized, turned around and walked out.

Belian and his partner, Peter Andrews, opened a blues club in Ann Arbor called The Alley. They brought in some of the greatest stars, like Jimmy Reid, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters.

With so much blues talent around, they decided to launch the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival, a three-day outdoor music festival. They brought in talent to perform like King, Ray Charles and Bonnie Raitt.

“We also invited a few local clubsmen to come out and perform, giving them the opportunity to play for the first time in front of thousands of people. A few of my favorites were One String Sam, Washboard Willie and Shaky Jake,” Belian said.

At one point he turned around and realized Charles was extending his hand to him to say thank you for the great event and everything he was doing.

“To hear his voice speaking to me was one of the most moving moments in my life,” Belian said.

He later went on to form a company called Aztec Staging. They would design and build staging and roofing for bands on tour, as the previous equipment bands used had become outdated.

Pink Floyd, The Electric Light Orchestra, KISS and Styx were some of their original touring groups. They designed Pink Floyd’s Animals tour as well as The Wall tour and ELO’s famous spaceship.

From there, Belian went on to also do outdoor staging for groups such as The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles. He has had numerous travel opportunities throughout those years and hung out with many of the greats in the musical world.

Belian eventually came to rest in the Florida Keys, where he lived for the next 35 years. He continued to promote local concerts as well as help with dance competitions, classical, rock and country music concerts, earning him the nickname of “Talent Wrangler.” He also played the drums with his church’s worship team for many of those years.

Belian and his wife live in the mountains of Cherokee County today. He enjoys sightseeing, feeding deer, reading and just enjoying the retired life. His stories help keep alive the musical greats.