Cynthia Simien has been booking tours globally for this two – time GRAMMY award winning group for a minute, or 32 years! With a focus on performing arts, performing arts for youth and family, educational outreach, festivals, corporate events, theaters and high quality live music venues ~ you name it and we have likely booked it here at 965 Music Group. We also have extensive experience booking international festivals & U.S. State Department/Embassy tours.
There is something to be said for experience, and we’ve got our share of it in this small music enterprise. We know performances are not a one size fits all, and we will work closely with you to craft an experience that fits your needs, and meets your presenting/educational outreach goals.
For more than three decades as an agent and manager, Simien has also done her part to help move the needle for zydeco music; leading a successful effort to establish a GRAMMY category for Zydeco and Cajun Music – effectively changing the vocabulary within the Recording Academy and resulted in dozens of Grammy awards and at least 100 nominations to creators in her small music community. She lobbied curatorial staff at NMAAM for nearly two years until she was successful in helping curate and have a zydeco music exhibit installed in to lobby of the $60 million dollar National Museum of African American Music, Nashville, TN. She has stayed the course and stayed on message, to also help advance the career of Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience.
Along with Terrance and the Zydeco Experience band, this black and woman owned roots music enterprise has built a platinum reputation with nearly 10,000 performances to more than 45 countries.
She’s also part of team Marcella Simien, she & Terrance’s daughter, who also has a successful career in music. Check her out. You’ll be glad you did. She IS the future of music.
Women working “backstage” have long made great contributions to the music industry as agents and managers. Women bring tremendous integrity to the business of making music, the live performance and performing arts field. Women are critical to the economy, yet are only now being heard and still face too many uphill challenges. For decades, the music industry and performing arts have been complacent and mostly just silent on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion: the inclusion of more women, and women of color in positions traditionally held by men. There was once a time in Simien’s career where the stigma of a wife representing her husband made doing her job even more challenging. Fact is, this still an issue with some, but fewer than before.
There are initiatives all over the world designed to create sustainable equity in performing arts and the music business with a 50% male-50% female challenge – as well as 50%-50% racial diversity in programming, staffing, vendors, etc. For decades female agents and managers have faced roadblocks and jumped many hurdles to gain the same respect their male counterparts have enjoyed. Things are beginning to change, but it’s time for full equality/equity. It’s time for a clear directive to come from boards, stock holders, patrons, investors, national and most certainly, governmental funders on gender and racial equality on the stage and off the stage.
Cynthia was elected twice as a National Trustee to the Memphis Chapter Board of the Recording Academy, aka the GRAMMY folks – as the first woman to serve in this role in their 44 year history at the Memphis Chapter. Honored beyond words, she was also frustrated that it took the organization so long to elect a female trustee. She also feels strongly that Black women have helped define the music culture and shape the music history of music in Memphis, and should be in more leadership roles in music and within this organization.
During her two terms (4 years) at the RA, she raised many issues about gender inequality and helped create Women of Note, a group of female trustees who met regularly at bi annual trustee meetings – away from a board room that was traditionally dominated by male trustees, officers and Chair of the Board of Trustees. Still, in their nearly 65 years, they’ve only had three female Chairs of the Board and only two African American male COB. While the Recording Academy looks different now, there is still more work to be done. We are here for that and will continue to do the work.