The late Rusty Young: The man who brought music to Vero Beach
By Bev and Marty Paris
Well over a decade ago, a man with music on his mind made a visit to Vero Beach to find a venue to house a concert with the legendary songstress Judy Collins. Not only did he happen upon the perfect intimate spot in The Emerson Center, but he quickly fell in love with Vero Beach, and in short time he made it his home.
That man was Rusty Young, and his story didn’t stop there. Since that time in 2013, Rusty became a household name in this city, and he has presented over 100 concerts under the corporate name of MusicWorks; yet here in his newly found hometown, the series was named LIVE! From Vero Beach. With his largest series ever underway in 2024, presenting a total of 14 diversified concerts in this season alone, Rusty died unexpectedly on February 20.
To look back at where Rusty Young began, his bio would read that he hailed from Rumson, New Jersey where he graduated from Rutgers University, and worked in a variety of jobs including being a venture capitalist and an executive recruiter. And then in his early 50s, Rusty made the bold move to stop doing everything and to begin doing what would truly make him happy. For Rusty, it was his passion for music.
And so it began when Rusty became the founder and CEO of the Count Basie Theatre Foundation in Red Bank, New Jersey. In this capacity, he took the Foundation through all stages of early development and successfully built relationships in the corporate, entertainment and philanthropic industries. While at the Foundation, he produced and promoted numerous benefit concerts for the Theatre and for other local and national nonprofits. He used music and benefit concerts to raise the $15 million dollars to complete the renovation for the historic theatre that originally opened in 1926. The Basie later established itself as a nonprofit organization, with a mission to serve the people of the State of New Jersey by providing a broad spectrum of quality entertainment and educational programs that would reflect and celebrate the diversity of the region.
When Rusty founded MusicWorks in 2010, he took a bit of that same thinking that was established during his tenure at the Basie Theatre and applied it to his mission for this newly found music venture that he established in Florida. In short time, Rusty became one of the leading concert promoters in the state, including venues as far north as Daytona Beach, as far south as Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale and across the state to Fort Myers and St. Petersburg. Rusty ultimately promoted hundreds of events in major markets throughout Florida specializing in classic rock and folk acts of the 60’s and 70’s…..all while making sure they were quality entertainment, whether it was a tribute band or a celebrated performer from that era. Many performances included known names such as Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals, Leon Russell, Al Stewart, The Weight, the Yardbirds, Vanilla Fudge, the Kingston Trio, Peter Yarrow, Blood, Sweat&Tears, John Sebastian, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Karla Bonoff, America, Bruce Hornsby, Christopher Cross, Dave Mason, Janis Ian and the late great David Crosby.
Rusty, a kind and giving soul, believed that music should do more than entertain; that it should make a difference in the community. To that end, Rusty made certain that a local or national non-profit would benefit from the performance, both in awareness and in making a portion from the ticket sales. Over his years here in Indian River County some of those partnering non-profits included The Cultural Council, The Source, Quail Valley Charities, Grand Harbor Community Outreach, VNA, Indian River Land Trust and The Veteran’s Council, just to mention a few.
Much can be learned about MusicWorks and Rusty Young with one visit to the website: www.MusicWorksConcerts.com.
“Our artists play all the songs you grew up singing, but our shows are not really about the hits, they’re about the experience. The artists we work with know that we use their music and the stories that surround it to take our audiences back to a time when life was simpler, when we believed that all our hopes and dreams could be realized,” Rusty is quoted in saying.
And he continues, “Our artists know that their music gave us something that was real, something we could connect with –and they remind us of that at each of our shows. Our shows bring audiences back to a time when music mattered, when artists cared, and when live entertainment was a cultural phenomenon.”
As they say in the business, the show must go on, and so it is. Rusty’s wife, and MusicWorks partner Stacey Jill Young, who shares his passion of music and his pursuit in bringing the best of music to this Treasure Coast community, is making certain that his dreams and his legacy continues.
So, in respect and gratitude to Rusty for his foresight in bringing music to Vero Beach, and the first person to do so as a continuous and genuine pursuit of entertaining friends, neighbors and what became his family, LIVE! From Vero Beach, is here to stay. The music makes memories, and it most of all brings back memories for each and every member of the audience. It’s an escape, a brief respite from our busy days, and knowing that the best of music is on the agenda, it’s a reason to get up and out to do something special.
Rusty believed that music is not about nostalgia, it’s about the power of the live entertainment experience. How, for a few hours, music is all that matters.
And for the audiences and the people who worked with Rusty Young locally and nationally, it’s about “The Man Who Brought Music to Vero Beach.” And for that, Rusty we will be forever saying….“Thank You For The Music.”
