Carol Peters
Carol Peters, Heart’s longtime manager, died from cancer Sept. 18. She was 72.
“Carol was a remarkable human being. She poured her soul into everything she was—mother, wife, friend, guiding force, businesswoman and inspiration,” Heart’s Ann Wilson said in a statement to Billboard. “Generous, realistic and optimistic, Carol loved completely...so she was loved completely.”
Added Heart’s Nancy Wilson, “Carol was my beloved Jewish mother, matchmaker, deal maker and a ferocious Sunday dinner baker. Carol was a ball of fire in a very small package. She lit up every room she walked into and couldn't help but dance to the music that surrounded her life. She is now an angel among the angels.”
Peters managed Heart for 17 years, guiding them through a resurgence in their career that saw great success on the road, in addition to an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
Peters was a pioneering female in the music industry, who generously shared her knowledge and experience. She started her career at Ampex Records in 1965 in Chicago. When her husband was stationed in the U.K. in the Air Force, she moved to London and joined Tetragrammaton Records, where she worked closely with Deep Purple. She then moved into an International role at Elektra Records in London in the late ‘60s.
By 1971, she and her husband relocated to Los Angeles, where she joined United Artists Records’ publicity department, only to move to Nepal a few years later while her husband completed his doctoral thesis on Tibetan Shamanism.
Following her return to Los Angeles in 1976, she worked at a series of labels, including Capitol, Planet Records, Warner Bros. and then Pasha Records, where, as general manager, she helped break Quiet Riot.
Peters moved into artist management at Left Bank, helping guide the careers of The Bee Gees, Richard Marx, John Mellencamp, The Cranberries, The Go-Go’s, En Vogue, Meatloaf, and Blondie, among others. In the early 2000s, she started her own management company, Peters Management Syndicate with clients Heart and Deana Carter.
Survivors include her husband of 54 years, four children, and nine grandchildren. No public memorial service is planned at this time.