| Steve O'Rourke-racing driver, music industry executive | |||||||||||||||||||
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The son of an Aran Islander, longtime Pink Floyd manager, Steve O’Rourke also had a successful career in auto racing that included a 4th place finish at the famed 24 Hour of Le Mans race in 1997.A prolific figure in the highly charged rock business, O’Rourke was well respected and had many success for the colorful rock band Pink Floyd over his 35 year tenure as the band’s manager. Born on October 1, 1940 in Willesden, England, Steve O’Rourke was the son of one Thomas “Tommy” O’Rourke, an Aran Island fisherman who had appeared in the Robert Flaherty’s film ‘Man of Aran’. After traveling to London to see the film’s premiere Tommy O’Rourke decided to stay on in London and settled in the city’s northwest section, where his son Stephen would be be educated. Trained in accounting O’Rourke landed a job with the promotion agency of Bryan Morrison in the 1960’s. Through the agency he got in contact with the young fledgling psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, then led by Syd Barrett. After Barrett and the band’s original mangers Peter Jenner and Andrew King departed in mid-1968 O’Rourke took over and virtually redefined band management in the years ahead. O’Rourke also married during this period and became a father and took the initials of his two daughters (Emma and Kate) to name his own company. EMKA Productions. This company was later used to further O’Rourke’s auto racing career and in the 1970’s also oversaw the solo careers of Pink Floyd members David Gilmour, Rick Wright and Nick Mason. In 1972, while Pink Floyd, was recording the landmark ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, Steve O’Rourke was negotiating a record setting deal for the band that saw them sign with Columbia Records in the US and have their music published by CBS Records in London. By the decades end he was working as executive producer for the bands cult-classic film ‘The Wall’, which starred Irish rock star Sir Bob Geldorf. O’Rourke’s racing career began in 1979 and was as successful as his rock music management career. He raced at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans on eight occasions and in 1997 finished 1st in his class, 4th overall in the difficult competition. In 2000, at the age of 60, he placed 9th in the N-GT Classifications, while driving a Porsche for the EMKA team. Steve O’Rourke’s racing days came to an end in early 2003 when he was diagnosed with a heart ailment, which forced him to retire. He died in October of that year after suffering a stroke in Miami, Florida. Married twice, Steve O’Rourke had three sons in addition to his two daughters. His services where held at the Chichester Cathederal in England and was attended by many of his friends in the music and racing fields. |
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| Steve O’Rourke (1943-2003) ,combined a career as a music executive with an exciting racing career.
(EMKA Racing team photo) |
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