One of Polte's more impressive efforts was his brainchild to conceive and promote the massive, mostly free, Wild West Festival in Golden Gate Park. He has writing credit for three tracks on the 1968 debut album by The Electric Flag, A Long Time Comin', one of them their 1967 single Groovin' Is Easy. He, as had Hollingworth before him, rejected proffered contracts for the Ace of Cups, as they felt offers received would not adequately compensate the band nor respect their talent. Polte was noted for his business acumen which in 1967 enabled him to land, with Capitol Records, one of the first major recording contracts for any San Francisco headliner band. "He remained a firm defender of all the idealism from those years." Quicksilver's Freiberg said, on being informed of Polte's passing when contacted for comment while he was on tour with the Jefferson Starship,"He was a good man." "I could always trust him to do what he thought was right." Gravenites said of him, "All the altruistic thinking that came out of that era he agreed with a thousand percent," Gravenites said. Under Polte's management, Quicksilver, with its members' approval, was the only band to ever include stellar studio musician Hopkins in recording contract residuals. Polte was almost unique in his expeditious attention to the needs of his artists, rapidly securing housing, transportation and rehearsal space, all with an eye to making their lives easier. Polte also founded the booking agency West Pole, which handled Bay Area groups such as Big Brother, with whom Janis Joplin sang, and the Sons of Champlin. Nicky Hopkins and Mark Naftalin played keyboards and Greg Elmore played drums. ĭuring Polte's time as manager, Quicksilver's lineup included guitarists Cippolina, Gary Duncan, David Freiberg (also bass) and Dino Valenti. Through the encounter, Polte helped him land a spot with John Cipollina's new band, Copperhead. After hearing Jim McPherson playing guitar, he said, "He charmed me in 15 minutes,” Polte remembered, "He was accomplished, like a terrific magician. At West Pole, with his brother Frank, Polte also for a short time managed the Sons of Champlin. After band manager Ambrose Hollingworth became a paraplegic as a result of injuries sustained in a 1967 car crash near Muir Beach, California, the management of both folk-rock bands Ace of Cups and the headliner Quicksilver Messenger Service was assumed by Polte. With his friend from his teens, producer, and guitarist Nick Gravenites, Polte, a keyboardist and successful songwriter, migrated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Beat Generation had long flourished but was evolving into the hippie culture. He had a rough childhood, but after his teen years, during which he had experienced difficulties with the law, he turned his life around. Polte was born on the impoverished South Side of Chicago, one of nine children. He was well known as the manager of the psychedelic music groups, The Ace of Cups quintet, one of the earliest all-female groups, the renowned Quicksilver Messenger Service, which featured a host of major talents, and briefly, the Sons of Champlin. Ronald Thomas Polte (Ap– September 14, 2016) was an American manager in the California Bay Area rock and roll scene. Manager of Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Ace of Cups
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