The Resume

(November 24, 1936-December 14, 2021)
Born in Alameda County, California
Manager, producer, and philanthropist
Managed the Smothers Brothers, Burt Reynolds, Kenny Rogers, the Bee Gees, Olivia Newton-John, Lionel Richie, Harry Chapin, Gallagher, Rich Little, Dottie West, Travis Tritt, and Trisha Yearwood
Producer or executive producer of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Kenny Rogers’s ‘Gambler’ series of TV movies
Organized the charity events USA for Africa (1985) and Hands Across America (1986)

Why he might be annoying:

There were gaps in the human chain across the US in Hands Across America.
Half the money raised by Hands Across America was eaten up by operating costs.
He said that privately he ‘totally agreed’ when homeless advocate Mitch Snyder protested President Ronald Reagan’s participation in Hands Across America, but he kept quiet because ‘We needed a bipartisan attitude to get that many people together.’

Why he might not be annoying:

He was the only person elected president of both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
He was named manager of the year by the Conference of Professional Managers.
He got involved in anti-hunger charities through client Harry Chapin.
USA for Africa raised $64 million for charity, and Hands Across America raised $15 million (after expenses).
He founded HomeAid.net (2010), an annual campaign to benefit the homeless.
Jane Pauley said, ‘Ken Kragen is a phenomenon…. He knows everyone and knows how to get things accomplished.’

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 85]
• I Attended Harvard
• I Attended University of California, Berkeley
• I Died in 2021 (Ranked: 85)
• Profiles 53501-53750 (Ranked: 53543)
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 20211214)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 97 Votes: 42.27% Annoying