The North Country’s Entertainment Magazine
The North Country’s Entertainment Magazine
Twenty-two years ago, my journey began with the Disabled Persons Action Organization of Jefferson and Lewis County. I photographed the Rock & Roll Hall Fame Inductees, the Doobie Brothers at the Watertown Fairgrounds Arena. It was the beginning of an amazing run of photographing over a hundred and fifty musical acts, comedians and entertainers. My heartfelt thanks go out to Joe Rich. He gave me the opportunity to not only capture the live performances, but to photograph behind the scenes, including many of the Meet and Greets attended by the concert attendees and the performing celebrities. Looking back on that time, I was just beginning to grasp what it meant to be a photographer. I volunteered my time, and I am so glad I did. The opportunity to be the house photographer, along with a constant learning process, allowed me to become a professional.
Unfortunately, Disabled Person Action Organization announced in October they would be discontinuing their Summer Concert Series for the foreseeable future. For the past fifty one year's D.P.A.O. has provided over 250 concerts, promoting top notch entertainment to the North Country. Rock acts Journey. Seether,
Tragically Hip, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Styx and REO Speedwagon. Country acts, such as Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Randy Travis and Alan Jackson. Comedians Jeff Dunham, Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy and Jeff Foxworthy, just to name a few. The D.P.A.O. Concerts were the principal fundraising activity for the disabled children and adults in Jefferson and Lewis Counties.
The Disabled Persons Action Organization was created by Joe Rich, who at the time was an anchor for WWNY Radio and TV. Mr. Rich began the not for profit, part time in his home in 1974. The organization was fully incorporated as a non-profit in 1976. The mission was to provide quality and effective individualized services for developmentally disabled children, adults and their families. Joe became the driving force behind the Summer Concert Series to provide the funds to support his endeavors to help the disabled.
The end of an era began several years ago. Quite a few factors were put into place that would be the downfall of a prominent fixture in the area. At one time, believe it or not, music wasn't free. The recording artists benefited financially from the sale of their releases. True, albums were taken over by cassettes and then CDs were in vogue, no matter what the channel, the sales brought forth millions of copies being sold. Several of the artists became very wealthy. Record companies prospered along with many in the music business. When Napster hit, which eventually turned into downloading and what we have today with streaming platforms, the revenue was cut drastically. The musician had to turn to a more extensive form of performing live. Expenses went up, ticket prices followed suite. The only way to make a living was to tour. Today we pay ten times more for a concert ticket. This affected cost for concert promoters like D.P.A.O. as well.
In September of 2015 the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, NY opened for business. They had access to many of the artist being promoted by Live Nation, one of the largest promoters in the U.S. The artist under contract would no longer be able to be booked for the D.P.A.O. shows. When Mike Campbell became Director of Operations, he worked diligently behind the scenes to rectify this situation. Hoping to expand contacts within the music industry, Mr. Campbell traveled to Nashville to make arrangements with several music agents to bring talent to the North Country. We thought we were on the right path, but we needed to expand additional avenues to be profitable.
I personally saw the city of Watertown as a stumbling block. The ones in charge never seem to grasp the opportunity to pursue the D.P.A.O.'s ultimate goal. The end game being to help and support the disabled children and adults within the area. The decision makers were reluctant every step of the way. I feel the city and the county prospered with every concert. The sales tax revenue alone from concert attendees should have been an incentive to cut cost for the D.P.A.O. shows. People who travel out of the area spend money on hotel rooms, restaurants, gas stations and more. Additional revenue from parking would have cut the cost. Any other venue in the state charges four times what we had suggested. The city would not even consider this option for a non-profit organization.
In 2024 Mike Campbell put together a committee of like minded people in our community, who had experience within the music business. Our goal was to come up with suggestions that would allow D.P.A.O. to be more profitable. Mike Campbell, Robin Davis, Walt Young, Tricia Swartz, Mike Scriminger and I attended every meeting. Randy Pitkin, who has been in the entertainment business for decades, became part of the group in 2025. As a committee, we came up with a new path consisting of many great ideas that we felt would accomplish our goals. For reasons unknown, not one of these suggestions was put in motion.
Unfortunately, there were other missed opportunities throughout the years that would have brought in musical acts that I personally feel would have been profitable, as well as some questionable decisions on acts that were booked.
All said and done, the D.P.A.O. had quite the run. The entertainment was predominantly very good. Procedures and operations before, throughout and at the end of the events were professionally handled with the musical artist, as well as the audience in mind. The safety concerns of all involved were first class. The summer concert series featured not only national acts, but it also provided the opportunity for local talent to step on stage in front of a large audience and open for seasoned veterans in the music industry. As far as I am concerned there should be a statue erected for Joe Rich. He brought us entertainment and enriched the lives of everyone around him, especially the disabled and their families.
I would like to thank all the people who allowed me to be the best I could be as a House Photographer – Especially Joe, Mike, Tracey and Mark. Thank you also to all the sponsors who have supported DPAO throughout the years.
Just to clarify – This article – The End of an Era was written from my viewpoint and perspective through my personal observations and concerns. It is not in any way the directive of this paper or D.P.A.O.
Check out our concert images and more at http://www.stagedoorimages.com as well as the Stage Door Image Facebook Page
Bill Baker, owner and mastermind behind Stage Door Images, has had a camera in his hands since he discovered the joys of photography at the early age of 9. His business savvy and appreciation for customer service has developed through more than 40 years in the photography and the music business. After earning a degree in business administration, he entered the music field via retailing. Bill emerged as a leader in his field as manager and buyer for Leonard Smith Inc., out of Latham, NY. This led to stepping up as a sole proprietor, opening three of his own retail locations in Upstate NY. The Stage Door quickly reached a high plateau for their excellent customer service and the ability to find hard to locate albums, CDs and videos. While involved in the music business, Bill began making contacts in the concert arenas throughout New York State and Southern Canada. He has photographed over 400 performances including Shinedown, Godsmack, Black Top Mojo, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Lady A, Tommy Castro, Coco Montoya and Joe Satriani just to name a few. The opportunity provided Bill a unique perspective, developing into appreciation of photographing images under extreme conditions. This led to capturing amazing images of extreme sports including World Cup Snowboarding, Downhill Competition, PBR Bull Riding, Mixed Martial Arts and Motocross events including the international superstars of the Nitro Circus. Bill is a photographer, a photojournalist as well as an author. He has images and published works in the Black River Review, Watertown Daily Times, The Jefferson County Journal, Fourth Coast Entertainment and The Up-North Entertainment Magazines, where he writes a monthly music column.
