Marvin A Lerman

Marvin A. Lerman, 86, music industry entrepreneur and golf instructor in Florida, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on September 13, 2024, at his home in Hernando, Florida. A Rhode Island resident for much of his life, he was born in Providence, RI on March 5, 1938, to his parents Saul and Claire (Goldenberg) Lerman. A quarterback in his high school days on the football team at Classical High School in Providence, as a teenager, Marvin also became well known among the New England golfing community as a high-ranking amateur golf contender from Ledgemont Country Club in Seekonk, MA. His professional career focused on the music industry and began with concert promotions in New England, including a legally contentious Newport Jazz Festival in 1975, when his company, Fast Concerts, retained all-star, standard jazz performers such as Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz, but also had the business sense and foresight to contract with Blood Sweat and Tears, which was known primarily as a rock act, to join the festival. Fearing potential disruption and damage to the community by inviting rock fans to the festival, this did not sit well with the conservative Newport City Council, who sought an injunction to stop the act from performing. Later in the 1970’s, and working from Century City, Los Angeles, Marvin became the business manager for the international music recording star, Gino Vanelli, working on concert tours and recording contracts for the singer. He returned to Rhode Island and, in 1981, opened a groundbreaking and elegant, 700-seat nightclub called Center Stage in East Providence, RI. With his experience and music industry contacts, he brought world-class acts to the club such as Billy Preston, U2, Herbie Mann, Joe Cocker, Spiro Gyra, Gary Burton, B.B. King and Maynard Ferguson, to name a few. Through the 1990’s and right until his passing, Marvin returned to his passion for golf and became a sought-after instructor who worked with aspiring golfers honing their skills to qualify for regional and professional tours as well as weekend duffers looking to clip a few strokes off their games. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Mary Laurence Lerman, his daughters, Stephanie Hallam (husband, Christopher), of Glocester, RI and Dr. Jill Lerman, of Gainesville, FL. In addition, he leaves three grandchildren, Jess Hallam, Brooklyn, NY, Ryan Sujdak, Tampa, FL, Jenna Sujdak of Gainesville, FL. Marvin also leaves his sister, Barbara Joy Harris, who resides in Los Angeles, CA and Mary’s daughters, Andrea DeMille and Robyn Sunderland.