Trailblazers Archives
    Sheroes Archives
    Rocks Archives


Sharon Heyward

 

With a mountain of marketing and promotions expertise, Music industry veteran and Piscean Sharon Heyward brings in over 30 years of hands-on experience developing, breaking and achieving multi-platinum and/or Grammy-winning hits for some of R&B's biggest names including: Paula Abdul, After 7, Evelyn Champagne King, Mint Condition, Vicki Sue Robinson, Soul II Soul and Sounds Of Blackness. Artists not typically well received within the urban music community, like Lenny Kravitz and Ziggy Marley, experienced chart-topping success under Ms. Heyward's direction. Likewise, albums by legends Diana Ross and the maestro of love, Barry White, received hit status under Sharon's tutelage.

 

Sharon Heyward began her career right out of high school, some 30 years ago at Columbia Records. She started as a file clerk. According to Sharon, "It was a choice of that or the telephone company – both were paying $100 a week!" Simultaneously, the industry's future power broker began the job that remains most dear to her: raising her daughter. "Back then, just being a Black woman in the music industry was tough enough. I was also a single parent. Succeeding those times as I have, I now know there's nothing I can't do, once I decide to do it."

 

Her career turning point came in 1971 when she was hired as Assistant Sales Manager at Buddah Records: "Working at Buddah was a teaching ground full of creative, innovative people who gave me the opportunity to grow." Grow she did, as Ms. Heyward was promoted to National FM Radio Promotions Rep, then to Director of Club Promotions.

 

In 1974, Sharon joined RCA Records where she furthered her career beyond radio promotions, to product management and marketing. In 1987, Ms. Heyward was hired at Virgin Records as Marketing Director. Subsequently, Sharon was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Manager at Virgin Records responsible for innovative marketing, advertising and promotional campaigns. By 1993, she was named President of Perspective Records, the A&M distributed label owned by the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning team, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. By 1996, the marketing maven decided to strike out on her own forming Sharon Heyward Enterprises (SHE), a marketing consulting firm. However, Sharon was soon summoned back to the daily workings of a record company. In 1998, Harmony Records Vice President and General Manager, Raina Bundy, enlisted Ms. Heyward's expertise in marketing, thus propelling the Sony-owned label to the top of the Gospel charts with the release of best-selling author and spiritual teacher Iyanla Vanzant's album, In The Meantime – The Music That Tells The Story.

 

Sharon endeavors to bring the same principles that have garnered her previous successes, to her new position as Senior Vice President of the Trawick Group, an artist management and entertainment firm. The Trawick Group manages the careers of Motown/Universal's multi-platinum artist, Brian McKnight and Tripp and RCA Records' Cherokee. In addition to overseeing the management duties of the company, Ms. Heyward also supervises The Group's label deals and further develop its growing consulting business.

 

When asked her greatest accomplishment to date, for Sharon the answer is simple: "My greatest hit to date is my daughter, a well-known and highly respected executive in the music industry."

 



About Us | Features | Membership | Programs & Services | Events | Contact