Joseph “Joe” Dera managed publicity for Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, David Bowie, Elton John, B.B. King, The Who and ZZ Top and other stars, and his love of music and show business took him around the world.
The love of the blues, historic homes and his wife, Madison native Suzanne Case, brought him to Mississippi, where he moved full-time after he retired in 2016. The veteran publicist Dera died Friday in Bentonia. He was 74.
“A list of everyone he worked with would probably be 20 pages long,” said Chris Roslan, a former business partner of Dera’s.
Dera “always had a real fascination with old houses,” including one from the 1700s that he had in New York and the home where he an Case were living in Bentonia, Roslan said.
“He also loved blues music, so I think that also drew him to that area,” Roslan said.
In his five-decade career Dera represented marquee stars and entertainment brands.
Dera eventually started his own company, Dera & Associates, and his clients also included Billy Joel, Queen, Robert Palmer, UB40, Clint Black, Duran Duran, Foreigner, Ray Davis, Pink Floyd, The Band, Alabama, Les Paul and Rick Springfield. He did public relations work for big events, including Live Aid and Woodstock ’99.
DeraDera served as former Beatle Paul McCartney’s spokesman for over 20 years. He also represented the National Geographic Society, Dick Clark Productions, the American Music Awards, the History Channel and Gibson Guitars, among many others.
Dera was born in the Netherlands, son of a Dutch coal miner who moved the family to New Jersey.
His first foray into music was interviewing Robert Palmer for his community college newspaper. Dera would later become Palmer’s press agent and Palmer helped Dera start his own firm years later.
After retiring, Dera and Case moved to the historic Bradshaw House in Yazoo County, where he provided free PR counsel to local businesses. He and Case were active in rescuing and caring for abandoned dogs.
In a 2017 interview with the Clarion Ledger, Dera said he had many fond memories from his career, albeit in a dog-eat-dog industry often full of outsized egos.
“Even those with tough reputations are real sweethearts,” Dera said. And he said living in Mississippi had been “fun.”
“I don’t miss the snow,” Dera said then. “It’s all summer weather here.”
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