Russel James Gibb (June 15, 1931[1] – April 30, 2019) was an American rock concert promoter, school teacher and disc jockey from Dearborn, Michigan, best known for his role in the "Paul is dead" phenomenon, a story he broke on radio station WKNR-FM in Dearborn,[2] and as the owner of the Grande Ballroom, a major rock music venue in Detroit.
Gibb graduated from Michigan State University, earning a degree in educational radio and television administration[3] in 1953.
[7] Gibb further fueled the rumor with a special two-hour program on the subject, "The Beatle Plot", which aired on October 19, 1969.
[8] In the early 1960s, Gibb supplemented his teaching income by producing weekend sock hops at a rented union hall under the name the Pink Pussycat.
He hired psychedelic poster artists Gary Grimshaw and Carl Lundgren to help promote his shows.
[9] Gibb also owned and leased other live music venues around the Midwest including the Eastown Theatre, Michigan Theater (where the New York Dolls played), and the Birmingham Palladium.
[4] During the administration of Gerald Ford, he worked on the United States Bicentennial Commission as the National Director of Youth and Education.