The following was originally posted on my Huffington Post blog here.

Dolph Ramseur isn’t the most likely person to manage The Avett Brothers.

Ramseur had no musical background — other than being an appreciative listener — when he started Ramseur Records in Concord, North Carolina. In fact, until July 2000 his instrument of choice was a tennis racquet.

“I taught tennis at country clubs including Forsyth Country Club, and I was the tennis director for Hanes Park in Winston-Salem from 1993-95,” he said. “But I was always fascinated by music. I don’t play, I’m just a really big fan.”

So how does a country club tennis pro learn to promote musicians? Ramseur says he had some of the best teachers in his backyard, namely NASCAR, the National Wrestling Alliance and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and WBTV.

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