Ellwood "Woody" Johnston Jr., 59, entertainment manager

WOODY JOHNSTON made it in the music-management business at a time when very few African-Americans were in the field.

Woody set out to do something about that. While he was handling concert tours for some of the biggest stars in the music business, he also took the time to find jobs for blacks interested in the field, helping them make contacts and giving them the encouragement they needed.

"He was a very caring, loving, outgoing guy," said his brother, Kenneth Johnston. "He was an extrovert. He loved people and had a large network of friends."

If you knew Woody, you would have had no trouble getting tickets to concerts or going backstage to meet the performers.

"If he wasn't promoting the show himself, you could be sure he knew someone who was," Kenneth said.

Ellwood Milton Johnston Jr., who started in the music business in Philadelphia then took his talents to Los Angeles, a former assistant producer at KYW-TV and an active member of his beloved Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, died June 24 of heart failure. He was 59 and lived in Germantown.

Among his friends was Duke Ellington's daughter, April, who sang at his funeral on Wednesday. More than 300 people attended his celebration of life at Sharon Baptist Church.

Also on hand was Kathy Sledge, formerly one of the sisters who comprised the popular Philadelphia-born singing group Sister Sledge.

In fact, it was Sister Sledge that got Woody started in the music-management business. He was an associate producer at KYW-TV, working with Maury Povich, when the sisters asked him to help them with an upcoming tour.

"He jumped at the opportunity," his brother said.

The rest is more or less history since Woody eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he worked steadily in entertainment management, handling the details of concerts and tours for a variety of entertainers.

Among those he worked with in production and tour managing included Philadelphia's own Patti LaBelle, the O'Jays, Frankie Beverly, Eddie Murphy, El DeBarge, Freddie Jackson, TLC, Babyface, Gerald Levert, Anita Baker, MC Hammer, the Isley Brothers, Mary J. Blige and Teena Marie.

"Woody was a dedicated individual who loved music and who was passionate about the entertainment industry," his brother said.

Woody was born in Philadelphia to Betty Jean Mauney and Ellwood Milton Johnston. He attended Governor's Academy in Byfield, Mass., before returning home to attend Germantown High School, graduating in 1974.

He went on to attend Northeastern University in Boston, where he first took to the air. He became a disc jockey on the university's student-run radio station WRBB - "We Rock Boston Better."

While in Boston, Woody became acquainted with Al Haymon, a Harvard University graduate student. They discovered they shared an interest in entertainment management.

Haymon went on to become a prominent boxing promoter in Philadelphia, and also did business as an entertainment manager. He and Woody began to work together in Philadelphia before Woody moved to Los Angeles.

Among tours Woody worked was the annual Budweiser Superfest, which takes popular musicians to various venues around the country.

Woody was a devoted member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He pledged the Mighty Tau Tau Chapter, as it is called, in Compton, Calif., and also worked with the Nu Omega chapter in Philadelphia.

Woody returned to Philadelphia when his health began to fail. Besides his brother, he is survived by his mother, Betty Maunery; stepmother, Olivia Johnston; a sister, Cathy; and two other brothers, Haile and Keir Johnston.

Services: Were Wednesday. Burial was private.