Who was Jonathan Mayers? All about Bonnaroo Co-founder as he dies at 51

Jonathan Mayers, a revered figure in the live music sector who co-founded two of the most prominent music gatherings in the United States, has passed away at 51. The cause of his death has not been made public yet.

Mayers was mostly known as one of the three principal partners of Superfly Entertainment, the creative company which created groundbreaking festivals like Bonnaroo and Outside Lands.

Jonathan Mayers was born and raised just outside New York City, where he attended Tulane University. He subsequently graduated from that same university in 1995. According to Billboard, it was in New Orleans where he discovered a deep passion for music and culture while working at historic venues like Tipitina’s and the Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Superfly and Bonnaroo's beginnings

In 1996, Mayers joined forces with Rick Farman, Richard Goodstone, and Kerry Black to create Superfly Presents. Their first work involved setting up a portion of Mardi Gras, where they put on a concert with the likes of The Meters, Maceo Parker, and Rebirth Brass Band. This sparked the beginning of what would lead to a groundbreaking career in live entertainment.

The most prominent of all Mayers’ legacies is Bonnaroo, the famous multi-day music and arts festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Started in 2002, in partnership with AC Entertainment’s Ashley Capps, music agent Chip Hooper, and manager Coran Capshaw, Bonnaroo is known for its diverse lineups.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the festival has always been highly popular; the first ever Bonnaroo was a sold-out show that featured Phish’s Trey Anastasio and other members of the Grateful Dead.

The 2025 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, which founded and transformed the American music concert industry into what it is today, is scheduled to take place a few days from now.

More about Jonathan Mayers' career and legacy

With Bonnaroo bringing in over 70,000 attendees each year, the festival became the blueprint for modern festivals throughout the country.

Riding the wave of this achievement, Jonathan Mayers and Superfly initiated various other huge events. They founded the Vegoose festival in Las Vegas in 2005 and went on to create the Outside Lands festival in cooperation with Another Planet Entertainment in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Mayers also helped create the hybrid of music and comedy that is Clusterfest, which also debuted in 2017 in conjunction with Viacom and Comedy Central and featured several acts from well-known comedians such as Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer, and Jon Stewart.

Mayers also championed an immersive fan experience, licensing TV properties like Seinfeld, The Office, and Friends to re-create their sets for interactive pop-ups that attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors.

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While successful, Jonathan Mayers also faced several hurdles in his business. He was fired from Superfly in 2021, prompting a lawsuit against his ex-partners, accusing them of fraud and breach of contract.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit was overturned in early 2023. In the aftermath of his firing, Mayers got involved in a new project, Core City Detroit, a community development that was an attempt to develop a music-oriented cultural and educational center. Therefore, it's safe to say that Jonathan Mayers has had an undeniable impact on live entertainment.

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