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The founder of the largest independent record label in the United States is coming to town Nov. 21 for an event at the News-Journal Center at Daytona State College, featuring one of the most renowned names in country music.

Mike Curb, of Curb Records among many other accomplishments, is visiting Daytona Beach this month for a performance by country music star Larry Gatlin. The event trails his recent donation to Daytona State to create programs in entertainment technology and a pivotal new way of approaching education.

Curb is respected worldwide for his contributions to the arts and entertainment. In addition to being a former lieutenant governor of California, the music mogul has a special interest in Daytona Beach due in large part to his involvement in the NASCAR circuit for 25 years. His ownership and successful ventures into motorsports earned Curb an induction into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2006.

Years ago, Curb has bought a piece of beachside real estate on A1A that will now be deeded over to the college. Money from that sale eventually may fund a new building and programs on the main Daytona State Campus.

Plans call for the building to also highlight Curb's "Lifelong interest in NASCAR, by housing his memorabilia, including winning cars from Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt," said Doug Peterson, chair of the School of Music, Entertainment and the Arts.

"Seed money will be used to fund a building to bookend the Hosseini Center," said Michael Vitale, Associate Vice President of the Mike Curb School of Arts, Music and Sciences. According to Vitale, the ultimate goal is to "coordinate a way for schools to tie entertainment programs together across the country, with Curb leading the way."

The program would allow students to take classes at Vanderbilt and Belmont universities in Curb's hometown of Nashville, as well as other schools such as California State University, Northridge, all of which have benefited from the mogul's generosity. Credits earned there, and elsewhere, would count at Daytona State.
The record producer's objective is to "fund programs in performing arts and music," said Peterson. The collaboration to create the new campus building has strengthened his relationship with the college, as has his daughter's marriage to one of The College's baseball coaches.

Before his position as an advocate for higher education, as a young musician in the 1960s he founded the Mike Curb Congregation. It was a pop/gospel jam band that went on to earn 41 charting songs. His label created 961 top 10 records on the Billboard charts, with 261 of those as #1. He has produced 25 gold or platinum selling records, records which have exceeded sales of over 500,000 and a million units, respectively.

Politics have not been untapped, either, as Curb won the lieutenant governorship of California in 1978. In 1983, he became chairman of the Republican National Finance Committee bringing in over $100 million for the Ronald Reagan campaign.

Where car racing, record production, politics and band recording have all been noted in Curb's resume, he plans to give Daytona State a bit of his attention to promote "his goals for the school and his vision for linking current and future Daytona State programs with other institutions," according to Larry Atkinson, Executive Director of the Daytona State College Foundation which is sponsoring the high profile program on Nov. 21.

"It's important for the community to see more bachelor degree programs, to develop their bachelor's and now, they will be able to get a degree in the field of entertainment including art, music and marketing," said Vitale.

Admission for the event, which includes hors d'oeuvres, student performances, a ribbon-cutting and the Gatlin concert, are $40. Tickets can be purchased at

www.DaytonaState.edu/foundation/ or by visiting Bldg. 100, rm. 302 on the Daytona campus. For information, (386) 506-3195.

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