Isaac Burton Tigrett, a native of Jackson Tennessee, is the Founder of the original London Hard Rock Cafe in 1971, which he formed at age 22 with partner, Peter Morton.

Acquiring Morton’s global interest in 1980, including the London Hard Rock, Tigrett granted Morton rights limited to the territory west of the Mississippi River in the USA.

Tigrett wowed music fans worldwide when he relaunched the Hard Rock as the world’s first “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” on New York’s 57th Street in 1984, adorned with musical treasures donated by the iconic gods of Rock & Roll, Blues, R&B and Country & Western music.

Tigrett relaunched the original London Hard Rock as “Europe’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” following the Premier New York opening.

Tigrett then took the media heralded “Hard Rock, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” to USA and capital cities globally, with equally astounding receptions in Tokyo, Washington D.C., Stockholm, Dallas, Cancun, Reykjavik, Iceland, and Universal Studios in Florida, which became the highest grossing venue of its kind in the world.

Under Tigrett’s guidance as Chairman and CEO, the Hard Rock achieved notable valuations in 3 IPOs as a public company on both the American and London Stock Exchanges.

After 20 Years building the Hard Rock Brand and successfully relaunching HRC as the world’s first “Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame”, Tigrett believed that the Hard Rock’s global future was firmly in place for decades to come. With multiple global locations in progress, he retired, selling his interest auspiciously twenty years to the day he had founded the company in the United Kingdom.

The Hard Rock is now a household word in every hemisphere. 50 years in the making, the famous Hard Rock Brand now reigns in over 270+ cafes, hotels, casinos and live music venues, fanning outward from 70 capital cities across the globe.

The Hard Rock phenomenon is now steered by its new owners, the great Seminole Native American Indian Nation of Florida, which is still rapidly expanding HRC hotels, cafes and casinos and serving hundreds of thousands of fans globally each day. Forbes estimates HRCs present value at $12.5 billion USD.

Tigrett Launches House of Blues

After four years of public service activities, Tigrett again, as Chairman and CEO, launched the International House of Blues Entertainment Company in 1992, with partners the Disney company, Harvard University’s Endowment Fund, Chase Manhattan Bank’s Venture Capital Group, actor Dan Aykroyd and the rock group Aerosmith.

House of Blues Partners

HOB expanded rapidly from the original location in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, to New Orleans’ French Quarter, Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, Chicago’s iconic Marina City, Disneyworld in Orlando and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The House of Blues meteoric rise as the USA’s premier live entertainment venues featured the world’s leading artists of Rock, R&B, Urban, Gospel, Blues and World Music genres.

Orientation for 350 staff members prior to House of Blues Chicago opening (forgive the shaky camera)

HOB Entertainment Company developed media divisions including weekly national TV and radio programing, with partners Time Warner and CBS Radio, the Grammy Award-winning HOB Blues and Gospel record label with BMG and the first music broadcast address on an emerging new media phenomenon: the World Wide Web.

House of Blues Records Grammy Winners
Cissy Houston and Five Blind Boys of Alabama

The Hard Rock, Tigrett says, is a “celebration of culture”, our love of music and the musicians that create it.

Tigrett explains, the House of Blues “created culture” through its live music venues, the HOB national TV & radio shows, its record label and the HOB’s premier broadcast World Wide Web internet address.

The Hard Rock & HOB were born out of the ideals of the Peace and Love Revolution of the 1960s. Their proclaimed mission:

Tigrett believes the HOB’s greatest milestone was the historic first global broadcast of sound on the World Wide Web, emanating at the celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday from the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Featuring performances by Isaac Hayes and his orchestra, Gospel’s 5 Blind Boys of Alabama, Stevie Wonder and addresses by civil rights leaders Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Mayor Willie Brown, Chuck D of Public Enemy, and Stevie Wonder.

Tigrett stepped down as CEO of House of Blues to pursue a calling for social outreach activities in India. The House of Blues continued to expand in the USA and was sold to its present owners, the USA’s premier live venue company: Live Nation.

10 years after Isaac left the Hard Rock Cafe and House of Blues, he was asked by management of both to come and critique the brands and their offerings. The following letters give the foundation of the continuing success of both brands, if followed:

Tigrett believes God gave him these 3 chances at grace:

1.) Being the Founder and Original Steward of both the Hard Rock Cafe, London Mayfair’s first classless restaurant, and the legendary live music venues the House of Blues.

2.) Through Tigrett’s Rama Foundation of Zurich, Switzerland, the Sri Sathya Sai Institute Of Higher Medical Sciences, a 500-bed super specialty surgical hospital in Andhra Pradesh, India, was funded and built. To date, 3 million patients have received state of the art medical treatment totally free of cost.

Prime Minister Rao of India opening Super Speciality Hospital

3.) The creation of the House of Blues Foundation, which has reached over 1 million urban school kids with numerous music and art programs across the USA and has awarded hundreds of college scholarships in concert with public school district partners across America.

Tigrett proclaims that his success in life lies in The Hard Rock’s founding message of Love All – Serve All and House of Blues’ mantra of Help Ever – Hurt Never.

Tigrett proclaims, “these are sacred ideals and must be the moral compass for continuing life’s success and good fortune; for any life and any endeavor.”

During House of Blues tenure, Tigrett was proclaimed Man of the Year by the American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY, Inner City Arts, Los Angeles, CA, Angel Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, and the Agape Church of Los Angeles.

Tigrett’s Service

Isaac Tigrett has served on numerous profit and nonprofit boards, including as Trustee, Regent and Director of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City, New York.

World’s Largest Gothic Cathedral & New York’s premiere social outreach and multi-faith hub.

He served with honor as a board member of world’s premier Blues Foundation, Beale Street, Memphis, Tennessee.

Tigrett served at the inception of the Smithsonian Institute’s Memphis Rock n Soul Museum, the only Smithsonian satellite museum in USA.

Tigrett was Board Member of one England’s first environmental groups of the 80s, Ark Trust, which premiered the first green household products in the UK with fellow founders and supporters Dustin Hoffman, Chrissy Hynde, Paul and Linda McCartney, Bob Geldof and Paula Yates.

Extraordinary critically acclaimed environmental film for the Ark Trust by Kevin Godley (not to be missed)

Tigrett is the original benefactor of the “Freedom Award” at the National Civil Rights Museum, USA. He has presented the Freedom Award to such civil rights activists as Bishop Desmond Tutu and President Jimmy Carter.

Isaac Tigrett was commended publicly on the floor of the United States Senate by former leader of the Republican Party, Dr. Bill Frist, for his worldwide contribution to American Culture, Blues and Rock & Roll, now archived in the United States Congressional Record.

Mr. Tigrett has been awarded two Ph.D. honorariums from Rhodes College and Centre College for his work in promoting racial harmony and promoting African American music and art and American culture worldwide.

Doctoral Acceptance Speech, Centre College

Isaac Tigrett is a public speaker on “Ethics in Business” and “Global Branding” and has spoken at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, the Young Presidents International Organization, at chapters in Los Angeles, Boston, and Mumbai, India; at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; and the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentarian Leaders, the Kremlin, Moscow, among others.

For 4 years until 2019, Tigrett traveled to 20 countries giving over 100 presentations promoting the creation of free hospitals and as a public speaker on spiritual and ancient mystic concepts.

Tigrett presently sits on the boards of the USA Divine Will Foundation, which funds various educational, medical, sustainable energy and water purification projects in India, Sri Lanka, Fiji, and Nigeria and a free pre and post-natal clinic in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

He also serves as a board member of Sathya Sai Sanjevani Medical Group’s Free Clinic and Pediatric Surgical Hospital in Sri Lanka.

The Sanjeevani Group opened seven totally free Pediatric Open Heart Surgical Hospitals:

Sanjeevani Hospitals also now open in Fiji, Nigeria & Sri Lanka.

Mr. Tigrett recently oversaw as CEO, the creation of the Prakashana Foreign Language Publishing Society of India. Tigrett organized over 400 translators and publishers in 20 countries and 20 languages publishing interfaith spiritual teachings of Indian Master, Sathya Sai Baba.

Tigrett has been a student of Indian holy man, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, studying mystic Vedic concepts since 1974.

After living the last 15 years in the multi-faith Indian ashram of Prashanti Nilayam, Tigrett returned to the USA in 2020 in preparation for a paper on Material & Spiritual World Experiences.

For 30 years, Tigrett has given scores of talks on the teachings of holy man Sri Saithya Sai Baba.

The following is a small sampling of these spiritual talks: