08/29/2011 Harold Shafer Remembered

JACKSONVILLE,FLORIDA

Lofton Creek Records founder and CEO Harold Shafer died Saturday from complications from a fall two weeks ago.  He suffered a stroke soon after the fall and never fully recovered.  Harold was 76 years old and was very successful businessman in Jacksonville,Florida.  Lofton Creek president Mike Borchetta said “Harold was great to work with. He came to Martha and me  after he had lost about a million dollars over a three year period with his failing record label Lofton Creek Records. He asked us what it would take to save it. We gave him a proposal and he gave us 20% of the label and we were in business.

We hit pay dirt almost immediately with Riding With The Legend by Keith Bryant. Came back and hit with Brokenheartsville by Joe Nichols that we co-published. A  year later  we had  a giant hit with “I Loved Her First” by Heartland. We were the last true independent to hit that big. We had a hit with Mark Chesnutt, “Rollin’ With The Flow” and was the Music Row LABEL OF THE YEAR in 2008 three times New Music Weekly LABEL OF THE YEAR.  Harold was a very charitable person helping with so many of the local charities in  the Jacksonville area.”