We are really saddened to hear today that Lyndon Stephens, founder of Quiet Arch Records and Champion Sound Music passed away this morning in Belfast.
Lyndon had been diagnosed with throat cancer three years ago and had been doing his utmost to not let it affect his love of music and the business. As label boss of Champion Sound and Quiet Arch and music manager, Stephens represented the likes of Joshua Burnside, Ciaran Lavery, Ryan Vail & Elma Orkestra (the duo’s Borders album recently won the NI Music Prize for album of the year), Beauty Sleep, Unknown, Túcan, Contour and Cherym.
Stephens would also book music festivals and events and was involved in Red Bull Music Academy. I interviewed him for the How Music Works series in the Irish Times in 2015 which goes through his career.
Our heart goes out to his family, friends and colleagues today. A goodbye Quiet Arch show is planned for this evening in Black Box and will go ahead as tribute to one of the warmest men you could meet in the NI music industry.
In lieu of label services, management and curation of several Quiet Arch artists will be transferred to New Champion, the management arm of the label spearheaded by Francesca O’Connor and Ben Magee.
Quiet Arch released this statement today:
Our founder, captain, friend and brother, Lyndon Stephens passed away this morning following a long battle with illness. Initially given six months to live three years ago, Lyndon refused to accept his initial diagnosis and defeated insurmountable odds, all while running Northern Ireland’s most successful independent music enterprise. A visionary who helped guide the international careers of many musicians, Lyndon was a larger-than-life presence for his coworkers, clients, friends and family. A techno head, a soul brother, a teacher and mentor, a life-long companion and a father, Lyndon left an irreplaceable impact on all of our lives, and we are unspeakably injured and heartbroken at his loss.
While this day is marked with heartbreak and tragedy, if one thing remained the same about Lyndon, it was how much he loved his work. As such, we would like to inform all that tonight’s show will continue as planned. We would ask that everyone planning on attending tonight’s show to continue to attend so that we may witness and celebrate Lyndon’s legacy properly.
Lyndon is survived by his loving wife Lisa and his children. We would ask that you respect the privacy of the family at this time. Those wishing to celebrate Lyndon’s life are welcome to attend Roselawn crematorium on Wednesday 15th at 5.00 pm. Family flowers or donations to the Marie Curie hospice are welcomed.
