About Alkahest Artists & Attractions, Inc.

Established in 1896 as The Alkahest Lyceum System, The Alkahest Agency is the country’s first lecture, concert and theatrical booking management. It’s founder, S. Russell Bridges, Sr. (1870-1958), later renamed the company, The Alkahest Celebrity Bureau.

In the days of the Chautauga tent shows, Alkahest brought celebrities such as Winston Churchill, Prince William of Sweden, Enrico Caruso and Marian Talley to the U.S.
S. Russell Bridges booked the controversial William J. Brian - Clarence Darrow debates, Will Rogers, William C. Fields, Amelia Earhart, three U.S. Presidents, and many others. In addition, many concert artists, ensembles and touring groups were booked on various forums, college campuses and community artist series.

Beginning in 1950, Ralph P. Bridges (1919-1986) presided over Alkahest and pioneered the first organized community concert series (Mutual Concert Series), and later expanded this division to bring the performing arts to more than 100 mostly rural towns in the southeast. The business was renamed The Alkahest Agency, Inc.

In 1958, Ralph established the Famous Artists Agency, and presented many of the biggest names in the music industry as well as national tours of Broadway plays and musicals.

In 1985, Scott Bridges joined his father in the business. Now in its third generation, the legacy and tradition of Alkahest continue as Scott and his wife, Elizabeth, bring the family business into its second century.