Jerry Wexler

Gerald "Jerry" Wexler ( born January 10, 1917 in New York City; † August 15, 2008 in Sarasota, Florida ) was a famous rhythm-and - blues producer.

Childhood and youth

Wexler was born as the first child of a Jewish immigrant family in the Bronx, New York. His father, a window cleaner, was in 1912 emigrated from Poland and had later married a German. 1936 Wexler's mother sent her son to a university in Manhattan ( Kansas). From there, the young Wexler often made ​​trips to Kansas City, where Count Basie, Big Joe Turner, Bennie Moten and other musicians of the swing era enjoyed great popularity. However, these trips did not help Wexler to accomplish more achievements at the university, so that his mother eventually brought him back to New York, where he helped his father from now on washing windows.

In addition, Wexler learned the New York nightlife know. Soon he was a regular at the Apollo, where he met, among others, Ella Fitzgerald and befriended Milt Gabler. Gabler drew Wexler's attention for the first time on black music groups such as The Rhythmakers and The New Orleans Rhythm Kings. In 1947, then Wexler got his first job in the music industry at BMI. When he was afflicted by a severe pneumonia, but he lost that again. A friend then sent him in 1949 to Joe Carlton, editor of Billboard magazine. The next three and a half years working as a journalist for Billboard Wexler, where he managed the term " rhythm and blues " coined in June 1949 and many influential people in the music industry came to know, including Herb Abramson and Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records, the then insignificant. In February 1949, he had risen in the magazine partner of the music publisher Paul Ackerman, from June 1949 named Billboard 's "Race Music Charts " in Rhythm & Blues charts to.

Atlantic Records and Stax Records

After Wexler had given up his job at Billboard, he got from Ertegun and Abramson a position as director of Atlantic Edition offered that he assumed in June 1953. As Abramson had the military a year later, Wexler was next Ertegun co-owner of the label. In the early 1950s, was under contract Atlantic R & B stars such as Ray Charles, Joe Turner, The Drifters, Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker. In the late 1950s and early 1960s the Atlantic Coasters and Solomon Burke took with Ivory Joe Hunter, more R & B stars under contract, extended through many sub-labels and was the most important R & B label at all.

In the 1960s, Wexler heard then of Stax Records, flew to Memphis to take it in visually, and was thrilled. The label had everything he needed for more recordings: a studio and a talented studio band in the form of Booker T. & the MG's. Wexler then entered into with Stax chief Jim Stewart a contract that allowed him to take photographs of performers who were obliged to Atlantic, in the studios of Stax. Sam & Dave were the first band that brought Wexler to Memphis, and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour was created in 1965 in this way. But 1966 saw Stewart profit, the Wexler made ​​while he got off pretty bad about it, and ended the collaboration.

Wexler found with the FAME Studios by Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals ( Alabama) but soon a new gold mine. Percy Sledge When a Man Loves a Woman was a success, as more shots Pickett. In 1967 I Never Loved a Man followed ( The Way That I Love You) by Aretha Franklin, which was a huge hit, but it was during the recording of serious dispute between Hall and Franklin's husband Ted White. Wexler and Franklin were then the FAME Studios behind; The recordings for the album were associated with the single ended in New York.

Criteria Studios

In the same year sold Ertegun Atlantic Records for $ 17.5 million. Wexler (as well Ertegun himself) remained an employee of Atlantic, but by the sudden wealth, he did not need to work so much. He moved to Miami Beach, where he worked in the Criteria Records with artists such as Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. In the 1970s to Atlantic deployed more and more of R & B to rock to. Wexler, who was not familiar with such music, now produced primarily musicians from the Southern States, such as Dr. John, Duane Allman and Delaney & Bonnie. 1975 Wexler finally announced at Atlantic.

In 1977 he signed then together with Mo Ostin at Warner Records. By using Wexler, among others, the Dire Straits and the B -52's were able to take with regard to the label foot. In the 1980s he worked with Dire Straits, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even in the 1990s, he continued his work.

On 15 August 2008 Jerry Wexler died at the age of 91 years in Florida.