George Goldner

born in 1918 in New York City, NY, United States

died on 15/4/1970 in Turtle Bay, NY, United States

George Goldner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

George Goldner (February 9, 1918 – April 15, 1970) was an American record label owner and promoter. Although Goldner could not read music, played a significant role in the production of most recordings on his labels. He advised the arrangers and session musicians on what should go into the tape, onto the groove. He worked with, among others The Crows, The Flamingos, The Cleftones, Bill Haley & His Comets, Ral Donner, Jo-Ann Campbell, Johnny Rivers, The Shangri-Las, The Teenagers, The Chantels, Little Richard and Lou Christie.[1] Goldner married 3 times and had 7 children.

Biography

Early life

George Goldner was born February 9, 1918, in a Jewish household to a mother Rose originally from Poland and father Adolph from Austria. He and his sisters Sophie and Stella grew up in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of the east side of New York City. As a young man George attended Peter Stuyvesant High School. His eyes were on making money. While still in school he worked weekends as a waiter at the then famous Shelton Hotel where his father also worked while acquiring furnished brownstones. Charming, handsome George was popular at the Shelton.

Tico Records

In the late 1940s, Goldner formed his first record label, Tico Records. George liked Latin music. His second wife was Latin. Tito Puente was the most famous artist on Tico Records.

The Likely Founder Of ROCK AND ROLL

Goldner recorded some of the most important, influential music of the 1950s, including what many consider the first rock & roll record Gee (1954) by The Crows), Rama), (or tied for first with Bill Haley & His Comets Crazy Man Crazy)as well as seminal recordings by The Wrens and The Valentines (for Rama), The Cleftones, The Five Crowns, Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers and The Heartbeats (for Gee), The Chantels, Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Starlighters, and The Flamingos(for End) and The Dubs, The Channels, The Isley Brothers and The Trickles (for Gone). In addition he signed and recorded Smokey Robinson and The Four Seasons

Goldner's Ear For Music

Goldner had an ear for rock & roll music. Jerry Leiber said George Goldner had the taste of a fourteen year old girl. As far as sales and promotion went, George was a master.[2] This served him well in the music business. Time after time pick Goldner identified future hit songs. Payola likely was not necessary for the succcess of most of his recordings: they could invariably stand on their own.

Payola

In promoting his records, he sometimes gave gratuities, paid DJs at radio stations, to give consideration to his companies' records. This practice was widespread, George Goldner was not the first, the only nor the last record executive to utilize it. This came to be known as payola.

Morris Levy

In a recurring pattern, Goldner's gambling habit led to him selling part or all of his record company to Morris Levy, a dance hall owner. Goldner and Levy formed Rama Records, which recorded rhythm and blues. The Crows' hit "Gee" on Rama inspired another record label, Gee Records, whose most successful act was Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers. Other labels Goldner helped establish included Gone Records, End Records, Gold Disc, Mark-X and the longest lasting of his labels, Roulette Records.[3] All of these labels wound up under Morris Levy's ownership to cover Goldner's gambling debts.[4]

Red Bird Records

Goldner's last successful label, Red Bird Records and its Blue Cat Records subsidiary were actually co-founded by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Goldner became a partner in the company, promoting Red Bird releases, while Leiber and Stoller worked on production. Red Bird lasted just two years, as Leiber and Stoller wanted out of the record business, as Goldner's gambling debts again led to Morris Levy and his Mob connections involvement.[5] After an abortive attempt to merge Red Bird with Atlantic Records, Leiber and Stoller sold their interest in Red Bird Records to Goldner in 1966 for $1, by which time Goldner's uncontrolled gambling habit had placed the label under the control of the Mafia[6] The Red Bird catalogue (except for releases by The Shangri-Las whose contract was sold to Mercury Records) was sold to Morris Levy's Roulette Records.

Death

Goldner died of a heart attack on May 15, 1970, at age 52.[3]

Legacy

A musical based on the life of Goldner and featuring music from his record labels premiered in Hollywood in 2012 titled "The Boy From New York City."[7]

References

  1. Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed June 2010
  2. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Hound Dog, The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography (Simon & Schuster New York, 2009 ISBN 978-1-4165-5938-2),pp.198-206
  3. 3.0 3.1 Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years, 1st, London: Reed International Books Ltd. CN 5585.
  4. Spectropop.com
  5. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Hound Dog, The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography (Simon & Schuster New York, 2009 ISBN 978-1-4165-5938-2),pp.209-216
  6. Dorothy Wade & Justine Picardie, Music Man: Ahmet Ertegun, Atlantic Records and the triumph of Rock & Roll (W.W. Norton, New York, 1990 ISBN 0-393-02635-3), pp.115-121
  7. http://www.theboyfromnyc.com/index.html

External links

  • The George Goldner Story
This page was last modified 09.03.2014 16:15:53

This article uses material from the article George Goldner from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.