BluePower Re-Run....Tribute To A Record Man....Jerry Wexler!
I had never heard of Jerry Wexler when I first listened to one of his productions. I didn't know what went into the making of a phonograph record. At the time, all I did was enjoy what I heard.There are records today that I can play and receive the same enjoyment that I did when I was young. I can close my eyes and literally go back in time. Back to an America that was coming back to life after a terrible war.
Although America looked and felt as though she were basking in the shade; relaxing in the afterglow....parts of the USA were pulsating. New York, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Cleveland and New Orleans were full of spirits begging to be released.
People such as Jerry Wexler, allowed these souls to be free. Gave them credibility and put their money and their companies behind them. As Vice-President of Atlantic Records, Jerry would have the power to break an artist overnight. He made a hell of a lot of hits because he believed in the artist and the song.
Yes....I loved that yellow and black lable with the big A.... spinning round and round.
Thank you Jerry, for being a friend to a kid during the early days of his career. You have brought more joy to this man than you will ever know. Not just because you're a great music man.... but because you're a Mensch.
God Bless you and your wonderful family.
John Rhys/BluePower.com
Click here to enjoy........The Music Of Jerry Wexler!
posted by John Rhys at 11/03/2007 02:45:00 PM
1 Comments:
I smiled when I saw Jerry Wexler's photo here because I remember when I was just a puppy, so eager to learn all I could about 'the biz.' I attended a 4-day workshop in
Muscle Shoals, Alabama (c.1976) at the Joe Wheeler State Park, the only venue that was "wet" in an all "dry" county. Obvious reason to hold it there.
The event schedule was hilarious...
10-11am - breakfast
11-Noon - meeting
Noon-2 - lunch
Afternoon - hiking, canoing, swimming, fishing, etc.
6pm dinner
8pm to Midnight - dancing
Anyway, what DID work is that we all had TIME for a luxurious schmooze while we were relaxing, instead of running from meeting to meeting.
What I loved most was having lunch alone with Atlanta music publisher Bill Lowery and DANCING with Jerry Wexler! He was a lot of fun! I was pinching myself to see if
this was really happening! (I idolized these brilliant people.)
Also I recall, one meeting was run by Ron Haffkine (producer for Dr. Hook,"Sylvia's Mother"- a nice Jewish boy from NYC who was living & thriving in Nashville at the time. He said it right when he told us "The business has us, artists, over a barrel. We're going to continue to write, perform,
produce and record, no matter what they pay, because we LOVE what we do. We can't help but to do it anyway. BUT it doesn't hurt to try to make a living while we're at it...they should understand that." Brilliant.
Ok, nuff said...thanks for the flashback to my dancing with Jerry Wexler. A beautiful memory.
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