Artie Kornfeld
Encyclopedia
Artie Kornfeld is an American
musician
, record producer
and music executive. He is perhaps best known as the music promoter for the Woodstock Festival
held in 1969.
Kornfeld is the son of a New York City policeman
and his wife (Irving & Shirley). Brought up in the early 50s in Levittown, New York
, Kornfeld's family constantly moved and he attended six different schools, learning the lessons of the world through the song lyrics played over the radio. Artie Kornfeld would soon live his American dream and become the guiding force to what is now known as "The Woodstock Generation".
Kornfeld got his first guitar in 1956 and learned a few chords that were pretty much universal at the time. He soon found himself with a record deal and on stage with Dion and the Belmonts with The Skyliners singing backup. Kornfeld would further his music career by attending Adelphi College and American University where he met Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas.
After a few more fortuitous music connections, Kornfeld began his enterprise of writing the most Cashbox top 100 of any song writer. Kornfeld became the vice president of Capitol Records in his early 20s, making him the youngest to hold the position and the first vice president of rock and roll ever. By 1966, Kornfeld had written over 75 Billboard charted songs and participated in over 150 albums. In 1969, Kornfeld left Capitol records to co-create The Woodstock Music & Arts Festival.
and became one of the most covered records in publishing, and were on tour with Sonny and Cher during the 1965 "I Got You Babe
" tour. Kornfeld was also the writer of "Deadman's Curve" from Jan and Dean
and songwriter/ producer of the 1967 hit by the Cowsills "The Rain, The Park & Other Things".
Kornfeld's dedication to the Woodstock ideals did not end with the festival. Known as "The Father of Woodstock", a title given to him by the Woodstock Preservation Alliance, he played a big role in helping save the Woodstock site from being built upon when the Max Yasgur farm was sold. Kornfeld is also responsible for putting the Academy Award winning Warner Brother's documentary together. Much of the historical documentation of Woodstock is supplied by the acts featured in the film which Kornfeld had to all convince to appear. He is in the movie so much because backstage, he was solely in charge of getting the performers to sign what were basically blank contracts prior to going on stage. He also hired the award winning director Michael Wadleigh to shoot the film.
Available in the iBook store within iTunes as well http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-pied-piper-of-woodstock/id402274254
Hired Michael Wadleigh to film the 1970 Academy Award winning movie.
Known world wide as “The Father of Woodstock” the name given to him by the Woodstock Preservation Alliance.
Summary of 40 + years experience: Composer, publisher, producer, manager and promoter of over 100 Platinum projects
Four BMI Million Performance Awards
Eight BMI Awards as a Writer & Publisher
As A&R VP (3 major labels) and as an Independent Producer played a major role in the
“top of the charts” success of some of the top rock artists of all time.
Manager and Creative Director of the band “Survivor”
Took unknown band to the top selling single of all time “Eye of the Tiger
”.
Co-Producer & Manager with Don Rubin of the band “Felony”
who’s #1 alternative record & Top 30 hit single and # 1 dance record in the U.S.
“The Fanatic” & thru Artie’s guidance to the late Rick Carroll (KROQ) which led to the explosion of alternative music & radio.
Consultant to, & protégée of his industry mentor, icon Charles Koppelman EMI (7 yrs) Marketing Director for The Entertainment Co & Screen Gems Music
As independent promotion director, became a “must have” for artists because of successes for Neil Young, Tracy Chapman, Survivor, etc.
Public Recognition- TV Interviews- CNN ,VH1, LATE NIGHT SHOW, ET,
As performer with Sonny & Cher “I Got You Babe Tour” as “Changing Times”
Radio & Press over 300 interviews
The Bangles, “How Is The Air Up There”, # 1 in 7 countries
Bert Sommer, "We're All Playing In The Same Band", Top 40 single and producer of his 3 LP albums
Oscar Benton & Artie Kaplan, “Bensonhurst Blues”, # 1 in Europe 3 times, Alain Delon Movie “The Skin of a Cop”
Jerry Butler & Betty Everett, “We Need Each Other”, Top 10 Album Duet
Freddie Cannon, “Lookin For Fun”, Billboard top 60
Changing Times, “The Pied Piper”, Writer & Producer, Top 50 Single - USA
Cher, “The Pied Piper”, Top 5 Album
Crispian St.Peters, “The Pied Piper”, Top 3 Worldwide
The Cowsills, “The Rain,The Park & Other Things”, (aka “I Love The Flower Girl”), Producer and # 1 Worldwide
The Cowsills, Album written & Produced A.Kornfeld, Platinum Single, Gold Album
The Cowsills, “We Can Fly”, Top 10 Single
Al Hirt, “We Can Fly - Up Up & Away” Medley, #1Jazz Single Worldwide, #1 Adult single Billboard
Johnny Crawford, “Judy Loves Me”, written & produced with Jan Berry, Top 40 Billboard
Connie Francis, “Turn Another Page”, Top 40 Billboard
Gene Pitney, “Turn Another Page”, Top 60 Billboard
The Hullabaloos, “Did You Ever”, Top 5 Europe, Top 60 USA
Jan & Dean, “Dead Mans Curve”, Written with Brian Wilson & Jan Berry, #1 USA, Top 10 –Aust/NZ/Europe
Jan & Dean, “Little Old Lady From Pasadena” LP, co-writer of all except title song, Top 10 Album Worldwide
Jay Black & The Americans, “She Doesn’t Know It”, B side hit single, “I hear Trumpets Blow”, Come A Little Bit Closer LP (Top 10)
Wayne Newton, “If I Only Had A Song To Sing”, Top 60 Billboard Pop & Country
Tony Orlando, “She Doesn’t Know It”, Last solo single before “Tony Orlando & Dawn”
Gary Lewis & The Playboys, “When The Parties Over”, Top 40 Single
The Tokens, Three Songs on the album “Come A Little Bit Closer", Top 10 Album Worldwide
Reparperata & The Delrons, “And The Music Went On & On”, “How Can You Tell”, charted in Billboard
Minnie Ripperton & The Rotary Connection, “Aladdin”, Top 50 in Billboard, opened the door that led to the hit “Loving You”
Crispian St. Peter, “Aladdin” (follow up to #1 Pied Piper), Top 10 Europe
The Shirelles, “Tonight You’re Gonna Fall in Love With Me”, Top 20 Pop Billboard, Top 5 R&B
Dusty Springfield, “Guess Who”, Top 40 USA, Top 20 Europe
Bobby Hebb, “Some Kind of Magic” Follow-up to #1 “Sunny”, Top 40 Billboard
Woody Allen, “Chicken Of The Sea”, only time Woody Allen ever sang on a record!
Mandrill, Jimmy Castor, George Segal, Tragically Hip, April Wine, Joe South, Wilson Phillips, Alice Cooper, Paul Cotton, Michelle Shoked, Joe Cocker, ZZ Top, Marshall Tucker, Greg Allman Band, Ratt, Vixon, Steel Heart, Asia, TNT, Quiet Riot, Eddie Money, Patti Griffin & Lawson Garrett, John Williams, Chuck Norris, Ryan Gold, Justin Bieber, Billy Ray Cyrus, AC/DC, and pretty much everyone on the Warner Brothers record label.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and music executive. He is perhaps best known as the music promoter for the Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
held in 1969.
History
Co-creator and sole promoter of Woodstock 1969, Artie Kornfeld was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1942. The man who would later be deemed "The Father of Woodstock" would go on to become one of the most respected composers, publishers, producers, managers, and promoters in the history of rock and roll.Kornfeld is the son of a New York City policeman
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
and his wife (Irving & Shirley). Brought up in the early 50s in Levittown, New York
Levittown, New York
Levittown is a hamlet in the Town of Hempstead located on Long Island in Nassau County, New York. Levittown is midway between the villages of Hempstead and Farmingdale. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 51,881....
, Kornfeld's family constantly moved and he attended six different schools, learning the lessons of the world through the song lyrics played over the radio. Artie Kornfeld would soon live his American dream and become the guiding force to what is now known as "The Woodstock Generation".
Kornfeld got his first guitar in 1956 and learned a few chords that were pretty much universal at the time. He soon found himself with a record deal and on stage with Dion and the Belmonts with The Skyliners singing backup. Kornfeld would further his music career by attending Adelphi College and American University where he met Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas.
After a few more fortuitous music connections, Kornfeld began his enterprise of writing the most Cashbox top 100 of any song writer. Kornfeld became the vice president of Capitol Records in his early 20s, making him the youngest to hold the position and the first vice president of rock and roll ever. By 1966, Kornfeld had written over 75 Billboard charted songs and participated in over 150 albums. In 1969, Kornfeld left Capitol records to co-create The Woodstock Music & Arts Festival.
The Changin' Times
Artie Kornfeld along with Steve Duboff teamed as the Pop/Folk group the Changin' Times. They wrote and recorded "The Pied Piper" in 1965, a song that was a considerable hit for Crispian St. PetersCrispian St. Peters
Crispian St. Peters was an English pop singer-songwriter, best known for his work in the 1960s, particularly his 1966 hits, "The Pied Piper" and "You Were on My Mind."-Early career:...
and became one of the most covered records in publishing, and were on tour with Sonny and Cher during the 1965 "I Got You Babe
I Got You Babe
"I Got You Babe" is a 1965 #1 single by American pop music duo Sonny & Cher.-Background and composition:Sonny Bono, a songwriter and record producer for Phil Spector, wrote the lyrics to and composed the music of the song for himself and his then-wife, Cher, late at night in their basement. Session...
" tour. Kornfeld was also the writer of "Deadman's Curve" from Jan and Dean
Jan and Dean
Jan and Dean were a rock and roll duo, popular from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence...
and songwriter/ producer of the 1967 hit by the Cowsills "The Rain, The Park & Other Things".
Woodstock
When Artie Kornfeld and Michael Lang became best friends in 1968 and Lang eventually moved in with Artie and his wife Linda, the idea of Woodstock was still a dream. The effort of four men: Artie Kornfeld, Michael Lang, Joel Rosenman, and John P. Roberts through Woodstock Ventures made the 1969 music festival a possibility.Kornfeld's dedication to the Woodstock ideals did not end with the festival. Known as "The Father of Woodstock", a title given to him by the Woodstock Preservation Alliance, he played a big role in helping save the Woodstock site from being built upon when the Max Yasgur farm was sold. Kornfeld is also responsible for putting the Academy Award winning Warner Brother's documentary together. Much of the historical documentation of Woodstock is supplied by the acts featured in the film which Kornfeld had to all convince to appear. He is in the movie so much because backstage, he was solely in charge of getting the performers to sign what were basically blank contracts prior to going on stage. He also hired the award winning director Michael Wadleigh to shoot the film.
Beyond Woodstock
Far after the historical Woodstock festival, Artie Kornfeld has taken the ideals of the counterculture and put them into practice in a modern day setting. He has spent 40 years speaking to schools, organizations, and universities on the true meaning behind Woodstock. The embodiment of the Woodstock Nation has used his career pre and post Woodstock 1969 to convey the true meaning to those with open minds and ears. Kornfeld has done over 5,000 radio interviews and hosts his own show aptly titled "The Spirit Show" with Artie Kornfeld in which he reaches the ears of over 1,000,000 listeners in 20 different countries every Tuesday at 10pm EST.Internet Radio Show
Kornfeld currently hosts his own Internet radio show "The Spirit Show" with Artie Kornfeld" on artistfirst.comPublished books
- The Pied Piper of Woodstock (Paperback), 196 pages; Publisher: Spirit of the Woodstock Nation, LLC (October 19, 2009); ISBN 978-0-615-32599-6
Available in the iBook store within iTunes as well http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-pied-piper-of-woodstock/id402274254
Woodstock Movie
Responsible for the historic record & Warner Brothers movie contractsHired Michael Wadleigh to film the 1970 Academy Award winning movie.
Known world wide as “The Father of Woodstock” the name given to him by the Woodstock Preservation Alliance.
Composer, Publisher, Producer, Manager, & Promoter
First Vice President of Rock Music at Capitol Records (or any label)Summary of 40 + years experience: Composer, publisher, producer, manager and promoter of over 100 Platinum projects
Four BMI Million Performance Awards
Eight BMI Awards as a Writer & Publisher
As A&R VP (3 major labels) and as an Independent Producer played a major role in the
“top of the charts” success of some of the top rock artists of all time.
Manager and Creative Director of the band “Survivor”
Took unknown band to the top selling single of all time “Eye of the Tiger
Eye of the Tiger
"Eye of the Tiger" is a single by American rock band Survivor, from their third album Eye of the Tiger. It was released as a single on May 29, 1982, the same year as the album. It was written at the request of actor Sylvester Stallone, who was unable to get permission for Queen's "Another One Bites...
”.
Co-Producer & Manager with Don Rubin of the band “Felony”
who’s #1 alternative record & Top 30 hit single and # 1 dance record in the U.S.
“The Fanatic” & thru Artie’s guidance to the late Rick Carroll (KROQ) which led to the explosion of alternative music & radio.
Consultant to, & protégée of his industry mentor, icon Charles Koppelman EMI (7 yrs) Marketing Director for The Entertainment Co & Screen Gems Music
As independent promotion director, became a “must have” for artists because of successes for Neil Young, Tracy Chapman, Survivor, etc.
Public Recognition- TV Interviews- CNN ,VH1, LATE NIGHT SHOW, ET,
As performer with Sonny & Cher “I Got You Babe Tour” as “Changing Times”
Radio & Press over 300 interviews
Artists, Songs and Facts
The Angels, “I Adore Him", Top 10 BillboardThe Bangles, “How Is The Air Up There”, # 1 in 7 countries
Bert Sommer, "We're All Playing In The Same Band", Top 40 single and producer of his 3 LP albums
Oscar Benton & Artie Kaplan, “Bensonhurst Blues”, # 1 in Europe 3 times, Alain Delon Movie “The Skin of a Cop”
Jerry Butler & Betty Everett, “We Need Each Other”, Top 10 Album Duet
Freddie Cannon, “Lookin For Fun”, Billboard top 60
Changing Times, “The Pied Piper”, Writer & Producer, Top 50 Single - USA
Cher, “The Pied Piper”, Top 5 Album
Crispian St.Peters, “The Pied Piper”, Top 3 Worldwide
The Cowsills, “The Rain,The Park & Other Things”, (aka “I Love The Flower Girl”), Producer and # 1 Worldwide
The Cowsills, Album written & Produced A.Kornfeld, Platinum Single, Gold Album
The Cowsills, “We Can Fly”, Top 10 Single
Al Hirt, “We Can Fly - Up Up & Away” Medley, #1Jazz Single Worldwide, #1 Adult single Billboard
Johnny Crawford, “Judy Loves Me”, written & produced with Jan Berry, Top 40 Billboard
Connie Francis, “Turn Another Page”, Top 40 Billboard
Gene Pitney, “Turn Another Page”, Top 60 Billboard
The Hullabaloos, “Did You Ever”, Top 5 Europe, Top 60 USA
Jan & Dean, “Dead Mans Curve”, Written with Brian Wilson & Jan Berry, #1 USA, Top 10 –Aust/NZ/Europe
Jan & Dean, “Little Old Lady From Pasadena” LP, co-writer of all except title song, Top 10 Album Worldwide
Jay Black & The Americans, “She Doesn’t Know It”, B side hit single, “I hear Trumpets Blow”, Come A Little Bit Closer LP (Top 10)
Wayne Newton, “If I Only Had A Song To Sing”, Top 60 Billboard Pop & Country
Tony Orlando, “She Doesn’t Know It”, Last solo single before “Tony Orlando & Dawn”
Gary Lewis & The Playboys, “When The Parties Over”, Top 40 Single
The Tokens, Three Songs on the album “Come A Little Bit Closer", Top 10 Album Worldwide
Reparperata & The Delrons, “And The Music Went On & On”, “How Can You Tell”, charted in Billboard
Minnie Ripperton & The Rotary Connection, “Aladdin”, Top 50 in Billboard, opened the door that led to the hit “Loving You”
Crispian St. Peter, “Aladdin” (follow up to #1 Pied Piper), Top 10 Europe
The Shirelles, “Tonight You’re Gonna Fall in Love With Me”, Top 20 Pop Billboard, Top 5 R&B
Dusty Springfield, “Guess Who”, Top 40 USA, Top 20 Europe
Bobby Hebb, “Some Kind of Magic” Follow-up to #1 “Sunny”, Top 40 Billboard
Woody Allen, “Chicken Of The Sea”, only time Woody Allen ever sang on a record!
Artists signed, promoted or developed by Artie Kornfeld
Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Jack Johnson, Vin Colella, Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman,Melissa Etheridge, Extreme, Edie Brickell, Vanilla Ice, Kix, Sass Jordan, Nuclear Valdez, Queensryche, Depeche Mode, Felony, Billy Joel, John Fogerty, Santana, Steve Perry, Kiss, Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty, Survivor, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, The Band, Blondie, Davy Jones, The Left Banke, Bert Sommer, Bob Seger, Triumph, The Cowsills, J. Giles Band, Roger Miller, Linda Ronstadt, Alanis Morissette, Lou RawlsMandrill, Jimmy Castor, George Segal, Tragically Hip, April Wine, Joe South, Wilson Phillips, Alice Cooper, Paul Cotton, Michelle Shoked, Joe Cocker, ZZ Top, Marshall Tucker, Greg Allman Band, Ratt, Vixon, Steel Heart, Asia, TNT, Quiet Riot, Eddie Money, Patti Griffin & Lawson Garrett, John Williams, Chuck Norris, Ryan Gold, Justin Bieber, Billy Ray Cyrus, AC/DC, and pretty much everyone on the Warner Brothers record label.