Edward Kassner
Encyclopedia
Edward Kassner was an Austria
n-born music industry executive and songwriter who was responsible for establishing the music publisher Kassner Music and the President record label. He lived and worked in both Britain and the United States
.
to Jewish parents, and aspired to be a composer from an early age. At the time of the German invasion of Austria
in 1938, he escaped through Germany
, Belgium
and the Netherlands to England
. His parents both died at Auschwitz. He initially worked in London
cutting felt for hats, but began working as a songwriter with lyricist Peter Mulroney. He was then deported as an alien to Australia
but, after being allowed to return to the UK, joined the British Army
in which he served as an interpreter attached to a Canadian
tank corps regiment in France
and Germany.
He married in 1944, and with his wife Eileen set up his own music publishing company, the Edward Kassner Music Co. Ltd. He wrote songs under the name Eddie Cassen, and had his first success in 1946 as co-writer of Vera Lynn
's hit recording of "How Lucky You Are". By the early 1950s, he had acquired rights to songs recorded by many leading singers of the day including Frank Sinatra
, Perry Como
, Nat King Cole
, and The Inkspots, and opened an office in New York City
in 1951. He expanded the business by acquiring several other publishing companies, including Broadway Music Corp. which held the rights to a number of pop standards including "You Made Me Love You
", "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time" and "Take Me Out To The Ball Game
". He also bought, for $250, the rights to the song "Rock Around The Clock
", which became one of the most recorded songs of all time and reportedly sold over 170 million copies.
In 1955 he and his business partners formed President Records in New York, but it had little success and was amalgamated into a larger company by 1961. He then formed another company, Seville Records, which had hits with "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)" by Ernie Maresca
and "Bobby's Girl" by Marcie Blane
but failed to capitalise on its early successes. He decided to reactivate the President label, partly inspired by the memory of John F. Kennedy
after his assassination
. Soon afterwards, in 1964, his London office acquired a management and publishing deal with a new group, The Kinks
, who had a string of successful releases in both the UK and US starting with "You Really Got Me
".
With the British Invasion
, Kassner decided to prioritise his activities in the UK, and launched the President label in Britain in 1966. The label's early successes were "Bye Bye Baby" and "The Best Part of Breaking Up
" by The Symbols
, a London band, and "I Feel Love Comin' On" by Felice Taylor
. In 1968 the company had greater success with "Baby Come Back
" by The Equals
, a UK no. 1 which also made the US chart and was followed up by a string of hits for the group in the UK. The company also set up a subsidiary label, Jay Boy, for releasing US singles on the TK
and other labels in the UK, and had a series of hits in the 1970s with recordings by George McCrae
and KC and the Sunshine Band
. From the 1980s onwards, Kassner's company had particular success through its association with Rick Wakeman
.
Edward Kassner continued as head of his companies until his death in London in 1996 at the age of 76. His family, in particular his son David Kassner, continue to operate the companies.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-born music industry executive and songwriter who was responsible for establishing the music publisher Kassner Music and the President record label. He lived and worked in both Britain and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Life and career
He was born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to Jewish parents, and aspired to be a composer from an early age. At the time of the German invasion of Austria
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
in 1938, he escaped through Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His parents both died at Auschwitz. He initially worked in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
cutting felt for hats, but began working as a songwriter with lyricist Peter Mulroney. He was then deported as an alien to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
but, after being allowed to return to the UK, joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in which he served as an interpreter attached to a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
tank corps regiment in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany.
He married in 1944, and with his wife Eileen set up his own music publishing company, the Edward Kassner Music Co. Ltd. He wrote songs under the name Eddie Cassen, and had his first success in 1946 as co-writer of Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn
Dame Vera Lynn, DBE is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II. During the war she toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for the troops...
's hit recording of "How Lucky You Are". By the early 1950s, he had acquired rights to songs recorded by many leading singers of the day including Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
, Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
, and The Inkspots, and opened an office in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1951. He expanded the business by acquiring several other publishing companies, including Broadway Music Corp. which held the rights to a number of pop standards including "You Made Me Love You
You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)
"You Made Me Love You " is a popular song.The music was written by James V. Monaco, the lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. The song was published in 1913. It was introduced in the Broadway revue The Honeymoon Express....
", "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time" and "Take Me Out To The Ball Game
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song. The song is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch of...
". He also bought, for $250, the rights to the song "Rock Around The Clock
Rock Around the Clock
"Rock Around the Clock" is a 12-bar-blues-based song written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was recorded by Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954...
", which became one of the most recorded songs of all time and reportedly sold over 170 million copies.
In 1955 he and his business partners formed President Records in New York, but it had little success and was amalgamated into a larger company by 1961. He then formed another company, Seville Records, which had hits with "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)" by Ernie Maresca
Ernie Maresca
Ernest "Ernie" Maresca is an American singer-songwriter and record company executive, best known for writing or co-writing some of Dion's biggest hits....
and "Bobby's Girl" by Marcie Blane
Marcie Blane
Marcie Blane is an American female singer who recorded pop music. The Seville record label issued a demo performed by the high school student as a favor for a friend. The song was "Bobby's Girl", which was followed by "What Does a Girl Do" and several other singles...
but failed to capitalise on its early successes. He decided to reactivate the President label, partly inspired by the memory of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
after his assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
. Soon afterwards, in 1964, his London office acquired a management and publishing deal with a new group, The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, who had a string of successful releases in both the UK and US starting with "You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me
"You Really Got Me" is a rock song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band, The Kinks. It was released on 4th August 1964 as the group's third single, and reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks...
".
With the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
, Kassner decided to prioritise his activities in the UK, and launched the President label in Britain in 1966. The label's early successes were "Bye Bye Baby" and "The Best Part of Breaking Up
(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up
" Breaking Up" is a song written by Phil Spector, Pete Andreoli and Vince Poncia. It was first recorded by The Ronettes, produced by Phil Spector with Ronnie Spector on lead vocals and with backing vocals by Nedra Talley and Estelle Bennett...
" by The Symbols
The Symbols
The Symbols were an English pop music band, who were founded in 1965 and lasted until 1972. They had two hits on the UK Singles Chart with "Bye Bye Baby" , and " Breaking Up" .-Career:...
, a London band, and "I Feel Love Comin' On" by Felice Taylor
Felice Taylor
Felice Taylor is an African American singer best known for her recordings in the late 1960s.-Life and career:...
. In 1968 the company had greater success with "Baby Come Back
Baby Come Back
"Baby Come Back" is a song by 1970s group Player from their self-titled second album of the same name. It was written by lead singer Peter Beckett and J.C. Crowley. The song was their biggest single, hitting number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on the soul charts, in 1978...
" by The Equals
The Equals
The Equals were a pop/reggae/rock group that formed in North London, England in 1965. They are mainly remembered for its million-selling chart-topper, "Baby Come Back". Eddy Grant, then sporting dyed blonde hair, founded the group...
, a UK no. 1 which also made the US chart and was followed up by a string of hits for the group in the UK. The company also set up a subsidiary label, Jay Boy, for releasing US singles on the TK
TK Records
TK Records was an American record label started by record distributor, Henry Stone in Miami, Florida, one of several labels that he founded in the 1960s and 1970s...
and other labels in the UK, and had a series of hits in the 1970s with recordings by George McCrae
George McCrae
George McCrae is an American soul and disco singer, most famous for his 1974 hit "Rock Your Baby".-Early life and career:...
and KC and the Sunshine Band
KC and the Sunshine Band
KC and the Sunshine Band is an American musical group. Founded in 1973 in Miami, Florida, their style has included funk, R&B, and disco. Their most well known songs include the disco hits "That's the Way ", " Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Keep It Comin' Love", "Get Down Tonight", "Give...
. From the 1980s onwards, Kassner's company had particular success through its association with Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
.
Edward Kassner continued as head of his companies until his death in London in 1996 at the age of 76. His family, in particular his son David Kassner, continue to operate the companies.