Herb Abramson
Encyclopedia
Herbert C. Abramson was an American
record company executive and producer.
He was born in 1916 in Brooklyn
, New York City
and initially studied to be a dentist but he landed a job with National Records
producing such performers as The Ravens
, Billy Eckstine
and Joe Turner
. Abramson founded his first record company, Jubilee Records
, in 1946 with Jerry Blaine
. Abramson aspired to record jazz
, R&B and Gospel
recordings. Though Blaine was having some success recording Jewish
novelty records, this genre did not interest Abramson, so he sold his interest in Jubilee to Blaine. Abramson and his wife Miriam were close friends with fellow jazz buff Ahmet Ertegün
and together they founded Atlantic Records
in 1947. Abramson was president of Atlantic and Ahmet was vice-president. Both Abramson and Ahmet handled the creative end of the business and Miriam handled the business end.
In 1953, he was drafted into the Army which put him out of touch with the company which nevertheless enjoyed great success while he was away. Jerry Wexler
joined Atlantic as a partner in his absence while Abramson retained the title of president of the company. When Abramson returned from the Army in 1955, he found Atlantic a changed company. Ahmet's brother Nesuhi had joined Atlantic in 1955 as a partner and was enjoying great success in jazz LPs. Ahmet and Jerry were recording R&B hits which crossed over into pop
. Complicating things was his faltering marriage to Miriam which would end in divorce.
To give Abramson something to do, Atco Records
was formed in 1955 as a division of Atlantic which he would run on his own.
This did not solve his problems completely, despite's Atco's success with such artists as The Coasters
. One of his artists, Bobby Darin
, was going hitless but Darin endeared himself to Ahmet and Jerry through his musical talent. When Abramson announced that he was dropping Darin, Ahmet objected and decided to record three tracks with Darin. Two of them, Splish Splash
and Queen Of The Hop became breakthrough hits for Darin.
Ahmet's success with Bobby Darin after Abramson's repeated failures was the last straw. He left Atlantic Records in December 1958, selling his stake in the company to now ex-wife Miriam Bienstock (who married music publisher Freddy Bienstock
) and Nesuhi Ertegün
. Ahmet Ertegün became president of the company. Abramson would start new record labels including Triumph
, Blaze
and Festival. His most successful post-Atlantic recording was producing Hi-Heel Sneakers
by Tommy Tucker (released on Checker Records
) but he did not enjoy anywhere near the success that he had with Atlantic Records.
Abramson set up his own recording studio in the mid 1960s - A-1 Sound Studios first at 234 West 56th Street and then on the ground floor of a hotel off Broadway and 73rd Street. Johnny Nash
and Lloyd Price
were among the artists who recorded there. Hank Crawford
, James Moody
& Richie Cordell were among A-1's clients. Bette Midler
, Barry Manilow
& Patti Smith
all cut demos there. Jonathan Thayer, later of Vanguard Recording Studios, engineered for Herb. Other engineers included Rob Fraboni (the Band, Bob Dylan) and Mike Edl (WBAI-FM).
In 1998, he received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. He died in Henderson, Nevada
, USA in 1999, 7 days shy of his 83rd birthday.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record company executive and producer.
He was born in 1916 in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, 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...
and initially studied to be a dentist but he landed a job with National Records
National Records
National Records was a record label that was started in New York by Albert Green in 1945 and lasted till early 1951.Big Joe Turner was signed at the outset and remained until 1947. Billy Eckstine was also a big seller for the label as were The Ravens...
producing such performers as The Ravens
The Ravens
The Ravens were an American R&B vocal group, formed in 1946 by Jimmy Ricks and Warren Suttles. They were one of the most successful and most influential vocal quartets of the period, and had several hits on the R&B chart in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
, Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine
William Clarence Eckstine was an American singer of ballads and a bandleader of the swing era. Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular...
and Joe Turner
Joe Turner
Joe Turner is the name of:* Big Joe Turner , blues singer* Joe Turner , jazz/stride pianist* Joe Lynn Turner , rock musician* Joe Turner , English footballer...
. Abramson founded his first record company, Jubilee Records
Jubilee Records
Jubilee Records was a record label specializing in rhythm and blues along with novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. Jerry Blaine became Abramson's partner. Blaine bought out Abramson's half of the company in 1947. The company name was Jay-Gee Recording...
, in 1946 with Jerry Blaine
Jerry Blaine
Jerry Blaine was a bandleader, label owner, record distributor, and singer who recorded 18 sides for the Master and Bluebird labels in 1937-1938.-Biography:...
. Abramson aspired to record jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, R&B and Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
recordings. Though Blaine was having some success recording Jewish
Secular Jewish culture
Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena; above all, it is the international culture of secular communities of Jewish people, but it can also include the cultural contributions of individuals who identify as secular Jews...
novelty records, this genre did not interest Abramson, so he sold his interest in Jubilee to Blaine. Abramson and his wife Miriam were close friends with fellow jazz buff Ahmet Ertegün
Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
and together they founded Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in 1947. Abramson was president of Atlantic and Ahmet was vice-president. Both Abramson and Ahmet handled the creative end of the business and Miriam handled the business end.
In 1953, he was drafted into the Army which put him out of touch with the company which nevertheless enjoyed great success while he was away. Jerry Wexler
Jerry Wexler
Gerald "Jerry" Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s...
joined Atlantic as a partner in his absence while Abramson retained the title of president of the company. When Abramson returned from the Army in 1955, he found Atlantic a changed company. Ahmet's brother Nesuhi had joined Atlantic in 1955 as a partner and was enjoying great success in jazz LPs. Ahmet and Jerry were recording R&B hits which crossed over into pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. Complicating things was his faltering marriage to Miriam which would end in divorce.
To give Abramson something to do, Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
was formed in 1955 as a division of Atlantic which he would run on his own.
This did not solve his problems completely, despite's Atco's success with such artists as The Coasters
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
. One of his artists, Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
, was going hitless but Darin endeared himself to Ahmet and Jerry through his musical talent. When Abramson announced that he was dropping Darin, Ahmet objected and decided to record three tracks with Darin. Two of them, Splish Splash
Splish Splash (song)
"Splish Splash" is a 1958 song performed and co-written by Bobby Darin. It was written with DJ Murray the K , who bet that Darin couldn't write a song that began with the words, "Splish Splash, I was takin' a bath", as suggested by Murray's mother, Jean Kaufman. The song was credited to Darin and...
and Queen Of The Hop became breakthrough hits for Darin.
Ahmet's success with Bobby Darin after Abramson's repeated failures was the last straw. He left Atlantic Records in December 1958, selling his stake in the company to now ex-wife Miriam Bienstock (who married music publisher Freddy Bienstock
Freddy Bienstock
Freddy Bienstock was an American music publisher who built his career in music by being the person responsible for soliciting and selecting songs for Elvis Presley's early albums and films.-Early life:...
) and Nesuhi Ertegün
Nesuhi Ertegun
Nesuhi Ertegun was a Turkish record producer and executive of Atlantic Records and WEA International.-Background:Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Nesuhi and his family, including younger brother Ahmet, moved to Washington, D.C...
. Ahmet Ertegün became president of the company. Abramson would start new record labels including Triumph
Triumph Records (US)
Triumph Records was a record label founded in 1958 when Herb Abramson left Atlantic Records, but the label only existed for a short time. By 1960, Abramson formed Triumph-Blaze Productions to produce recordings for distribution by other labels....
, Blaze
Blaze Records
Blaze Records was a record label founded by former Atlantic Records president Herb Abramson. The label's biggest hit was a version of "Tennessee Waltz" by Bobby Comstock in 1959. The label lasted only a couple of years after which Abramson founded Festival Records....
and Festival. His most successful post-Atlantic recording was producing Hi-Heel Sneakers
Hi-Heel Sneakers
"Hi-Heel Sneakers" is a 1964 twelve-bar blues song and single by Tommy Tucker. Tommy Tucker's original recording hit number one on the Cash Box R&B Locations chart and number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100....
by Tommy Tucker (released on Checker Records
Checker Records
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary to Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded Tape in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death.The label...
) but he did not enjoy anywhere near the success that he had with Atlantic Records.
Abramson set up his own recording studio in the mid 1960s - A-1 Sound Studios first at 234 West 56th Street and then on the ground floor of a hotel off Broadway and 73rd Street. Johnny Nash
Johnny Nash
John Lester "Johnny" Nash, Jr. is an American pop singer-songwriter, best known in the US for his 1972 hit, "I Can See Clearly Now". He was also the first non-Jamaican to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica.-Life and career:...
and Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price is an American R&B vocalist. Known as "Mr. Personality", after the name of one of his biggest million-selling hits...
were among the artists who recorded there. Hank Crawford
Hank Crawford
Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. was an American R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, soul jazz alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter...
, James Moody
James Moody (saxophonist)
James Moody was an American jazz saxophone and flute player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.-Biography:James Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia...
& Richie Cordell were among A-1's clients. Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
, Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
& Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
all cut demos there. Jonathan Thayer, later of Vanguard Recording Studios, engineered for Herb. Other engineers included Rob Fraboni (the Band, Bob Dylan) and Mike Edl (WBAI-FM).
In 1998, he received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. He died in Henderson, Nevada
Henderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...
, USA in 1999, 7 days shy of his 83rd birthday.