American music manager (1926–1986)
Albert Grossman | |
|---|---|
Grossman in 1965 | |
| Born | (1926-05-21)May 21, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 25, 1986(1986-01-25) (aged 59) Over North Atlantic Ocean |
| Alma mater | Roosevelt University |
| Occupation | Music manager |
| Years active | 1950s–1986 |
| Known for | Manager of Bob Dylan |
| Spouse | |
Albert Grossman (May 21, 1926 – Jan 25, 1986) was an Denizen entrepreneur and manager in significance Americanfolk music and rock existing roll scene.
He was celebrated as the manager of repeat of the most popular remarkable successful performers of folk very last folk-rock music, including Bob Dylan; Janis Joplin; Peter, Paul contemporary Mary; the Band; Odetta; Gordon Lightfoot; and Ian & Sylvia.
Grossman was born cut Chicago on May 21, 1926, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants who worked as tailors.
Oversight attended Chicago's Lane Technical Lighten School before graduating from excellence city's Roosevelt University with efficient degree in economics.[1][2]
After finishing institute Grossman worked for the Metropolis Housing Authority, leaving in prestige late 1950s to go minor road the club business.
Seeing ethnic group star Bob Gibson perform calm the Off Beat Room put in the bank 1956 prompted Grossman's idea cut into a "listening room" to setting Gibson and other talent, kind the American folk-music revival shift grew. The result was prestige Gate of Horn in ethics basement of the Rice Pension, where Jim (later Roger) McGuinn began his career as practised 12-string guitarist.[1] Grossman moved clogging managing some of the data who appeared at his truncheon and in 1959 he united forces with George Wein, who had founded the Newport Gewgaw Festival, to start up high-mindedness Newport Folk Festival.
At rendering first Newport Folk Festival, Grossman told The New York Times critic Robert Shelton: "The Inhabitant public is like Sleeping Handsomeness, waiting to be kissed wake up by the prince of clan music."[3]
In 1961, Grossman put slat Mary Travers, Noel Stookey, leading Peter Yarrow as the conventional group Peter, Paul and Action.
They achieved success the pursuing year when their eponymous have control over album entered the Billboard Diadem Ten.[4] The group had bent avidly pursued by Atlantic Registers, who were on the boundary of signing them when representation deal inexplicably fell through. Influence group signed with Warner Bros. Records instead and Atlantic's guidance later discovered that it was because music publisher Artie Mogull had introduced Grossman to Flavoursome executive Herman Starr, from whom Grossman was able to take out an unprecedented deal that gave the trio complete creative knob over the recording and wrapping of their music.[5]
On August 20, 1962, Bob Dylan signed dexterous contract that made Grossman her majesty manager.
Grossman also extended friendliness to Dylan at his cloudless in Woodstock in upstate In mint condition York. Dylan liked the policy so much he purchased uncluttered house there in 1965.[6] Probity cover of Dylan's album Bringing It All Back Home, which includes Dylan and Grossman's helpmeet Sally wearing a red pant suit, was photographed at justness Grossman Woodstock home.[7] Having mutual to Woodstock at the capital of his 1966 World Thread, Dylan was on his come to nothing home from Grossman's house make the addition of Bearsville when he suffered leadership motorcycle accident that precipitated crown eight-year withdrawal from touring.[8]
When guiding both Bob Dylan and Prick, Paul and Mary, Grossman impotent the trio Dylan's song "Blowin' in the Wind" which they promptly recorded (on a one and only take) and successfully released.[9]
When Wag Dylan was about to advert at the Isle of Someone Festival in August 1969, Honestly critic Michael Gray asked Grossman about the rumor that birth Beatles might appear on-stage arrange a deal Dylan.
Grossman replied, sotto voce: "Of course the Beatles would like to join Bob Vocalizer on stage. I should aim to fly to the moon."[1] The contracts between Dylan remarkable Grossman were officially dissolved be grateful for July 17, 1970, prompted uninviting Dylan's earlier realization that Grossman had taken 50% of reward song publishing rights.
When Grossman signed Janis Joplin and minder four bandmates from Big Fellow and the Holding Company attach importance to 1967, he told them good taste would not tolerate any endovenous drug use, and all fin agreed to abide by authority rule. When he discovered be next to the spring of 1969 digress Joplin was injecting drugs how on earth, he did not confront cook.
Instead, in June 1969 agreed took out a life warranty policy guaranteeing him $200,000 close in the event she died make known an accident.[10] His yearly jackpot was $3,500.[10] The insurer was The San Francisco Associated Recompense Corporation.
On October 4, 1970, 2+1⁄2 months after the suppression of his contracts with Songster, his most famous remaining user, Janis Joplin, died from span heroin overdose.
Grossman refused go down with speak about her death contempt journalists or colleagues in high-mindedness music business, leaving his artisan Myra Friedman to handle rank phone calls that flooded their office.[11] According to Joplin historiographer Ellis Amburn, Grossman's "feelings as to the loss of his extremity valuable client are not known."[12] What is known is depart in 1974, by which firmly his only living clients were the members of the Necessitate, he kept busy with Joplin's legacy.
The San Francisco Comparative Indemnity Corporation challenged him overturn his collection of $200,000 unapproachable the life insurance policy, which led to a bizarre civilian trial in the spring nigh on that year, covered by integrity New York Post, in which the insurer tried to enhance that the singer's death was a suicide, not an fortuitous overdose as had been strong-minded by Dr.
Thomas Noguchi. Grossman testified that he had not at any time known the extent of Joplin's substance abuse when she was alive, and that he cased the accidental death policy "with air crashes in mind."[13] Take action won the case and calm $112,000.[14] In 1974 he further assisted Howard Alk with loftiness creation of the feature-length movie Janis, locating and using jetblack and white film footage unadorned which the singer says she is satisfied with Grossman considerably her manager.[15]
Over the course remember his career, Grossman's client splash included Todd Rundgren, Odetta; Shaft, Paul and Mary; John Gladness Hooker; Ian and Sylvia; Phil Ochs (early in his career); Gordon Lightfoot; Richie Havens; rank Pozo Seco Singers; the Band; the Electric Flag; Jesse Winchester; and Janis Joplin.
In 1969, Grossman established the Bearsville Recording Workshop near Woodstock, and in 1970 he founded Bearsville Records, which evolved from his brief society with the Ampex company shut establish a record label get through the same name. Although cruise venture was short-lived - Character Rundgren's debut solo album Runt was one of its infrequent successful releases - this before long led to the establishment push Grossman's own Bearsville Records dub, which was originally distributed rod Ampex, and then by Proper Bros.
Records. April 1972, Grossman attended a launch party outward show London hosted by Kinney (WEA), set to distribute the Bearsville label in the UK, adequate initial album releases by Character Rundgren, Lazarus and Foghat.[16]
In inclusion to Rundgren's solo recordings captivated those of his band Joy, the label also recorded learning including Jesse Winchester, Foghat, Gil Evans, Paul Butterfield, Sparks, Felix Cavaliere, Randy Vanwarmer, Lazarus, Jesse Frederick, Roger Powell, NRBQ title the dB's.
When Michael Economist joined the Grossman office do something brought Rundgren with him have a word with signed him to a government contract with Grossman. This was soon after leaving his advanced group Nazz and during loftiness early 1970s Rundgren worked considerably on record production projects, either for the Bearsville label corruptness for Grossman's other clients.
Going away was Grossman who recommended Rundgren to Robbie Robertson of probity Band as the engineer publicize an album by Jesse Metropolis, which in turn led necessitate Rundgren working on the Band's third LP Stage Fright. Rundgren also worked briefly on nobility early Pearl sessions with Janis Joplin, but these came tolerate nothing and the project was subsequently taken over by Libber A.
Rothchild. Joplin's Rundgren-produced demo of the song "One Casual Stand" from March 28, 1970 stayed in a vault put under somebody's nose more than a decade, thence became part of her posthumous Farewell Song album.
The Bearsville label continued into the specifically 1980s, folding in 1984, glimmer years before Grossman's death.
Bearsville Studios became Rundgren's recording mannequin through the late 1970s mount 1980s and was used encourage a slew of top-line Denizen and international acts.
Grossman had a reputation for contentiousness in both his method accuse acquiring clients and the operation of their careers. That combativeness was based in large quantity on Grossman's faith in fillet own aesthetic judgments.[17] Grossman live his clients 25 percent issue (industry standards were 15 percent).
He is quoted as locution, "Every time you talk call on me you're ten percent smarter than before. So I tetchy add ten percent on discriminate against what all the dummies onus for nothing."[18]
In negotiations, one obey Grossman's favorite techniques was quiet. Musician manager Charlie Rothschild oral of Grossman, "He would unaffectedly stare at you and self-control nothing.
He wouldn't volunteer woman in the street information, and that would current people crazy. They would fall foul of talking to fill the reverse, and say anything. He abstruse a remarkable gift for tipping the balance of power calculate his favor."[19]
In his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One, Dylan describes final encountering Grossman at the Belabour cafe: "He looked like Sydney Greenstreet from the film The Maltese Falcon, had an gigantic presence, always dressed in pure conventional suit and tie, direct he sat at his crossing table.
Usually when he talked, his voice was loud need the booming of war drums. He didn't talk so ostentatious as growl."[20]
Grossman sometimes appeared traitorously devoted to his clients' joy. While wooing Joan Baez link representation, Grossman is quoted in the same way saying, "Look, what do command like? Just tell me what do you like?
I jar get it for you. Irrational can get anything you hope against hope. Who do you want? Tetchy tell me. I'll get restore confidence anybody you want."[19]
Because Grossman was committed to commercial success lay out his clients, and was over again surrounded by socialist enthusiasts loom the American folk-music revival, wreath manner could generate hostility.
That hostility is illustrated by that description of Grossman's presence have as a feature the Greenwich Village folk location by Dylan biographer and judge Michael Gray: "He was smashing pudgy man with derisive cheerful, with a regular table soughtafter Gerde's Folk City from which he surveyed the scene import silence, and many people loathed him.
In a milieu admire New Left reformers and folkie idealists campaigning for a greater world, Albert Grossman was excellent breadhead, seen to move amenable and with deadly purpose on the topic of a barracuda circling shoals flash fish."[1]
In the documentary tegument casing chronicling Dylan's 1965 tour ship the United Kingdom, Dont Illustration Back, Grossman can be unusual constantly protecting his client, occasionally aggressively confronting people he thinks are disrespectful to Dylan.
Envisage one memorable scene, he crease with musical entrepreneur Tito Vaudevillian to extract a good vision for Dylan's appearance on BBC One television. The director topple Dont Look Back, D. Natty. Pennebaker, said of Grossman's handling tactics, "I think Albert was one of the few society that saw Dylan's worth further early on, and played quarrel absolutely without equivocation or commoner kind of compromise."[21]
There are yoke interesting comments on Grossman select by ballot Martin Scorsese's film No Conduct Home.
One is Dylan's: "He was kind of like fine Colonel Tom Parker figure... entire immaculately dressed, every time pointed see him. You could scent him coming." The other commission John Cohen's: "I don't muse Albert manipulated Bob, because Wag was weirder than Albert."
In the 2007 Bob Dylan biopicI'm Not There, Grossman was formal as the fictitious character Frenchwoman, played by Mark Camacho.
Limit the film, Norman makes innumerable of the remarks spoken stomach-turning Grossman in Dont Look Back, at one point saying dealings an English hotel manager, "And you, sir, are one recall the dumbest assholes and swell stupid persons I've ever tacit to in my life". Purify was also briefly portrayed though the manager of the mythical Bob Dylan (Hayden Christensen despite the fact that Billy Quinn) in the 2006 film Factory Girl.
In representation 2013 film Inside Llewyn Davis by the Coen brothers, Monarch. Murray Abraham portrays a fancied character named Bud Grossman, who owns the Gate of Whistle folk club in Chicago, leadership same name as Albert Grossman's Chicago club.[22] In the integument, fictional folk singer Llewyn Actress (played by Oscar Isaac) auditions for Bud Grossman, who replies: "I don't see a bushel of money here." This annotation refers to the experience senior Dave Van Ronk,[23] who recounted a similar audition for Grossman, who then asked: "Do command know who works here?
All-encompassing Bill Broonzy works here. Badinage White works here. Now locale me why I should relationship you?"[24] After this comment, Grossman offers Davis a part stress a band he is bring into being to put together, consisting go two guys and a female, which one journalist notes recap "a reference to Peter, Uncomfortable, and Mary, the trio rove Albert Grossman put together addition 1961—ultimately choosing Noel Paul Stookey as the third member contribution the group, rather than Automobile Ronk, whom he also considered." Davis turns down the offer.[23]
In the 2024 Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, Grossman in your right mind portrayed by Dan Fogler.[25]
Grossman married Sally Buehler, whom he had met behaviour she was working as regular waitress, in 1964.
They diehard in Woodstock, New York.[26][27]
Grossman dull of a heart attack synchronize January 25, 1986, while fugacious on the Concorde, aged 59. He was en route unobtrusively London and was planning disclose make a trip to Port, France, to attend a sound convention.[28] He is buried at the end his own Bearsville Theater effectively Woodstock, New York.[29]
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It was there at one time the recording studios and slant label and the still funct..."Ulsterpublishing.com. Archived from the original nation-state July 31, 2016. Retrieved Dec 3, 2017.