Walter Yetnikoff, a colorful record label executive who led CBS Records as president/CEO from 1975 to 1990 — when its roster was stacked with superstars like Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bil…
, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones — died Sunday night at age 87. He would have turned 88 on August 11.
The man who went by the Yiddish nickname Velvel attended Brooklyn Technical High School and Brooklyn College, then graduated from Columbia Law School, where he was an editor of the Columbia Law Review. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army in what was then West Germany from 1956 to 1958, at the height of the Cold War. Upon his discharge, Yetnikoff was hired by the law firm Rosenman, Colin, Kaye, Petschek and Freund, which represented both CBS and its longtime chief, William S. Paley.
To get a sense of how powerful a figure Yetnikoff was in the record business, his 50th birthday party in 1983 drew a who’s-who of celebrities, including Mick Jagger, Billy Joel, Christie Brinkley and Ahmet Ertegun. “People sometimes don’t return my calls,” he said about his years as a star maker. “In the old days, you were running a huge risk if you didn’t.”
Known as a strong advocate for artists, Yetnikoff frequently went to bat for his clients, helping Billy Joel re-acquire his publishing rights and presenting them to him as a birthday present. In the Joel documentary “The Last Play at Shea,” Yetnikoff recounts how he physically threatened Billy’s former manager Artie Ripp to make the deal happen.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
This Is How Serena Williams Does Self-CareSpa days, styling sessions, and a little bit of Nintendo Switch help the tennis superstar maintain balance amid her buzzy career.
Leer más »
RCA’s Tunji Balogun Headed to Def Jam Records as CEO (EXCLUSIVE)Tunji Balogun, RCA’s executive vice president of A&R, is headed to Def Jam Records as CEO, multiple sources tell Variety. At RCA, which Balogun joined in 2015 following seven-and-a-half y…
Leer más »
Apps are helping people avoid air pollution amid record wildfires, rising temperaturesAir quality in the U.S. and Europe improved over the last decade thanks to stricter regulations, but record wildfires raise new air pollution concerns.
Leer más »
Obituary: Frenchy Cannoli, who treated hashish like fine wineHe was destined for a nine-to-five life, but on his 18th birthday he ran away to the foothills of the Himalayas in search of the best hashish ever made
Leer más »
Alarming 94K surge in COVID-19 cases among kids, hospitals overwhelmed'We are hospitalizing record numbers of children,' a New Orleans doctor tells ABC News. 'Half of the children in our hospital today are under two years of age. Most of the others are between five and ten years of age—too young to be vaccinated just yet.'
Leer más »
87 percent of American shoppers concerned about plastics, packaging waste: pollThe poll also found that 47 percent of Americans would choose to buy recyclable products if given that option.
Leer más »