Jerry Wexler, who coined the term ‘rhythm & blues’ died yesterday.
I’m commenting on this because he was one of my dad’s great friends from his youth – back in New York City in the 1930’s where they worked at a ‘race music’ record store together along with a third buddy, a guy named Ralph Gleason.
Wexler went on to work at Billboard after the war, and along with Ahmet Ertegun, founded Atlantic Records. Gleason went on to found a jazz club with my dad after the war in San Francisco, and then became the music columnist for the SF Chronicle and then cofounded Rolling Stone. My dad went on to become an executive at a construction company, a job he had no love for but did very well at.
The lesson? Do what you love and success will come. I have told this story to my sons about a million times, and now, triggered by Wexler’s death, I’m sharing it with you.
. . . why aren’t he and the Erteguns closer to true household names, and this wierd and wonderful story, as much a part of our popular culture as, say, Elvis and Johnny Cash pestering Sam Phillips for an audition?? _Ray_ (the movie) hinted at it, though it made Ahmet out to be much more of a nerd than he really ever was. . .
Yep, opportunity knocks only once, and sometimes it knocks in the form of the Turkish ambassador’s son, who really really loves “race music”, and has borrowed some cash from his dentist to start a record company…
Marc,
A big post on a record producer, Wexler, and nothing, at least nothing on a WoC site search, for Alexandr Solzhenitsyn?
Hopefully, the search missed something?
Otherwise, I’ll just have to believe you’ve drank too deeply of the Unicorn’s Kool-Aid!
BTW, I could not find a google quote from Obama, HIMSELF, on Alexandr Solzhenitsyn’s passing!
Can you enlighten me?
Mike
Mike –
donno – spelling issues?? Try “this”:http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/solzhenitsyns_a_world_split_apart.php or “this”:http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/alexander_solzhenitsyn.php …
A.L. , puzzled…
AL, how can you derive that lesson from the juxtaposition of Wexler and your father, who you say did not love what he did but was also successful?
I would bet Pinch Sulzberger and George Bush both love what they do. Are they both successful?