Jerry L. Greenberg

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Jerry Greenberg

Jerry Greenberg - President
Born New Haven, CT, United States
Occupation Music Executive
Website
Mirage Music Entertainment

Jerry L. Greenberg, is an American Music Executive, who at 32, was the youngest president of any major record company in the recording industry and received that title in 1974 as President of Atlantic Records.

He started his career in the music business as a drummer in the band "Jerry Green and The Passengers" which he founded. The band recorded for Atlantic Records, Roulette Records, United Artists, and DCP Record labels. By the age of eighteen years old, Greenberg already had his own record label, called Green-Sea Records.

During his tenure as President of several major labels, Jerry has signed such acts as ABBA, The Blues Brothers, Foreigner, Genesis, Niles Rogers, TS Monk, Whitesnake, Chic, Dr. Dre & Eazy E (Production Deal), Motörhead, Brownstone and 3T. Jerry also introduced Mariah Carey to Tommy Mottola.

In addition to signing acts Jerry has worked with some of the greatest artists in music including, AC/DC, Aretha Franklin, Bad Company, Bee Gees, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Dr. John, Dusty Springfield, Eagles, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Yes, and Michael Jackson.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Jerry Green and The Passengers

1957 - Gerald L. Greenberg from New Haven, CT formed his own band. A drummer/musician, the band recorded for Atlantic Records, Roulette Records, United Artists, and DCP Record labels under the pseudonym, "Jerry Green and The Passengers." By the age of eighteen years old, Greenberg already had his own record label, called Green-Sea Records.

[edit] Seaboard Distributors

1964 - Greenberg joined Seaboard Distributors in Hartford, CT, as a record promoter, where he promoted records to radio stations for such labels as Atlantic Records, Chess Records, Liberty Records, Mercury Records, Phillips, Roulette Records, and many others.

[edit] Gerald Wexler

1967 - Jerry Wexler asked Greenberg to become his personal assistant at Atlantic Records. At that time, Wexler was Vice President of Atlantic Records, and was the producer of Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Dr. John, and many others. Wexler taught Greenberg all about recording, producing, finding songs, and the day-to-day tasks of running a major label.

[edit] General Manager of Atlantic Records

1969 - When Atlantic was sold to Warner Communications in 1969, Greenberg was announced General Manager of Atlantic Records. Jerry Wexler spent a majority of his time in Florida, which left Greenberg plenty of time to spend with Ahmet Ertegun, who was President of Atlantic at that time.

[edit] Vice President of Radio Promotion and Artists and Repertoire

1972 - Within five years, Greenberg held two titles; Vice President of Radio Promotion, and Vice President of Artists and Repertoire for Atlantic Records.

[edit] Ahmet Ertegun announces new President

1974 - Ahmet Ertegun, now Chairman, announced Greenberg as President of Atlantic Records, making him the youngest president of a major record company at 32. Greenberg was then signing artists and overseeing the company on a daily basis.

[edit] Mirage is Born

1980 - Jerry Greenberg becomes a consultant to Atlantic while forming his own label with his brother, Bob Greenberg, called Mirage Music; Jerry remained on the East Coast, Bob on the West Coast.

[edit] MGM/United Artists Music

1986 - Greenberg is named President of MGM/United Artists. During his tenure at United Artists Music, he was executive producer for the soundtrack to the movie 'Karate Kid 2,' which went gold. With Chairman Jerry Weintraub leaving the company abruptly, the new management team didn’t want to continue having a recording company. Greenberg was asked to stay on and produce movie soundtracks, and in turn, ended up working with such greats as Mel Brooks on the soundtrack for the 1987 comedy, 'Spaceballs.'

[edit] Atco Records

1988 - Greenberg was asked to return to Atlantic Records as President of Atco Records, which was Atlantic’s other label based in California. Once there, he continued to sign major artists, including Michelé and JJ Fad, produced by Dr. Dre and Eazy-E. Both albums went platinum and it was the first rap album to go platinum for WEA Distribution. He also signed a platinum rock group from England, The Escape Club, and served as executive producer of the soundtrack to the hit 1987 motion picture , "Coming to America," starring Eddie Murphy.

[edit] WTG (Walter (Yetnikoff), Tommy (Motolla), Gerald (Greenberg) Records

1989 - Tommy Mottola, who took over Sony Music, offered Greenberg a label in California. Gerald was the third person Mottola hired on his team and let him form his own label as President of WTG Records.

[edit] MJJ Music (Michael Jackson)

1993 - Sony artist Michael Jackson offered Greenberg the position of President of MJJ Music, Jackson's label distributed through Sony. Greenberg served as President and CEO of MJJ Music from 1993 to 2000.

[edit] Westwood One

1994 - Greenberg is elected to the Board of Directors of Westwood One, the world’s #1 supplier of talk, sports, radio, news, and shows all over the world. He currently sits on this Board as the Chairman of the Compensation Committee.

[edit] Mirage Music is reactivated

2003-04 - Mirage Music Entertainment has been reactivated with a distribution deal through Sony Music. In addition, Mirage opened a subsidiary office in Jamaica with Stacy Greenberg as General Manager and an office in Las Vegas, NV.

[edit] Rainbow Bar & Grill Expansion Group

2005 - Jerry & Bob Greenberg form the Rainbow Bar & Grill Expansion Group. They licensed the name from America's No. 1 Rock & Roll Restaurant on Sunset Strip in Hollywood. The first restaurant opened in June 2005 in Las Vegas, across from the Hard Rock Hotel.

The Rainbow Bar & Grill in Las Vegas recreates the Hollywood location with red leather booths and rock-n-roll memorabilia adorning the walls.

[edit] MusiCares

2007 - Jerry Greenberg joins the board of MusiCares established in 1989 by The Recording Academy. MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies and each case is treated with integrity and confidentially.

[edit] Artists signed by Jerry Greenberg

[edit] Atlantic Records

[edit] Mirage Music

[edit] Atco Records

[edit] WTG/Sony Records

[edit] M.J.J./Sony Music

[edit] References

Rainbow Bar & Grill Press Mention Look Smart Article Chic Article

[edit] External links

Official Website