Jerry Wexler, 1917 - 2008.

Jerry Wexler, the legendary record man, music producer and ageless hipster, died at 3:45 am today at the age of 91. Wexler was one of the great music business pioneers of the 20th century: as co-head of Atlantic Records from 1953 to '75, he and his partner Ahmet Ertegun grew the small independent R&B label into the major record company that it is today.... Because of him, we use the term "rhythm and blues" and we hail Ray Charles as "Genius" and Aretha Franklin as "Queen." We came to know of a record label called Stax and a small town called Muscle Shoals, Alabama. We witnessed the rise of Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers, and we care about a thing called soul.

Ashley Kahn, Rolling Stone.

Mr Wexler was something of a paradox. A businessman with tireless energy, a ruthless streak and a volatile temper, he was also a hopeless music fan. A New York Jew and a vehement atheist, he found his musical home in the Deep South, in studios in Memphis and Muscle Shoals, Ala, among Baptists and Methodists, blacks and good old boys.

"He was a bundle of contradictions," said Tom Thurman, who produced and directed a documentary about Mr Wexler in 2000. "He was incredibly abrasive and incredibly generous, very abrupt and very, very patient, seemingly a pure, sharklike businessman and also a cerebral and creative genius."

The title of Mr Thurman's documentary, Immaculate Funk was Mr Wexler's phrase for the Atlantic sound, characterized by a heavy backbeat and a gospel influence. "It's funky, it's deep, it's very emotional, but it's clean," Mr Wexler once said.

Bruce Weber, New York Times.

Online listening tip. A playlist from Rolling Stone (for those in the US).

Posted by dwhudson at August 15, 2008 1:41 PM