Bob Thiele
Bob Thiele | |
---|---|
Born | Robert Thiele July 27, 1922 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Record producer, record label founder |
Years active | 1936-1996 |
Known for | heading Impulse! Records, founding Flying Dutchman Records, Coral Records. |
Spouse(s) | Jane Harvey[1] Pauline Rivelli Teresa Brewer Monica Lewis (1945-47) |
Children | Bob Thiele Jr. |
Robert "Bob" Thiele (July 27, 1922 – January 30, 1996) was an American record producer who worked on numerous classic jazz albums and record labels.[2][3]
Early life and career
Bob Thiele was born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, United States, on July 27, 1922.[4] He hosted a jazz radio show when he was 14. He also played clarinet and led a band in the New York area. At 17, he founded the Signature label and recorded jazz musicians such as Lester Young, Erroll Garner and, in 1943, Coleman Hawkins. Signature ceased activities in the late-1940s and Thiele joined American Decca in 1952, running its Coral subsidiary. His last wife was the singer Teresa Brewer, whom he met and produced while working for Decca in the 1950s.
Thiele was head of the Impulse! Records label from 1961 to 1969 after its originator Creed Taylor left to run Verve. While at Impulse, Thiele's best known association was with John Coltrane, but he also recorded such artists as Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp, and Albert Ayler among others. His most successful hit song, "What a Wonderful World", was co-written with George David Weiss and recorded by Louis Armstrong. According to Thiele's memoir, the recording session for the song was the scene of a major clash with ABC Records president Larry Newton, who had to be locked out of the studio after getting into a heated argument with Thiele over the song.[5] "What a Wonderful World" was credited to George Douglas or Stanley Clayton. They are pseudonyms Thiele used, made from the names of his uncles, Stanley, Clayton, George, and Douglas. Thiele is credited as co-writer of a few other songs, none having anything remotely close to the success of "What a Wonderful World."[6]
In the late 1960s, Thiele was often brought in to produce artists on the company's
After seven years with ABC Records, the parent of Impulse, Thiele formed his own company, Flying Dutchman Productions, in 1968.
Thiele remained active in the music business until the end of his life,[4] including the co-writing of the song "You," which was recorded by Bonnie Raitt and appeared on her 1994 album, Longing in Their Hearts.
Death
He died of kidney failure, according to a friend, at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan on January 30, 1996.[3]
Discography
- 1967: Thoroughly Modern (ABC)
- 1968: Light My Fire (Impulse! Records) - with Gábor Szabó
- 1969: Head Start (as 'Bob Thiele Emergency') (Flying Dutchman Records)
- 1975: I Saw Pinetop Spit Blood (Flying Dutchman Records)
- 1984: The Twenties Score Again (Columbia)
Bibliography
- Bob Thiele (1995) What a Wonderful World: A Lifetime of Recordings, Oxford University Press
- Bob Thiele and George David Weiss; Illustrated by Tim Hopgood (2014) What a Wonderful World, Henry Holt and Company
References
- ^ "Jane Harvey, 88, Jazz Singer With Long and Varied Career", The New York Times, August 20, 2013
- ^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Watrous, Peter (February 1, 1996). "Bob Thiele, 73, Record Producer for Jazz Legends". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Tony Wilkinson. "Bob Thiele". taken from "This Is My Story", collected by Dik de Heer. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
- ^ Kahn, Ashley (2006). The House That Trane Built. London: Granta Books. p. 199.
- ^ "Songs Written by Bob Thiele". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ "Lucille - B.B. King | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
- ^ Billboard - Google Boeken. November 23, 1968. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.