Ethel Gabriel
Ethel Gabriel | |
---|---|
Birth name | Ethel Nagy Gabriel |
Born | RCA Victor | November 16, 1921
Ethel Nagy Gabriel (November 16, 1921 โ March 23, 2021) was an American
She was the first female record producer for a major label and the first female A&R producer in the industry.[1][2] Gabriel was the winner of a Grammy Award in 1982 and also produced several Grammy-winning albums.[1]
Personal life
Gabriel was born in November 1921, and grew up in a
Gabriel graduated in 1943 from
She spent most of her career based in New York City but traveled the world through her work with RCA Victor. She was the wife of Gus Gabriel, President of Dunhill Publishing Company (New York City).[5] When Gus Gabriel was hospitalized, Frank Sinatra sent autographed photos to all of the nurses to make sure he got the best care.[6]
Gabriel previously resided in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania in a home she designed herself[3] before moving to Rochester, New York to be closer to family, as she had no children.[7]
Gabriel died in Rochester, New York in March, 2021 at the age of 99.[8]
Career at RCA Victor
In 1940, a relative helped Gabriel gain employment at the RCA Victor plant in Camden, New Jersey.[6] She began as a "finisher" working evenings. Her tasks were to affix labels to records, pack records for shipment[3] and various secretarial duties.[9] She was then promoted to quality control as a record tester. Her job was to listen to one out of every 500 records for sound quality, check the label was correct and that the record had no scratches. She learned a lot about hit records, having had to listen to so many different styles and types of music.[6]
The recording studios at RCA Victor were nearby so Gabriel brought her trombone to work. She would watch recording sessions and practice between sessions when she could. Gabriel became secretary to Herman Diaz Jr., manager of RCA Victor's A&R department. She "practically lived at the sound studios" where she learned by listening and watching others work.[10]
Record producer
Around 1959, Gabriel became head of the RCA Camden budget reissue label which was in danger of folding. Gabriel suspected that her boss, who was not in favor of women in the record industry, put her in charge of the moribund Camden label as a way to possibly force her out of RCA Victor. Gabriel went on to rejuvenate the Camden label and transform it within just a few years, into a multimillion-dollar label.[3]
Gabriel was transferred from Camden to New York City to work for RCA Victor's educational and international record department. She commented she learned everything on her own because her boss enjoyed going out on the road and left the work to her.[11]
Gabriel convinced RCA Victor's vice-president,
Living Series
In 1959, Gabriel created the RCA Camden "Living Strings" series of albums, which were easy listening instrumental string versions of popular tunes,[13] earning a Grammy Award in 1968.[14] Living Strings proved to be a popular series and enjoyed a 22-year run.[1] Their popularity spawned other "Living" ventures, such as the Living Jazz, Living Voices, Living Guitars, and Living Brass. Gabriel was also involved with the production of George Melachrino's "Music for Moods" series that yielded the titles Music for Dining, Music for Daydreaming, Music for Faith and Inner Calm, and Music to Stop Smoking By.[15]
A&R representative
Gabriel served as the
Gabriel became vice-president in 1982[3] of Pop Contemporary A&R. She was the first woman at RCA Records to achieve a vice-president title.
Accomplishments
At RCA Victor, Gabriel was on the ground floor of the creation of the company's famous
Gabriel was involved with RCA's earliest
In 1983, Gabriel in an interview with the
Gabriel retired from RCA Records in 1984, after 44 years with the label.[1]
Career after RCA
In the late 1980s and 90s, Gabriel was president of JazzMania records, Vice President of Jade Panther Productions, and President of Aurora Records. She co-produced off-Broadway plays such as The Aunts in 1989 and A Cast of Hawks.
Victim of retirement fraud
In 1984, Gabriel gave her entire RCA retirement ($251,485.92) to a friend, former
Awards and accolades
Gabriel was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1967 and won a 1983
Sessions - Vols. 1, 2 & 3.Grammy-nominated albums
- Living Voices: Wish Me A Rainbow (Best Performance by a Chorus, 1967)[19]
- Living Voices: Angel in the Morning (Best Contemporary Performance by a Chorus, 1969)[20]
Gabriel was on the Governor's Board of the Recording Academy's New York Chapter 1983โ1986.
Gold records
Gabriel produced fifteen gold records out of over twenty-five hundred releases to her credit. Eleven reissues in the RCA Pure Gold series received gold records as well as two platinum. Her Gold Record Awards for RCA included:
- Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music (CAS-660(e))
- Henri Mancini - The Pink Panther Soundtrack (ANL1-1389)
- Elvis Presley - Pure Gold (ANL1-0971(e))
- Roger Whittaker - The Last Farewell and Other Hits (AFL1-0853)
- The Best of Roger Whittaker (AFL1-2253)
- Larry Elgart - Hooked On Swing (AFL1-4343)
In 1997, she was honored by Women in Music Inc. at their Touchstone Awards in New York. She was awarded for being "First A&R Producer in the Industry" and for making a difference in the music industry.[21][2]
In 2014, she was named to the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.[22]
References
- ^ a b c d e Spevak, J.S. (May 15, 2011). "Women Trailblazers". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ a b "Good Works" (PDF). Billboard Magazine: 62. February 1, 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gordon, Cynthia (April 17, 1992). "Ethel Gabriel has record of success". The Express-Times.
- ^ Cartlon, William (June 4, 1979). "Gabriel's New Tune". Daily News.
- ^ Laskow, Michael. "Interview with Suzan Bader, President DSM/All-American Music Library". TAXI A&R. Archived from the original on 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- ^ a b c KOOMAR, SUSAN. "Working with the stars". poconorecord.com. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- ^ Gannett Company. pp. 1A, 9A. Archived from the originalon December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- ^ Ethel Gabriel obituary
- ISBN 978-0-415-21190-1.
- ^ Delaplane, Gaye (August 18, 1983). "Record Producer Has Her Ear On The Beat". Cincinnati Enquirer.
- ^ "RCA 100 Years of Music". Billboard. May 12, 2001.
- ^ Elvis Gold Record, Grammy Awards of Legendary Record Producer Ethel Gabriel to be Sold at Auction ElitesTV.com
- ^ Faith, Percy. "Listening To Popular Music" (PDF). PercyFaith.org. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- ^ "Latest Music News s". Metrolyrics.com. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-472-08942-0.
- )
- ^ a b [1][permanent dead link]
- ^ a b McDowell, Edwin (May 29, 1983). "The Art of Fine-Tuning a Recording". The New York Times.
- ^ "Ethel Gabriel". GRAMMY.com. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ "Living Voices". GRAMMY.com. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ "Touchstone is Milestone". Billboard Magazine. March 8, 1997. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ Blase, Frank De. "POP | Rochester Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony". City News. Retrieved 2019-04-03.