Seymour Stein
Seymour Stein | |
---|---|
Born | Seymour Steinbigle April 18, 1942 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Died | April 2, 2023 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 80)
Occupations |
|
Spouse | |
Children | 2, including Mandy Stein |
Awards | Member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame |
Seymour Steinbigle (April 18, 1942 – April 2, 2023),
Career
Stein was born in
King Records owner Syd Nathan approached Stein to work for him in Cincinnati, Ohio. Stein's father was skeptical, but King told him "Your son has shellac in his veins. Your son is good for one thing and one thing only, and that's being in the record business. If you don't let him into the music business, he will wind up delivering newspapers for the rest of your life. If you don't want that on your conscience, you will let him come with me for the summer." Stein started work for King, working there for two years as an intern before joining the company in 1961.[6]
Homesick, he returned to New York in 1963 to work for
Working there in the Brill Building, he became friends with FGG Productions record producer Richard Gottehrer. Seeing that relations between Goldner and Lieber and Stoller were fracturing, he decided to start a new venture.[7] He founded Sire Productions in 1966 with Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company,[8] which led to the formation of Sire Records. That year, Stein had an opportunity to sign Jimi Hendrix, praising him for his original material, but ultimately decided against doing so after witnessing Hendrix smash his guitar on one occasion and argue with his friend, Linda Keith, on successive occasions.[9]
The label initially concentrated on licensing European releases with little success, until Dutch
Such was Stein's influence in signing and promoting the
Stein was the president of Sire Records as well as vice president of Warner Bros. Records until his announced retirement on July 18, 2018.[12] He had had a marketing and distribution deal from 1976 to 1994 and again from April 2003 until his retirement. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, 2005, under the lifetime-achievement category.[7] On June 9, 2016, Stein was honored with the Richmond Hitmaker Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[1]
Legacy
Stein was the subject of an eponymous song by the Scottish musical group Belle and Sebastian about a failed attempt to sign the group.[1] He was the winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Dance Music Awards in 2010.[13] Ice-T wrote about Stein in his autobiography, stating: "He's cut from that cloth of the old-time music executives like Clive Davis, but he's way more eccentric... Just a little more bizarre, a bit more avant-garde, more of an edgy cat."[14] He wrote that Stein would never edit his musical output, but would sometimes express concerns (e.g. he was against homophobia in rap).[14]
Personal life and death
Stein was married to the music promoter and real estate executive Linda Stein (1945–2007) and together the couple had two daughters. They divorced, on amicable terms, in the late 1970s.[15] Stein never remarried. He revealed he was gay in 2017. Filmmaker Mandy Stein is his daughter. Stein's elder daughter, Samantha, died as a result of brain cancer in 2013, at the age of 40.[16] Stein published his autobiography, Siren Song: My Life in Music, in 2018.[17]
Stein died of cancer at home in Los Angeles on April 2, 2023, aged 80.[18][19]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Seymour Stein, Sire Co-Founder Who Signed Madonna and Ramones, Dies at 80". Variety. April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Billboard Staff (August 5, 2013). "CBGB Fest Announces Seymour Stein as Icon Award Winner, Van Toffler To Give Keynote (Exclusive)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- ^ Kessler, Dana (July 25, 2013). "The Legendary Seymour Stein: Seymour Stein, Record Company Man Who Signed The Ramones and Madonna". Tablet. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- ^ "Seymour Stein, Jewish record mogul who signed Madonna, Talking Heads, dies at 80". The Times of Israel. April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
As he details in his 2018 autobiography, Stein's father became closer to Orthodox Judaism in his 30s and 40s, regularly bringing his family to a nearby synagogue, where he was a vice president. Stein wrote that his father stopped by the synagogue at 6 a.m. before working in Manhattan's Garment District and then again after work on his way home every day.
- Tablet Magazine.
I love Israel. I'm very Jewish, I'm very proud of it. I wear it like a badge. I'm not really Orthodox but I'm a very strong believer in Judaism and Jewish tradition. It's deep, deep in my heart. I believe very strongly in God.
- ^ a b "Seymour Stein: Shellac in His Veins". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ a b "Seymour Stein: 'Music replaced every other thing that was important to me'". Music Week. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ "Personality Clash: Seymour Stein Vs Tim Dellow | Clash Music Exclusive General". Clashmusic. November 9, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
- ISBN 9781401382810.
- ^ "Madonna Pays Tribute to Seymour Stein: 'He Changed and Shaped My World'". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0195314281.
- ^ "Seymour Stein Is Leaving Warner Music and Sire Records, the Label He Launched 51 Years Ago". Billboard.
- ^ "25th Annual International Dance Music Awards Winners". TheUntz. March 26, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-345-52328-0.
- ^ Lambert, Bruce (November 1, 2007). "Real Estate Agent Found Slain in 5th Ave. Home". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- ^ Christman, Ed (June 13, 2018). "Seymour Stein On His New Autobiography & Why the Music Industry Should Pay More Tribute to Its Past". Billboard.
- ^ Stace, Wesley (June 14, 2018). "'Siren Song' Review: An Ear for What Was Next". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Sisario, Ben. "Seymour Stein, Record Industry Giant Who Signed Madonna, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ^ "Seymour Stein obituary". The Times. London. April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
External links
- Biography by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Interview with Seymour Stein by Terry Gross of Fresh Air, October 15, 2009
- Seymour Stein discography at Discogs
- Seymour Stein at IMDb