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Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 300 items) |
Abstract | Jerry Wexler (1917- ) was born in New York City. He was a partner with Ahmet Ertegun in Atlantic Records, an independent record label specializing in rhythm and blues, a term Wexler coined while a reporter for Billboard Magazine. With Atlantic, Stax, and other labels, Wexler created a greatly influential corpus of classic rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. The collection is composed of material that Wexler collected documenting his life and career as music producer specializing in rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul music. It includes scrapbooks chiefly containing newspaper clippings concerning Wexler, musicians and producers with whom he associated, and the 1979 musical One Mo' Time, which he produced. Musicians documented in these clippings include Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Dusty Springfield. Other materials include articles and speeches Wexler wrote, commercial and non-commercial audio recordings and video recordings, and a biographical poster. Among these materials are a photocopy of Aretha Franklin's session notes during the recording of her 1970 release Spirit in the Dark (1970), Wexler's Grammy nomination card as producer of the original cast recording of The Wiz, and a handwritten note to Wexler from Quincy Jones wishing him a happy new year in 1980. |
Creator | Wexler, Jerry. |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Folklife Collection |
Language | English |
Processed by: Benn Joseph and Steven Weiss, April 2005
Encoded by: Benn Joseph and Kelly Kress, April 2005
Revised by: James McGlothlin, April 2005
Clippings have been photocopied for preservation purposes.
Books and sheet music originally donated with this collection have been described and cataloged separately.
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
Jerry Wexler was born 10 January 1917 in New York City and grew up in Washington Heights. Early on, he gravitated towards sports and jazz music. Wexler graduated from high school at age 15 and enrolled at Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science where he obtained a degree in journalism. He served in the United States Army and was stationed in Florida and Texas. After the Army and a job with BMI, he was hired as a reporter for Billboard Magazine. At Billboard, Wexler suggested "rhythm and blues" as a name change for "race records," Billboard's rubric for black music.
Attending jazz clubs and postwar jam sessions, Wexler met Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson, founders of Atlantic Records, an independent record label specializing in rhythm and blues. When Abramson went into the Army, Wexler joined Atlantic as a partner.
During different periods of his career Wexler had two main co-producers, Ahmet Ertegun and Barry Beckett, a southern piano player. In the 1950s, Wexler produced or co-produced recordings by LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, the Drifters, and Big Joe Turner. During the 1960s, Wexler relocated much of his production work from New York City to Stax in Memphis, Tenn., and Fame in Muscle Shoals, Ala. He produced or co-produced artists including Solomon Burke, Cher, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, and Dusty Springfield. Wexler and Franklin worked together into the 1970s, and it was during Franklin's stay at Atlantic that she recorded the body of work for which she is best known.
In 1975, Wexler resigned from Atlantic, but continued producing records in Miami at Criteria Studios, where he had set up "Atlantic South." In the 1970s and 1980s, Wexler worked with a number of significant artists including Dr. John, Doug Sahm, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Carlos Santana. He also produced the musical One Mo' Time, the original cast recording of The Wiz, and the motion picture soundtracks to Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling and Pretty Baby. His soundtrack for Pretty Baby received an Academy Award nomination in 1979. As a record producer, Jerry Wexler helped create a greatly influential corpus of classic rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul music. Wexler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He and David Ritz wrote Rhythm and the Blues: A Life in American Music (Knopf, 1993).
Back to TopThe collection is composed of material that Jerry Wexler collected documenting his life and career as music producer specializing in rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul music. It includes scrapbooks chiefly containing newspaper clippings concerning Wexler, musicians and producers with whom he associated, and the 1979 musical One Mo' Time, which he produced. Musicians documented in these clippings include Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Dusty Springfield. Other materials include articles and speeches Wexler wrote, commercial and non-commercial audio recordings and video recordings, and a biographical poster. Among these materials are a photocopy of Aretha Franklin's session notes during the recording of her 1970 release Spirit in the Dark (1970), Wexler's Grammy nomination card as producer of the original cast recording of The Wiz, and a handwritten note to Wexler from Quincy Jones wishing him a happy new year in 1980.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological and by format.
Material documenting Jerry Wexler's life. Chronological material is chiefly newspaper clippings. Audio and video materials include interviews with Wexler and historical perspectives on Atlantic Records. Also included is a biographical poster, or biomontage, created for Wexler by his attorney.
Arrangement: Original order of materials in scrapbook has been maintained.
Photocopies of materials from a scrapbook that contained showbill, newspaper clippings, and press releases documenting the 1979 musical One Mo' Time, which was produced by Jerry Wexler at the Village Gate. Clippings are mostly reviews of the production.
Folder 7 |
Scrapbook materials |
Arrangement: alphabetical by artist.
Newspaper clippings and other items collected by Jerry Wexler pertaining to artists with whom he worked. There is a separate folder for Aretha Franklin, which contains a photocopy of her session notes for Spirit in the Dark.
Folder 8 |
Aretha Franklin: Spirit in the Dark |
Folder 9 |
A-E |
Folder 10 |
F-J |
Folder 11 |
K-Z |
Folder 12 |
VariousIncludes music charts, book reviews, and general music articles mentioning artists with whom Wexler worked |
Arrangement: alphabetical by artist.
A selection of commercial recordings from Jerry Wexler's collection. These recordings were either produced or highly influenced by him.