Cowboys and Indies: The Epic History of the Record Industry (59 page)

The record industry’s most lovable rogue, Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic. His starspangled career spanned five decades. (Warner Music Archive)

Jerry Wexler,
Billboard
writer turned R&B producer who broke Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. In 1968, he also signed Led Zeppelin to Atlantic. (Warner Music Archive)

A man with a plan, Steve Ross, Warner’s corporate boss from 1970 to 1992. (Warner Music Archive)

Highfliers on the Warner jet: (Left to right) Stan Cornyn, Russ Thyret, Joe Smith, Chrysalis founders Terry Ellis and Chris Wright. Mo Ostin is seated on the extreme right. (Courtesy of Stan Cornyn)

(Left to right) Columbia boss Clive Davis with Nina and Jac Holzman, New York, 1968. (Jac Holzman Archive)

Jimi Hendrix watched by his roadie Dave Robinson during the recording of Eire Apparent’s
Sunrise
album, Los Angeles, 1968. (Courtesy of Dave Robinson)

From Greenwich Village to Sunset Strip—Jac Holzman, the Elektra founder who signed the Doors. (Jac Holzman Archive)

Arguably Britain’s greatest ever record man, Island founder Chris Blackwell. Among many important signatures, his proudest achievement was bringing Bob Marley to the world. (Courtesy of
Petersimon.com
)

Stiff Records cofounder Dave Robinson with guitarist Martin Belmont, 1979. An Irishman in search of London’s own folk, Robinson discovered and broke Ian Dury, Graham Parker, Elvis Costello, Lene Lovich, Madness, and the Pogues. (Courtesy of Dave Robinson)

Simon Draper, the ears behind Virgin Records. Signing Mike Oldfield, Tangerine Dream, XTC, the Flying Lizards, OMD, the Human League, Simple Minds, Heaven 17, UB40, Culture Club, Phil Collins, and many others, Draper was instrumental in forging the sound of the eighties. (Courtesy of Simon Draper)

Supertramp’s
Crime of the Century
launch, 1974. (Left to right) Band manager Dave Margereson, A&M London boss Derek Green, a bobby questioning A&M cofounder Jerry Moss about the party serving alcohol after hours. Green and Moss would later break the Police. (Courtesy of Derek Green)

Punk pioneers: The Ramones with Sire cofounder Seymour Stein (third from right) standing beside band manager Danny Fields (far right). In 1968, Fields brought MC5 and protopunks the Stooges onto Elektra. Seymour Stein would soon sign Talking Heads and, in 1982, Madonna. (Warner Music Archive)