When I was around the age of 12, in my home country, Venezuela, an American cousin of mine asked me to play “some R&B music,” from which I had no idea what she was referring to. She then explained to me simply, “it's that type of catchy, smooth music that makes you think about love." I understood what she meant but I still did not know what the term R&B meant. I had forgotten about that up until now that I now know what it means, learning from the man who coined the term itself, Jerry Wexler.
As a pioneer in the music business, Jerry Wexler was responsible for signing and/or producing many of the biggest acts of his time including: Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers, Dire Straits, Dusty Springfield, and Bob Dylan. Due to his prominent influence in the industry, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and to the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.
Early Years
Born on Jan 10, 1917, to a Jewish working-class family, he grew up during the Depression in upper Manhattan, New York. Jerry’s youth consisted of skipping school and going out with his friends to listen to records, until the mid-1930s when his mother decided to start shaping his destiny, enrolling him in college.
After attending Kansas State University, Wexler got drafted to serve in the military in 1941. His shiftless, directionless attitude was gone; it had gotten replaced by a strong work ethic and a desire to succeed.
Jerry returned to New York to pursue a career in journalism and the music business. In a day when music publishers held more power than record companies, he first worked as a song-plugger, and then as a Billboard reporter. During his time at Billboard, he coined the term “Rhythm and Blues” for the magazine’s black music chart to replace the term “Race Music.” The term underwent several shifts in meaning through the years, frequently applied to blues, then to rock and roll, and then it kept changing up until the more recent years where now “contemporary R&B” exists (The Weeknd, Drake, Beyoncé), still being rhythm and blues but with elements of pop, soul, funk, disco, hip-hop, and electronic music.
Two of the industry insiders that Wexler had met during his Billboard days were Herb Abramson and Ahmet Ertegun, owners of a small independent R&B label, Atlantic Records. When Jerry became tired of his job at Billboard and wanted out, the two offered Jerry a position as head of their publishing company. A year later, he became co-head of Atlantic Records.
Atlantic Records
It was at Atlantic Records where Jerry’s potential blasted through the whole industry, shifting trends with a workaholic mindset and excellent (and big) ears. It was during his time in Atlantic that he signed many famous artists, one of them being the pioneer of soul music and 17-time Grammy award winner, Ray Charles. Another was the queen of soul, 18-time Grammy Award winner and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, Aretha Franklin. Then in 1968, he had signed with the 5-time Grammy Award winners, one of the most successful, innovative, and influential rock groups in history, Led Zeppelin.
Wexler’s headstrong personality and ambitions made him a force to be reckoned with when it came to business. He would not shame away from hassling distributors for payment and battling other labels for market share. Working with Ertegun, the two made a formidable pair, balancing their love of music and creators with their will to succeed. They increased Atlantic’s fortune by forging innovative contracts with songwriters, producers, labels, and studios (which have since become a common practice in the industry).
The only person capable of the effects of success Wexler was himself, which he did when, according to him, he made the worst decision of his life. He convinced the Ertegun brothers to sell Atlantic to Warner Brothers (then known as Warner Seven Arts) but left major money on the table. Wexler regretted the decision for the rest of his life.
Later Years
After realizing he was not made to work under someone, Wexler became an independent producer. He kept working on his passion, supervising Bob Dylan’s Christian-themed recordings Slow Train Coming (1979) and Saved (1980) as well as albums by Dusty Springfield, Carlos Santana, Linda Ronstadt, and Dire Straits, among others. He kept himself busy and maintained his influence in the music business, guiding other producers and working on his projects.
He passed away peacefully at his home in Sarasota, Florida, on August 15, 2008, due to heart failure. Several years before his death, when asked by a documentary filmmaker what he wanted to be inscribed on his tombstone, Wexler replied “Two words: ‘More bass’.”
A staple in the industry and the person responsible for causing changes in the culture he lived in, Jerry Wexler will always be seen as the quintessential businessman of the music industry.
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