Jerry Wexler Dies
A friend of mine mentioned Jerry Wexler to me. I said, “Who?” Here’s what he wrote me:
Bad week for R&B, what with Isaac Hayes and Jerry Wexler dying. Wexler was THE reason that Atlantic Records and Stax Records were different from Motown.
Twenty essential Jerry Wexler recordings
1. Professor Longhair — “Tipitina” (1953)
2. Ray Charles — “I Got a Woman” (1954)
3. Big Joe Turner — “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (1954)
4. LaVern Baker — “Tweedlee Dee” (1954)
5. Champion Jack Dupree — “Junker’s Blues” (1958)
6. The Drifters — “There Goes My Baby” (1959)
7. Ray Charles — “What I’d Say” (1959)
8. Solomon Burke — “If You Need Me” (1963)
9. Booker T. & the MG’s — “Green Onions” (1962)
10. Wilson Pickett — “In the Midnight Hour” (1965)
11. Aretha Franklin — “Respect” (1967)
12. Dusty Springfield — “Son of a Preacher Man” (1969)
13. Dr. John — “Iko Iko” (1972)
14. Doug Sahm — “(Is Anybody Going to) San Antone” (1973)
15. Willie Nelson — “Bloody Mary Morning” (1974)
16. The Sanford/Townsend Band — “Smoke From a Distant Fire” (1977)
17. James Booker — “Winin’ Boy Blues” (1978)
18. Etta James — “Take It to the Limit” (1978)
19. Dire Straits — “Lady Writer” (1979)
20. Bob Dylan — “Gotta Serve Somebody” (1979)
Let me add a little more explanation from Rolling Stone:
Jerry Wexler, the legendary record man, music producer and ageless hipster, died at 3:45 a.m. today at the age of 91. Wexler was one of the great music business pioneers of the 20th century: as co-head of Atlantic Records from 1953 to ‘75, he and his partner Ahmet Ertegun grew the small independent R&B label into the major record company that it is today.
Wexler was much more than a top executive — he was a national tastemaker and a prophet of roots and rhythm. The impact of his deeds matched his larger-than-life personality. Because of him, we use the term “rhythm and blues” and we hail Ray Charles as “Genius” and Aretha Franklin as “Queen.” We came to know of a record label called Stax and a small town called Muscle Shoals, Alabama. We witnessed the rise of Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers, and we care about a thing called soul. (more… )
