Jimmy Ienner ( ; born ) is an American music producer, best known for producing albums for such artists as

Bay City Rollers The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band known for their worldwide teen idol popularity in the 1970s. They have been called the "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh" and one of many acts heralded as the "biggest group since the Beat ...

The Raspberries The Raspberries were an American pop rock band formed in 1970 from Cleveland, Ohio. They had a run of success in the early 1970s music scene with their pop rock sound, which AllMusic later described as featuring "exquisitely crafted melodies and ...

and

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup ...

Biography

He went to Stamford (Connecticut) High School and graduated in 1963. He grew up in the Cove section of Stamford and while still in high school, Ienner formed and sang with the Barons. They charted with a tune titled "Pledge of a Fool" on the Epic label. Ienner and his brother

Don Ienner Don Ienner ( ) is an American music executive. He served as president of Columbia Records from 1989 to 2003, and as Chairman from 1994 to 2003. In April 2003 he became president of Columbia's umbrella company, Sony Music U.S., overseeing its musi ...

founded the publishing house C.A.M. U.S.A., which operated from 1972 to 1977. C.A.M. U.S.A. was a publishing, management and production company which represented such artists as American Asfault, Three Dog Night,

Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums, vocals), and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and succes ...

Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura Ny ...

Air Supply Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hit ...

Raspberries The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus '' Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with w ...

, and

Eric Carmen Eric Howard Carmen (born August 11, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist. He was first known as the lead vocalist of the Raspberries. He had numerous hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of the Rasp ...

. Records that Ienner was involved with usually bear his distinctive logo next to his name—a widely smiling pair of lips. Jimmy Ienner is a producer, advisor, publisher and consultant. His early work included the New York City psychedelic rock band January Tyme. Credited as album co-ordinator of their first and only album 'First Time from Memphis', recorded in 1969, released in 1970, now a cult collectors item, still circulating and being re-released. He was the key music producer for the 1987 film ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...

'' and co-executive produced the soundtrack with Bob Feiden. The film was shot to oldies songs from the personal collection of

Eleanor Bergstein Eleanor Bergstein (born 1938) is an American writer, known for writing and co-producing ''Dirty Dancing'', a popular 1980s film based in large part on her own childhood. Life and career Bergstein was born in 1938 in the Brooklyn borough of New ...

, the film's writer and producer. Ienner obtained licenses for the songs in her collection, chose other artists, and also enlisted star

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

to sing "

She's Like the Wind "She's Like the Wind" is a 1987 song by American actor and singer Patrick Swayze from the soundtrack to the film ''Dirty Dancing''. The song features additional vocals from singer Wendy Fraser. The ballad reached number three on the US ''Billbo ...

". Swayze had written the song a few years earlier with

Stacy Widelitz Stacy or Stacey may refer to: Places In the United States: * Stacy, California, an unincorporated community * Stacy, Kentucky * Stacy, Minnesota, a city * Stacy, Virginia, a village People * Stacy (given name) * Stacy (singer) (born 199 ...

, originally intending for it to be used in the 1984 film ''

Grandview, U.S.A. ''Grandview, U.S.A.'' is a 1984 American comedy-drama film directed by Randal Kleiser, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Carole Cook, Ramon Bieri, John Cusack, Joan Cusack, M. Emmet Walsh, Mi ...

'' with

Jamie Lee Curtis Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, children's author, and activist. She came to prominence with her portrayal of Lt. Barbara Duran on the ABC sitcom '' Operation Petticoat'' (1977–78). In 1978, she m ...

and

C. Thomas Howell Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966) is an American actor. He has starred in the films '' Soul Man'', '' The Hitcher'', '' Grandview U.S.A.'', ''Red Dawn'', ''Secret Admirer'' and '' The Outsiders''. He has also appeared in '' Gett ...

. Ienner was also executive producer for the ''

'' soundtrack album with the film's music. The film's popularity caught the producers by surprise, and the album had one million copies on back order before a single had even been released. The album spent 18 weeks at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album sales charts and went platinum eleven times, selling more than 39 million copies worldwide. It spawned a follow-up album in February 1988, entitled ''More Dirty Dancing'', which also went multi-platinum, selling 32 million copies worldwide. Ienner also worked on music for

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

and

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

. He has been awarded 85 gold and platinum albums, multiple

Grammys The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

and two

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, including one for the ''Dirty Dancing'' soundtrack, which remains one of the top selling albums of all time. He also worked on the soundtrack albums for ''The Big Chill'', ''White Men Can’t Jump'', and ''

Sister Act ''Sister Act'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Paul Rudnick (as Joseph Howard). It stars Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer forced to join a convent after being placed in a witness protection program. It ...

''. Ienner was inducted into the Stamford High School Wall of Fame in 1998. He has a son, Jimmy Ienner Jr.

Notes

References

* ''Dirty Dancing'',

E! True Hollywood Story ''E! True Hollywood Story'' is an American television documentary series on E! that pulls back the curtain and highlights some of pop culture's most fascinating people, moments and trends. The series offers exclusive interviews with new insigh ...

, first aired September 3, 2000 * http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=21853&string=Omarion

External links

*
Jimmy Ienner Jr.'s website
* https://archive.today/20130104101753/http://www.music.msn.com/artist/?artist=16141785&menu=credits&startingItem=11 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ienner, Jimmy Living people American record producers 1940s births American music industry executives Stamford High School (Stamford, Connecticut) alumni