Maurice Louis "Obie" Oberstein (26 September 1928—13 August 2001) was an American
music business
The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...
executive. He spent most of his career in Britain, where he was credited as "one of the chief architects of the modern UK record industry".
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Biography
He was born in a Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, the only son of music industry executive and record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...
owner Eli Oberstein and his wife Iris. Maurice studied chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...
and law, and had a brief spell in the US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
,[ before working for his father's ]Rondo
The rondo is an instrumental musical form introduced in the Classical period.
Etymology
The English word ''rondo'' comes from the Italian form of the French ''rondeau'', which means "a little round".
Despite the common etymological root, rondo ...
label. He sold the label in 1961 after his father's death. In 1963, he obtained clearance from John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
's estate to release an album of the assassinated President's speeches, ''John Fitzgerald Kennedy: A Memorial Album'', which reportedly sold over 4 million copies in a month and was said to be the fastest-selling LP in the world at that time.[ Pierre Perrone, "Obituary: Maurice Oberstein", ''The Independent'', 25 August 2001]
Retrieved 14 June 2014[
He joined Columbia Records in New York in 1965, and soon afterwards was sent to London to help develop the company's ]CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
label in Britain. He rose through the ranks of management at the company, eventually becoming the chairman of CBS Records UK in 1976.[ He promoted British acts such as ]The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
, New Hearts and Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. The group existed in two incarnations, both fronted by Adam Ant, over the period 1977 to 1982. The first, founded in May 1977 and known simply as The Ants until November of t ...
, and oversaw the successful international promotion of Jeff Wayne
Jeffry Wayne (born 1 July 1943) is an American-British composer, musician and lyricist. In 1978, he released ''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'', his musical adaptation of H. G. Wells' science-fiction novel ''The War of ...
's ''War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appearance in hardcover was i ...
'' album. In the 1980s, acts that he promoted included Sade, Wham!
Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling mor ...
and later George Michael. During his period at CBS, the company had 44 no.1 hits on the UK singles chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.[ He chaired the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) trade association between 1983 and 1985, and was a member of the Band Aid organising committee.][
In 1985 he threatened to leave Columbia and join its rival Polygram. Columbia boss ]Walter Yetnikoff
Walter Yetnikoff (August 11, 1933 – August 9, 2021) was an American music industry executive who was the president of CBS Records International from 1971 to 1975 and then president and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, CBS Records from 1975 to 19 ...
retaliated by announcing Oberstein's retirement at a conference. However, later that year Oberstein became managing director of Polygram Music, responsible for the company's acquisition of the A&M and Island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
catalogues, and ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...
's recordings. He was also appointed to a second two-year term as chairman of BPI in 1991.[
Oberstein was known for his forthright opinions and flamboyant eccentricities. He often brought one of his dogs to business meetings and awards ceremonies and would pretend to listen to its advice. He always wore a hat, sometimes bizarrely, and in disputes would place his hat on the table and leave the room, with the parting instruction to " talk to the hat".][
After his retirement he returned to the US in 1993, taking a post as "Professor of Pop" at the University of Miami. However, he remained an ]Anglophile
An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents.
Etymology
The word is derived from the Latin word ''Anglii'' and Ancient Greek word φίλος ''philos'', meaning "frien ...
, frequently returning to Britain. He died in London in 2001, aged 72, of a heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
while suffering from leukaemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...
,[ Gordon Masson, "U.K. Industry Mourns Loss of 'Architect' Oberstein", ''Billboard'', 25 August 2001, p.49]
/ref>[ Erich Boehm, "Maurice ‘Obie’ Oberstein", ''Variety'', 4 September 2001]
Retrieved 14 June 2014[ Donald Clarke, "OBERSTEIN, Eli and Maurice", ''Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music'']
Retrieved 15 June 2014 leaving instructions that his ashes should be scattered at Cheltenham Racecourse and at Queen's Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football, football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home ...
' football ground.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberstein, Maurice
1928 births
2001 deaths
American music industry executives
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
American expatriates in the United Kingdom