Robert Earl Myers Jr. (March 22, 1912 – March 12, 1976), also known as Bob Myers, was an American classical music record producer and artists & repertoire specialist. Myers spent most of his career at

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

and the classical music division of its

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

parent company, Angel Records. During his early years with Capitol Records, Myers produced

Grammy Award 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 ...

winning classical albums. In his later career, Myers led the Angel label in the United States, which included responsibility for all business and artist and repertoire decisions.

Early career (record producer)

Robert Earl Myers Jr. was born in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

.Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, California, serial number 923, order number 3073 He began his career at RCA Victor. In 1945 he moved to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

where he worked in marketing and promotion, as well as producing records under the direction of artists and repertoire chief Bill Richards. Myers produced records by the Budapest String Quartet, Helen Traubel,

Rise Stevens Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a video ...

and Nelson Eddy. Myers joined Capitol as classical sales promotions manager in 1949, the year that marked the company's first foray into the field of classical music. In 1952, Myers assumed responsibilities as a classical producer. During his tenure, Myers produced albums by

Hollywood String Quartet The Hollywood String Quartet (HSQ) was an American string quartet founded by violinist/conductor Felix Slatkin and his wife cellist Eleanor Aller. The Hollywood String Quartet is considered to be the first American-born and trained classical music ...

, Felix Slatkin,

Laurindo Almeida Laurindo Almeida (September 2, 1917 – July 26, 1995) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer in classical, jazz, and Latin music. He and Bud Shank were pioneers in the creation of bossa nova. Almeida was the first guitarist to receive Gra ...

Carmen Dragon Carmen Dragon (July 28, 1914 – March 28, 1984) was an American conductor, composer, and arranger who in addition to live performances and recording, worked in radio, film, and television. Early years Dragon was born in Antioch, California, ...

Roger Wagner Chorale The Roger Wagner Chorale is an American choir founded by choral musician and educator Roger Wagner in 1946. History In 1937, Roger Wagner joined the MGM chorus in Hollywood and was subsequently appointed Music Director of St. Joseph's Churc ...

Marcel Grandjany Marcel Georges Lucien Grandjany ( ) (3 September 1891 – 24 February 1975) was a French-American harpist and composer. Biography Early life Marcel Grandjany was born in Paris and began the study of the harp at the age of eight with Henriet ...

Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (HBO) is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the Hollywood Bowl. John Mauceri led the orchestra from its founding in 199 ...

Leonard Pennario Leonard Pennario (July 9, 1924 – June 27, 2008) was an American classical pianist and composer. He was born in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in Los Angeles, attending Los Angeles High School remaining in L.A. for his entire career. He firs ...

and

Salli Terri Salli C. Terri (September 3, 1922 – May 5, 1996) was a singer, arranger, recording artist, and composer. Record audiences still cite Terri's "haunting" vocals, with ''Hi-Fi Review'' originally describing her as ''"a mezzo soprano whose velvet ...

, among others. At the first Grammy Awards ceremony in 1959, five separate recordings produced by Myers were nominated in the classical categories. Three recordings were awarded the first Grammys in their respective categories. ''

Duets with Spanish Guitar ''Duets with the Spanish Guitar'' is an album by Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida with vocalist Salli Terri and flautist Martin Ruderman. It was released by Capitol Records in 1958. On the recording, Almeida arranged classical and folk reper ...

'' with Laurindo Almeida, Salli Terri and Martin Ruderman won Best Engineered Classical Recording. The 1959 Grammy for Best Classical Performance, Chamber Music was awarded to the Hollywood String Quartet for the Myers produced Beethoven ''String Quartet No 13 in B flat Op. 130''. Also that year, the Roger Wagner Chorale recording ''Virtuoso'' won the Grammy for Best Classical Performance, Operatic or Choral. ''Virtuoso'' was co-produced by Myers and Ralph O'Connor. Myers produced several other notable recordings during his early career. These include: ''The Spanish Guitars of Laurindo Almeida'', the 1960 Grammy winner Best Classical performance Instrumental Soloist or Duo; ''Conversations with the Guitar'' with Laurindo Almeida, Salli Terri and others, which won the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance Vocal or Instrumental-Chamber Music; the Grammy-nominated ''Music for the Harp'' by Marcel Grandjany; the Roger Wagner Chorale's 1955 ''Folk Songs of the New World'' featuring a solo by the young Marilyn Horne on "He's Gone Away"; the Roger Wagner Chorale's 1956 Gold Record ''Joy to the World''; and the Hollywood String Quartet 1953 recording of the Creston ''String Quartet, Op.8'' which earned the acclaim of the composer. Paul Creston wrote to Myers: "I am tremendously pleased with the performance and reproduction of the work. Would you...convey my deepest appreciation and gratitude to the Hollywood String Quartet for their splendid execution." A partial Robert Myers discography is located at the end of this article. As noted, several Myers recordings have been re-released in multiple formats, and continue to earn commendations, including the 2010 induction of ''Duets with the Spanish Guitar'' in the Fanfare Magazine Classical Recording Hall of Fame. More recently, in her memoir ''Simple Dreams'', singer

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

cited the Almeida-Terri-Ruderman ''Duets with the Spanish Guitar'' as "...one of my most cherished recordings."

Later career (classical repertoire and business leader)

In 1955, British based EMI acquired a 96% ownership interest in Capitol Records. EMI classical recordings previously released in the United States by RCA Victor were ultimately contractually transferred to the Angel label, distributed by Capitol. While still a producer, in 1958 Myers assumed the additional responsibility as Classical Coordinator, assuming administrative responsibility for all Capitol and EMI classical releases (called Cap-EMI and Angel respectively). Two classical labels in one company resulted in confusion in the marketplace. Capitol ultimately eliminated Cap-EMI, naming Robert Myers as Artist and Repertoire Director of Angel Records. Until 1974, Myers was responsible for the release schedules, marketing strategies and manufacturing sound quality for all Angel recordings in the United States. While collaborating with its EMI parent and other subsidiaries within the greater EMI organization, Angel Records in the United States exercised considerable autonomy in deciding how to meet the demands of the American classical market. In his capacity as director of Angel classical repertoire, Myers represented the business and artistic interests of Capitol Records as a member of the EMI International Classical Repertoire Committee ("ICRC"). The ICRC had representatives from EMI's classical subsidiaries around the world; the committee established international recording schedules, budgets and artist commitments. Many internationally renowned classical music artists recorded for EMI/Angel Records, including singers

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

Victoria de los Ángeles Victoria de los Ángeles López García (1 November 192315 January 2005) was a Catalan Spanish operatic lyric soprano and recitalist whose career began after the Second World War and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid- ...

, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf,

Giuseppe Di Stefano Giuseppe Di Stefano (24 July 19213 March 2008) was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the mid-1940s until the early 1990s. Called Pippo by both fans and friends, he was known as the "Golden voice" or "The most beautiful voic ...

Franco Corelli Franco Corelli (8 April 1921 – 29 October 2003) was an Italian tenor who had a major international opera career between 1951 and 1976. Associated in particular with the spinto and dramatic tenor roles of the Italian repertory, he was cel ...

, Mirella Freni,

Birgit Nilsson Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano. Although she sang a wide répertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner a ...

Tito Gobbi Tito Gobbi (24 October 19135 March 1984) was an Italian operatic baritone with an international reputation. He made his operatic debut in Gubbio in 1935 as Count Rodolfo in Bellini's ''La sonnambula'' and quickly appeared in Italy's major opera ...

; conductors Otto Klemperer, Herbert von Karajan,

Carlo Maria Giulini Carlo Maria Giulini (; 9 May 1914 – 14 June 2005) was an Italian conductor. From the age of five, when he began to play the violin, Giulini's musical education was expanded when he began to study at Italy's foremost conservatory, the Conserva ...

, Georges Prête, Sir Thomas Beecham; soloists

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to the v ...

, Jacqueline du Pré,

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...

and Dennis Brain. In the US, Angel Records also maintained an active recording program of American musicians, including

Christopher Parkening Christopher William Parkening (born December 14, 1947) is an American classical guitarist. He holds the Chair of Classical Guitar at Pepperdine University under the title Distinguished Professor of Music. Biography Parkening was born in Los Angel ...

, Angel Romero, Ransom Wilson, and

. Among the achievements during Myers' tenure was the 1966 creation of the Melodiya Angel label, led by Capitol's President

Alan W. Livingston Alan Wendell Livingston (born Alan Wendell Levison; October 15, 1917 – March 13, 2009) was an American businessman best known for his tenures at Capitol Records, first as a writer/producer best known for creating Bozo the Clown for a series ...

. Under Capitol's contractual agreement, Capitol Records had exclusive manufacturing and distribution rights for recordings made in the Soviet Union during the height of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. The agreement made previously unreleased recordings by Soviet-controlled artists including David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter,

Emil Gilels Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (Russian: Эми́ль Григо́рьевич Ги́лельс; 19 October 1916 – 14 October 1985) was a Russian pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time. Early life and educatio ...

and

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...

available in the United States. Robert Myers decided which records would be released under the agreement, and was responsible for liaison with Soviet officials, artists and recording experts. While heading Melodiya Angel, Myers was credited with the introduction of music that had not previously been known in the United States, including Shostakovitch's ''The Execution of Stepan Razin'' and Prokoviev's film score for ''Ivan the Terrible''. In addition, Myers secured the landmark 1973 release of the first recording ever made of Rachmaninoff's ''Vespers, Op. 37'', also known as the ''All Night Vigil, Op.37'' by Alexander Sveshnikov with the State Russian Choir (at the time known as the USSR Academic Russian Choir). In the March, 1974 issue of ''Stereo Review'', reviewer Abram Chipman observed that previously only excerpts of the work had been available on record. Chipman wrote: "The Melodiya recording was the serendipitous discovery of Angel's general manager Robert Myers while on a trip to the Soviet Union. Once he tracked down the recording, he had to prevail rather heavily on the Soviet powers that be to make it part of their trade agreement with Angel." During his Angel tenure, Myers was also responsible for the selection of music for ''The Story of Great Music'' and ''Concerts of Great Music'', a twenty-two volume set issued by Time-Life Records in collaboration with Angel from 1966-1968. The series covers the history of classical music from ''The Early Renaissance'' through ''The Music of Today''. Sample titles include: ''The Baroque Era'', ''The Age of Elegance'', ''The Age of Revolution'', and ''The Spanish Style''. Each box set includes four to five long playing LPs with an accompanying book on the art and history of the respective era, as well as a "Listening Guide" for each recording. Upon Myers' death in 1976, ''The Story of Great Music'' was noted as "the best selling series of classical records in history". From approximately 1966 to 1971, Bob Myers represented the classical music field as an elected member of the Los Angeles Board of Governors for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), which hosts the Grammy Awards among other recording industry endeavors.

Death

Robert E. Myers died in Los Angeles on March 12, 1976 at the age of 63.

Discography (partial)

: **Shostakovich ''Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57'' with Victor Aller (1952) Capitol P-8171, CTL 7024, Testament SBT 1077 **Tchaikovsky ''String Quartet No. 1 in D, Op. 11'' and Borodin ''String Quartet No. 2 in D'' (1953) Capitol P 8187, CTL 7031, Testament SBT 1061 **Franck ''Piano Quintet in F minor'' with Victor Aller (1953) Capitol P-8220, CTL 7045, Testament SBT 1077 **Turina ''La oración del torero'', Op. 34 and Creston ''String Quartet, Op. 8'' with Victor Aller (1953) Capitol P- 8260, CTL 7063, Testament SBT 1053 **Brahms ''Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34'' (1954) Capitol P-8269, CTL 7075, Testament SBT 3063 **Dvořák ''String Quartet No. 6 in F, Op. 96 ("American") '' and Dohnányi ''String Quartet No. 3 in A minor, Op. 33 '' (1955) Capitol P-8307, CTL 7098, Testament SBT 1081 **Schumann ''Piano Quintet in E flat, Op.44'' with Victor Aller and Hummel ''String Quartet Op 30 No. 2'' (1955) Capitol P 8316 **Smetana ''String Quartet'' and Glazunov ''Novelettes'' (1955) Capitol P-8331 **Brahms ''Piano Quartet No. 2 in A, Op. 26'' (1956) Capitol P-8376, PBR 8346 Testament SBT 3063 (3-CD set) **Brahms ''Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60'' with Victor Aller (1956) Capitol P-8377, PBR 8346 Testament SBT 3063 **Brahms ''Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25'' with Victor Aller (1956) Capitol P-8378, PBR 8346 Testament SBT 3063 **Schubert ''String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D 810 ("Death and the Maiden")'' (1957) Capitol P-8359 Testament 1061 **Beethoven ''String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132'' (1957) Capitol P-8424/PER 8394 Testament SBT 3082 **Beethoven ''String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131'' (1957) Capitol P-8425/PER 8394 Testament SBT 3082 **Beethoven ''String Quartet No. 13 in B flat, Op. 130'' (1957) Capitol P-8429/PER 8394 Testament SBT 3082, Grammy Award Winner, 1959 **Beethoven ''Grosse Fuge in B flat, Op. 133'' (1957) Capitol P-8455/PER 8394 Testament SBT 3063 **Villa-Lobos ''String Quartet No. 6'' and Kodály ''String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10'' Capitol (1958) P(SP) 8472 *

: **''Guitar Music of Spain'' (1954) Capitol P-8295 **''Guitar Music of Latin America'' (1955) Capitol P-8321 **''From the Romantic Era'' (1956) Capitol P-8341 **''Vistas di Espana'' (1956) Capitol P-8367 **''Impressoes do Brasil'' (1957) Capitol P-8381 **''New World of the Guitar'' (1957) Capitol P-8392 **''

'' (1958) Capitol P-8406, Angel S-36050, EMI CD GMR 2167 with

and Martin Ruderman, Grammy Award Winner **''For My True Love'' (1959) Capitol P(SP)-8461 with

Selected tracks Reissued Angel S-36051 as ''Duets with the Spanish Guitar Vol. 2'' **''Music for a Spanish Guitar'' (1959) Capitol P(SP)-8497 **''The Spanish Guitars of Laurindo Almeida'' (1960) Capitol P(SP)-8521 Grammy Award Winner **''Conversations with the Guitar'' (1960) Capitol P(SP)-8532 with

, Martin Ruderman, Mitchell Lurie, Sanford Schonbach, Grammy Award Winner Selected tracks Reissued Angel S-36051 as ''Duets with the Spanish Guitar Vol. 2'' **''Guitar World of Laurindo Almeida'' (1961) Capitol P(SP)- 8546 *

: **Faure ''Requiem, Op. 48'' (1953) with Patricia Beems, Theodor Uppman, Concert Arts Orchestra, Capitol P 8241, CTL 7050 CD: CDM 5 67251 2 **''Songs of Stephen Foster'' (1954) Capitol P 8267, CTL 7073, Angel S-36071 **''Folk Songs of the New World'' (1955) with

Harve Presnell George Harvey Presnell (September 14, 1933 – June 30, 2009) was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid-1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. His career re ...

, Marilyn Horne,

, Capitol P-8324/PBR 8345 **''Folk Songs of the Frontier'' (1955) with

, Richard Levitt, Capitol P-8332 **''Folk Songs of the Old World, Volumes 1 and 2'' (1956) Capitol P 8387 (Vol. 1), P 8388 (Vol. 2), PBR 8345 (Vols. 1 & 2) **''Joy to the World'' (1956) Capitol P(SP) 8353 CD:CDP 7 94688 2 **''House of the Lord'' (1957) Capitol P(SP) 8365 **''Songs of Latin America'' (1957) Capitol P 8408 **''Virtuoso'' (1958) Capitol P(SP)-8431 Grammy Award Winner, Produced with Ralph O'Connor * Felix Slatkin conducting: **Saint-Saëns ''Carnival of the Animals'' (1954) with Victor Aller,

Eleanor Aller Eleanor Aller (Slatkin) (May 20, 1917 – October 12, 1995) was an American cellist and founding member, with her husband, Felix Slatkin, of the Hollywood String Quartet. Life and career Born in New York City, she was the daughter of cellist Gre ...

, Harry Sukman and the Concert Arts Orchestra, Capitol P-8270, CTL 7069 **Debussy ''Children's Corner Suite'' and ''Petite Suite'' (1955) Concert Arts Orchestra Capitol P-8328 **''Espana'' (1957) Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra Capitol P(SP)-8357 **''Cello Galaxy'' (1959) Marni Nixon,

with the Concert Arts Orchestra Capitol P(SP)-8484, (2010) re-issue: ''A Felix Slatkin Compendium-Stereo and Mono Recordings, 1954-1959'' Pristine Classical PASC 218 **Debussy Dances Sacrée et Profane (1959) with

, Concert Arts Orchestra Capitol P-8492 *

: **''Pour le Harp'' (1957) Capitol P-8401 **''Music for the Harp'' (1958) Capitol P-8420 Grammy Award Nominee, Best Classical Performance Instrumental other than Concerto **''Bach by Grandjany'' (1958) Capitol P-8459 **Grandjany ''The Children's Hour; Rhapsodie pour le Harpe'' (1958) Capitol P(SP)-8492 reissue Seraphim 60412 *

: **Ravel ''Miroirs'' and ''Garspard de la Nuit'' (1952) Capitol P-8152 **Chopin ''Polonaise No. 6 in A flat, Op. 54 ("Heroic")'', Debussy '' Suite Bergamasque-Claire De Lune'', and Liszt ''Liebestraum No. 3 in A flat'' (1952) Capitol P-8156/CCL 7510 **''Waltzes'' (1952) Capitol P-8167 **''The Complete Chopin Waltzes'' (1952) Capitol P-8172/CTL 7027 **Rachmaninoff ''Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 3 No. 2'', ''Prelude in G minor, Op. 23 No. 5'', and Liszt ''Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C sharp minor, S 157'' (1952) Capitol H-8186 P-8312 CCL 7522 **''Piano Music of Spain'' (1952) Capitol P-8190 CTL 7054 **Liszt ''Mephisto Waltz No.1'', and Chopin ''Barcarolle in F sharp minor, Op. 60'' (1953) Capitol P-8246 CCL 7523 **Rachmaninoff ''Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19'' (1953) with Joseph Schuster Capitol P-8248 CTL 7052 **Mussorgsky ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' (1953) Capitol LAL-8266 CCL 7525 **Delibes ''Naila-Waltz'', Ravel ''La Valse'', and Strauss ''Der Zigeunerbaron Walzer'' (1954) Capitol P-8294 CTL 7087 **Albeniz ''Cantos de Espana'', and Lecuona ''Andalucia'' (1954) Capitol P-8319 **Bartók ''Piano Sonata'', Rosza ''Piano Sonata'', and Prokofiev ''Piano Sonata No. 3 in A, Op. 20'' (1957) Capitol-8376 **Franck ''Prelude, Fugue et Chorale'', and Schumann ''Fantasia in C, Op. 17'' (1957) Capitol P(SP)-8397 **''Keyboard Fantasies'' (1957) Capitol P-8391 *

: **''Songs of Enchantment'' (1959) with Laurindo Almeida, Hollywood String Quartet Capitol P(SP)-8482 **''At the Gate of Heaven'' (1959) Capitol P(SP)-8504 **''Songs of the American Land'' (1960) Capitol P(SP)-8522 Angel S-36085 **''I Know My Love'' (1961) with Laurindo Almeida Capitol P(SP)-8556 *Additional recordings: **Mozart ''Serenade in B flat, K361'' (1952) Los Angeles Wind Ensemble, William Steinberg conducting **''On Wings of Song'' (1955) Dorothy Warenskjold, Jack Crosson **Schubert ''Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat'' (1958) the Immaculate Heart Trio Capitol P-8442 **''Los Angeles Horn Club'' (1960) Capitol P(SP)-8525 reissue Seraphim S 60095, CD: EMI Studio 63764 **''Stories in Song'' (1961) William Clauson Capitol P(SP)-8539

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Robert E 1912 births 1976 deaths Capitol Records American record producers American music industry executives Grammy Award winners 20th-century American businesspeople