Jerry Blaine (December 31, 1910 – March 14, 1973) was a bandleader, co-founder of

Jubilee Records Jubilee Records was an American independent record label, specializing in rhythm and blues and novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. His partner was Jerry Blaine. Blaine bought Abramson's half of the compan ...

, record distributor, and singer who recorded 18 sides for the Master and

Bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

labels from 1937 to 1938.

Biography

He was born to 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 Allenwood, New Jersey on December 31, 1910. In May 1946, Herb Abramson founded

with Jerry Blaine as his business partner. In September 1947, Abramson had Blaine buy him out and Blaine became the

sole proprietor A sole proprietorship, also known as a sole tradership, individual entrepreneurship or proprietorship, is a type of enterprise owned and run by one person and in which there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business entity. A sole ...

of Jubilee. Jubilee's first hit record was in 1948 with the Orioles' song " It's Too Soon To Know" (# 1 R&B, # 14 pop). The song was originally issued on Blaine's It's a Natural label. The label also released risque comedy records and

Kermit Schafer Kermit Schafer (March 24, 1914 – March 8, 1979) was an American writer and producer for radio and television in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for his collections of "bloopers"—the word Schafer popularized for mistakes and gaffes o ...

's blooper recordings. Blaine's largest money maker was his record distribution company, Cosnat Distributing. During

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

payola Payola, in the music industry, is the illegal practice of paying a commercial radio station to play a song without the station disclosing the payment. Under US law, a radio station must disclose songs they were paid to play on the air as spons ...

trial of February 4, 1960, Blaine was implicated in paying to have his music played on the radio. Jubilee was sold to Viewlex in 1970 and Blaine left the company. He agreed to serve as a consultant to Viewlex for a year. The master tapes were eventually sold to

Roulette Records Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed ...

Morris Levy Morris Levy (born Moishe Levy; August 27, 1927 – May 21, 1990) was an American entrepreneur in the fields of jazz clubs, music publishing, and the independent record industry. Levy was cofounder and owner of Roulette Records, founding partner ...

sold Roulette to Rhino Records in the late 1980s. Jerry Blaine died from a heart attack in 1973 in Nassau, New York.

Jerry Blaine Orchestra in 1937

References

*John A. Jackson's; ''Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed and the Early Years of Rock & Roll'' (1991)

External links

Jerry Blaine
American rock musicians 20th-century American Jews 1973 deaths 1910 births 20th-century American musicians Bluebird Records artists {{US-music-bio-stub