Jerry Kasenetz is an American

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...

producer who worked with

Jeffry Katz Jeffry Katz (born May 20, 1943, Brooklyn, New York) is an American music producer, one of the first exponents of bubblegum pop. Music career He is one half of a hitmaking duo with Jerry Kasenetz, the two working together as the Super K Productio ...

, the two working together as the

Super K Productions {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 Super K Productions was a 1960s American recording production company under Buddah Records, headed by producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz, whose groups specialized in bubblegum pop. Their biggest successe ...

company,Clarke, Donald (ed.) (1998) ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', Penguin Books, , p. 182 to manufacture and produce bands such as

Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus was a bubblegum "supergroup" created by record producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz, consisting of various Super K Production groups. Original cast recording For the first album, the fictitious c ...

The Music Explosion The Music Explosion was an American garage rock band from Mansfield, Ohio, United States, discovered and signed by record producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz. The quintet is best known for their number two hit, "Little Bit O' Soul", that ...

1910 Fruitgum Company The 1910 Fruitgum Company is an American bubblegum pop band of the 1960s. The group's ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits were "Simon Says", "May I Take a Giant Step", " 1, 2, 3, Red Light", "Goody Goody Gumdrops", " Indian Giver", "Special Delivery", a ...

Crazy Elephant Crazy Elephant was an American bubblegum pop band noted for their 1969 hit single, "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'". Crazy Elephant was a studio concoction, the Marzano-Calvert Studio Band, created by Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz of Super K Producti ...

, and The Ohio Express.Romanowski, Patricia; George-Warren, Holly & Pareles, John (2001) ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll (third edition)'', Simon & Schuster Ltd, , p. 700Hall, Claude (1967)
Long Sessions Required for 'Seriious' Pop
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'', September 2, 1967, p. 1, 10, retrieved 2011-06-25

Music career

The two met at the University of Arizona in the early 1960s. One of their first projects in the music business was as concert promoters bringing the British band,

Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark served as the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964 they had their first UK top ten sin ...

to the University of Arizona. Leaving the University of Arizona before their senior year, they moved back to New York and opened a small office on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. Kasenetz and Katz created the concept of bubblegum music.

Neil Bogart Neil E. Bogart (born Neil Scott Bogatz, February 3, 1943 – May 8, 1982) was an American record executive. He was the founder of Casablanca Records, which later became Casablanca Record and Filmworks. Life and career Born Neil Scott Bogatz in t ...

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foun ...

asked the duo to come up with a marketing name for their music. Between 1967 and 1969 some of their bubblegum music releases are "Beg, Borrow and Steal," "1, 2, 3, Red Light," "Goody, Goody Gumdrops," "

Indian Giver "Indian giver" is a pejorative expression used to describe a person who gives a "gift" and later wants it back or who expects something of equivalent worth in return for the item. It is based on cultural misunderstandings that took place between ...

", "Down at Lulu's," "Chewy, Chewy," "Mercy," "

Simon Says Simon Says is a children's game for three or more players. One player takes the role of "Simon" and issues instructions (usually physical actions such as "jump in the air" or "stick out your tongue") to the other players, which should be follow ...

," "Special Delivery," "

Yummy Yummy Yummy "Yummy Yummy Yummy" is a song by Arthur Resnick and Joey Levine, first recorded by Ohio Express in 1968. Their version reached No. 4 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart in June and No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. It has since been covered by many artis ...

" and " Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'." In 1966, their first production was with Christine Cooper on "S.O.S. Heart In Distress." The same year Kasenetz and Katz began working with an Ohio band,

who recorded "

Little Bit O' Soul "Little Bit O' Soul" is a song written in 1964 by British songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis. It was originally recorded by Coventry band The Little Darlings, and released in 1965 on Fontana Records in the UK. The Music Explosion version In ...

." Kasenetz got in his car and drove across the country promoting the song to radio stations. In July 1967, the song reached No. 2 on the ''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart, selling a million copies. This solidified Kasenetz and Katz as music industry players. In 1977, Kasenetz and Katz achieved another top twenty hit "Black Betty" by the group

Ram Jam Ram Jam was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1977, predominantly known for their hit single " Black Betty". Overview The band consisted of Bill Bartlett (guitar and lead vocals) born 1946 in South Harrow, London, England, Ho ...

, featuring Bill Bartlett of the

Lemon Pipers The Lemon Pipers were a 1960s American psychedelic rock band from Oxford, Ohio, United States, known chiefly for their song "Green Tambourine", which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1968. The song has been credited as being the first bubb ...

References

Living people American record producers 1943 births {{US-musician-stub