Jerry L. Greenberg is an American music executive, who at 32, was the youngest president of any major record company in the recording industry and received that title in 1974 as President of Atlantic Records. He started his career in the music business as a drummer in the band "Jerry Green and The Passengers" which he founded. The band recorded for Atlantic Records,

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 ...

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

, and DCP Record labels. By the age of eighteen years, Greenberg already had his own record label, called Green-Sea Records. During his tenure as president of several major labels, Jerry has signed such acts as

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 ...

The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respecti ...

, Foreigner,

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

, TS Monk,

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own en ...

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

, Nile Rodgers, Dr. Dre & Eazy-E (Production Deal),

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

, Brownstone and 3T. Jerry also introduced Mariah Carey to

Tommy Mottola Thomas Daniel Mottola (born July 14, 1948) is an American music executive, producer and author. Mottola is currently the Chairman of Mottola Media Group and was previously the Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, parent of the Columb ...

. In addition to signing acts Jerry has worked with some of the greatest artists in music including, AC/DC, Aretha Franklin,

Bad Company Bad Company are an English rock supergroup that was formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell. Bad Company ''AllMusic'' Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, a ...

, Bee Gees, Crosby Stills Nash & Young,

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percus ...

, Eric Clapton,

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

, Yes, and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Biography

Jerry Green and The Passengers

1957 - Gerald L. Greenberg from

New Haven, CT New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

formed his own band. The band recorded for Atlantic Records,

, and DCP Records as Jerry Green and The Passengers. By the age of eighteen, Greenberg already had his own record label, called Green-Sea Records.

Seaboard Distributors

1964 - Greenberg joined Seaboard Distributors in Hartford, CT, as a record promoter, where he promoted records to radio stations for such labels as Atlantic Records, Chess Records, Liberty Records,

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

, Phillips,

, and many others.

Gerald Wexler

1967 - Jerry Wexler asked Greenberg to become his

personal assistant A personal assistant, also referred to as personal aide (PA) or personal secretary (PS), is a job title describing a person who assists a specific person with their daily business or personal task,. it is a sub-specialty of secretarial duties ...

at Atlantic Records. At that time, Wexler was Vice President of Atlantic Records, and was the producer of Aretha Franklin,

, and many others. Wexler taught Greenberg all about

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

, producing, finding songs, and the day-to-day tasks of running a major label.

General Manager of Atlantic Records

1969 - When Atlantic's parent company, Warner Bros-Seven Arts was sold to Kinney Services (Predecessor to

Warner Communications Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

in 1969, Greenberg was announced

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of Atlantic Records. Jerry Wexler spent a majority of his time in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, which left Greenberg plenty of time to spend with Ahmet Ertegun, who was President of Atlantic at that time.

Vice President of Radio Promotion and Artists and Repertoire

1972 - Within five years, Greenberg held two titles; Vice President of Radio Promotion, and Vice President of Artists and Repertoire for Atlantic Records.

Ahmet Ertegun announces new President

1974 - Ahmet Ertegun, now Chairman, announced Greenberg as President of Atlantic Records, making him the youngest president of a major record company at 32. Greenberg was then signing artists and overseeing the company on a daily basis.

Mirage is Born

1980 - Jerry Greenberg becomes a consultant to Atlantic while forming his own label with his brother, Bob Greenberg, calle
Mirage Music
Jerry remained on the East Coast, Bob on the West Coast.

MGM/United Artists Music

1986 - Greenberg is named President of

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

. During his tenure at United Artists Music, he was executive producer for the soundtrack to the movie ' Karate Kid 2,' which went gold. With Chairman

Jerry Weintraub Jerome Charles "Jerry" Weintraub (September 26, 1937 – July 6, 2015) was an American film producer, talent manager and actor whose television films won him three Emmys. He began his career as a talent agent, having managed relatively unknown ...

leaving the company abruptly, the new management team didn't want to continue having a recording company. Greenberg was asked to stay on and produce movie soundtracks, and in turn, ended up working with such greats as

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...

on the soundtrack for the 1987 comedy, ' Spaceballs.'

Atco Records

1988 - Greenberg was asked to return to Atlantic Records as President of

Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the comp ...

, which was Atlantic's other label based in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Once there, he continued to sign major artists, including

Michel'le Michel'le Denise Toussant (born December 5, 1970), also spelled Toussaint, is an American R&B singer known for her songs from 1989 to the early 1990s. Her highest charting song is the top ten US Hot 100 hit "No More Lies". Between 2013 and 201 ...

and

JJ Fad J.J. Fad is an American female rap group from Rialto, California. The name was an acronym of the original group members' given names (Juana, Juanita, Fatima, Anna, and Dana), but when the line-up changed the tradition developed that it stood fo ...

, produced by Dr. Dre and Eazy-E. Both albums went platinum, and it was the first

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

album to go platinum for WEA Distribution. He also signed a platinum rock group from England, The Escape Club, and served as executive producer of the soundtrack to the hit motion picture, ''

Coming to America ''Coming to America'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis and based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the lead role. The film also co-stars Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Hea ...

'', starring Eddie Murphy.

WTG (Walter (Yetnikoff), Tommy (Motolla), Gerald (Greenberg) Records

1989 -

, who took over

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...

, offered Greenberg a label in California. Gerald was the third person Mottola hired on his team and let him form his own label as President of

WTG Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical mus ...

MJJ Music (Michael Jackson)

1993 - Sony artist

offered Greenberg the position of President of MJJ Music, Jackson's label distributed through

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...

. Greenberg served as President and CEO of MJJ Music from 1993 to 2000.

Westwood One

1994 - Greenberg is elected to the Board of Directors of

Westwood One Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The compan ...

, the world's #1 supplier of talk, sports, radio, news, and shows all over the world. He currently sits on this Board as the Chairman of the Compensation Committee.

Mirage Music is reactivated

2003-04 - Mirage Music Entertainment has been reactivated with a distribution deal through Sony Music. In addition, Mirage opened a subsidiary office in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

with Stacy Greenberg as General Manager and an office in Las Vegas, NV.

Rainbow Bar & Grill Expansion Group

2005 - Jerry & Bob Greenberg form the Rainbow Bar & Grill Expansion Group. They licensed the name from America's No. 1 Rock & Roll Restaurant on Sunset Strip in Hollywood. The first restaurant opened in June 2005 in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, across from the Hard Rock Hotel. The Rainbow Bar & Grill in Las Vegas recreates the Hollywood location with red leather booths and rock-n-roll memorabilia adorning the walls.

MusiCares

2007 - Jerry Greenberg joins the board of

MusiCares MusiCares Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1989 and incorporated in 1993 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, ...

established in 1989 by

The Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy A ...

. MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies and each case is treated with integrity and confidentially.

Mirage Music Entertainment

2009 to 2011 - Mirage Tribute Bands is formed. MTB handled tribute bands

Led Zepagain Led Zepagain (stylized Led ZepAgain) is an American hard rock tribute band formed in Ventura, California. The current band consists of vocalist/harmonica player Swan Montgomery ("Robert Plant"), Guitar/ Mandolin Anthony David Thymiakos ("Jimmy P ...

(Led Zeppelin tribute band), Rolling the Stones (

tribute band), ABBACADABRA (

tribute band), Bonfire ( AC/DC tribute band), Bella Donna ( Stevie Nicks tribute band), The Long Run (

tribute band), Fan Halen (

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

tribute band) and others. MTB presented Bring Back the Music every Wednesday night at the Hilton Hotel (now Westgate) in Las Vegas.

PEM Records

2013 to Present - Greenberg forms new EDM label with partners from Ibiza, Spain. "With the new EDM music scene emerging, a new music label from Ibiza and LA is a perfect fit," said Greenberg. Greenberg also has one granddaughter, Eden

Artists signed by Jerry Greenberg

Atlantic Records

J. Geils Band ''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...

Archie Bell and the Drells Archie Bell & the Drells was an American R&B vocal group from Houston, Texas, and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records. The band's hits include " Tighten Up", "I Can't Stop Dancing" (both 19 ...

* Blue Magic *

Cerrone Marc Cerrone Daryl Easlea, "Supernature Boy", ''Record Collector'', #502, February 2020, pp.60-63 (, ; born 24 May 1952) is a French disco drummer, composer, record producer and creator of concert shows. Cerrone is a producer of 1970s and 198 ...

Firefall Firefall is an American country rock band that formed in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974. It was founded by Rick Roberts, former member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jock Bartley, who had been Tommy Bolin's replacement in Zephyr. The band' ...

* Foreigner * Gary Numan *

* Major Harris *

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...

Trammps The Trammps are an United States, American disco and soul music, soul musical ensemble, band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands. The band's first major success was their 1972 cover version of "Zing! Went the S ...

* Jackie Moore *

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

Mirage Music

Brenda K Starr Brenda Joy Kaplan (born October 14, 1966), known by her stage name Brenda K. Starr, is an American singer and songwriter. She is well known originally in R&B, dance and pop but now mostly in salsa-based music. She is also well known for her 198 ...

*Gerard McMann * Nile Rodgers * Nolan Thomas *

Phoebe Snow Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs " San Francisco Bay Blues", " Poetry Man", "Harpo's Blues", and her credited ...

* Robin Gibb * Shannon * South Side Johnny * TS Monk *

* Spinners *

Xavion Xavion was a rock band from Memphis, Tennessee who were active in the 1980s. They had the distinction of being the first African-American rock group to appear on MTV. They are known for the singles "Get Me Hot" and "Eat Your Heart Out". Backgroun ...

Atco Records

* Dr. Dre & Eazy-E (Production Deal) * Escape Club *

* R.B. Greaves *

Acker Bilk Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, (28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014) was a British clarinetist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistc ...

WTG/Sony Records

Pauly Shore Paul Montgomery Shore (born February 1, 1968) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his roles in 1990s comedy films. Shore began as a stand-up comedian at the age of 17, before becoming an MTV VJ in 1989. This led to a sta ...

Eddie Griffin Edward Rubin Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for portraying Eddie Sherman in the sitcom '' Malcolm & Eddie'', the title character in the 2002 comedy film '' Undercover Brother'', and Tiberius Jef ...

*Johnny Crash *Jimmy Harnen *Michael Rodgers *8th Wonder *

Jason Bonham Jason John Bonham (born 15 July 1966) is an English drummer. He is the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Since his father's death in September 1980, he has performed with the surviving three members of Led Zeppelin on several occasi ...

Band *Louie Louie *

*Stephanie

M.J.J./Sony Music

* 3T * Brownstone * Quo *

Rebbie Jackson Maureen Reillette "Rebbie" Jackson-Brown (; born May 29, 1950) is an American singer, actress, and the eldest child of the Jackson family of musicians. She first performed on stage with her siblings during shows in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the MGM ...

Tatyana Ali Tatyana Marisol Ali is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from 1990 to 1996. She starred as Tyana Jones on the TV One original series ''Love That Girl!'', an ...

*Nathan Cavaleri *Men Of Vizion *Tasha Scott

References

Rainbow Bar & Grill Press MentionLook Smart Article

External links

*
Rainbow Bar and Grill LVJerry Greenberg Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2021) {{DEFAULTSORT:Greenberg, Jerry L. American music industry executives Year of birth missing (living people) Living people