Don Arden
| Don Arden | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Harry Levy 4 January 1926 Crumpsall, Manchester, England |
| Died | 21 July 2007 (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Alzheimer's disease |
| Education | Royal College of Music |
| Occupation | Businessman, author, music manager, publicist, agent, impresario |
| Years active | 1954–1986 |
| Known for | Being founder of Jet Records |
| Spouse(s) |
Hope Shaw (m. 1950–99) (her death) |
| Children | David Arden (legally Levy) (born 1950) Sharon Osbourne (born 1952) Richard Tubb (stepson; born 1942) Dixie Tubb (stepdaughter; born 1934) |
Don Arden (born Harry Levy; 4 January 1926 – 21 July 2007) was an English music manager, agent, and businessman best known for overseeing the careers of the rock acts like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Air Supply, Small Faces, The Move, and Black Sabbath.
He achieved notoriety in Britain for his aggressive, sometimes illegal business tactics; which led to his being called "Mr Big", the "Yiddish Godfather" and the "Meyer Lansky of Pop".
He was married to Hope Shaw, a former ballet dancer/teacher, who died in 1999. He was the father of David Levy and Sharon Osbourne (and father-in-law of Ozzy Osbourne).
Arden's success story turned sour when his violent 'negotiating' methods and questionable accounting caught up with him, and he became estranged from members of his own family.
Born into a Jewish family in Cheetham Hill, Manchester. Arden began his showbusiness career when he was just 13 years old as a singer and stand-up comic after briefly attending the Royal College of Music and in 1944 changed his name from Harry Levy to Don Arden. After being demobilised from the British Army at the end of World War II, Arden returned to carve out his showbiz career from 1946 to 1953.
Arden worked as an entertainer on the British variety circuit. He impersonated famous tenors such as Enrico Caruso and film gangsters such as Edward G. Robinson and George Raft. On weekends, Yiddish-speaking Arden impressed Jewish audiences with his Al Jolson routine. One of his record releases was his version of "Blue Suede Shoes" on the Embassy label when he did his best to impersonate Elvis. He gave up after that and in 1954 went on to become a showbiz agent after realising it would be more profitable. He began his career organising Hebrew folk song contests, then started putting together his own shows.
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