George Goldner | |
---|---|
Born |
Brooklyn, New York, United States |
February 9, 1918
Died | April 15, 1970 Turtle Bay, New York, United States |
(aged 52)
Occupation(s) | Record label owner, record producer |
Years active | 1948–1970 |
George Goldner (February 9, 1918 – April 15, 1970) was an American record label owner, record producer and promoter who played an important role in establishing the popularity of rock and roll in the 1950s, by recording and promoting many groups and records that appealed to young people across racial boundaries. Among the acts he discovered were the Crows, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and Little Anthony and the Imperials.
He established (or helped establish) a number of record labels, including Tico, Rama, Gee, Roulette, End, Gone, and Red Bird. It was said of him that he "discovered more talent, both in front of the microphone and behind the scenes, than most producers get to record in a lifetime.. Moreover, in the decades since, much of the music that Goldner recorded and released has retained an astonishing appeal to generations of listeners".
Goldner was born in 1918, in a Jewish household to a mother Rose originally from Poland and father Adolph from Austria. He and his two sisters grew up in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of the east side of New York City, and he attended Peter Stuyvesant High School. While still in school he worked weekends as a waiter at the Shelton Hotel, where his father also worked while acquiring furnished brownstones. Goldner later worked in the garment business, before opening a chain of dance halls in New York and New Jersey.