Jake Riviera

Jake Riviera (born Andrew Jakeman, February 1948, in Edgware, Middlesex) is a music business entrepreneur best known for his management of such performers as Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe and as co-founder (with Dave Robinson) of pioneering British indie label Stiff Records.

Riviera attended St. Nicholas Grammar School and was in school bands and local groups in north-west London in the 1960s, and became road manager of pub-rock act Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers in the early 1970s.

Assuming the role of manager, he engineered a street-level marketing campaign on behalf of the hard-gigging group by working with the late graphic designer Barney Bubbles.

In 1975, Riviera organised 'Naughty Rhythms', a package tour featuring Chilli Willi, Dr. Feelgood, and Kokomo. When pub-rock failed to make the leap out of smaller venues, Chilli Willi split and Riviera became tour manager for Dr Feelgood for the r&b group's US dates in Spring 1976. Encountering independent local record labels, Riviera was inspired on his return to the UK to found Stiff (music business parlance for a flop) with Robinson, then manager of Graham Parker & the Rumour in summer 1976.

Riviera signed the Damned - whom he also managed - to Stiff in September 1976, ensuring that the group was the first punk act to release a record with their October 1976 single 'New Rose'. In November 1976 Riviera arranged for Stiff to follow that with the single release of the 'Blank Generation' EP which contained the punk anthem of the same name by Richard Hell & The Void-Oids.

Riviera managed other early Stiff signings Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, who was also in-house producer, and in 1977 recruited Bubbles to work with him on an impressive run of designs for record sleeves, posters, badges and advertising and promotional campaigns for Lowe, The Damned, Costello and such performers as Ian Dury, Wreckless Eric and the veteran music hall star Max Wall.

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