Kim Fowley
| Kim Fowley | |
|---|---|
Fowley in Paris, 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kim Vincent Fowley |
| Born |
July 21, 1939 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Died | January 15, 2015 (aged 75) Hollywood, California, United States |
| Genres | Pop, rock, glam rock, protopunk, alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, impresario, songwriter |
| Years active | 1959–2015 |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | www |
Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was an American record producer, singer and musician. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and for managing the Runaways in the 1970s. He has been described as "one of the most colorful characters in the annals of rock & roll," as well as "a shadowy cult figure well outside the margins of the mainstream."
Born in Los Angeles, Fowley was the son of character actor Douglas Fowley and actress Shelby Payne. His parents later divorced and Payne was remarried to William Friml, son of composer, Rudolf Friml. He attended University High School at the same time as singers Jan Berry and Dean Torrence (later of Jan and Dean fame), Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Johnston (later of the Beach Boys), as well as actors Ryan O'Neal, James Brolin and Sandra Dee.
In 1957, he was hospitalized with polio and, on his release, became manager and publicist for a local band the Sleepwalkers that included Johnston, drummer Sandy Nelson and, occasionally, Phil Spector. He spent some time in the armed forces and, by his own account, worked in the sex industry in Los Angeles in the late 1950s. In 1959 he began working in the music industry in various capacities for both Alan Freed and Berry Gordy. His first record as producer was "Charge" by the Renegades, a group comprising Johnston, Nelson, Nik Venet and Richard Podolor. He promoted records for the duo Skip & Flip (Skip Battin and Gary S. Paxton) including the #11 hit "Cherry Pie".
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