Jeff Gold
Encyclopedia
Jeff Gold is an American record label
executive, Grammy award
-winning art director, music historian and archivist
, and music memorabilia collector-dealer, who was executive vice president/general manager of Warner Bros. Records
from 1995-1998.
In 1981 he joined A&M Records
, where, as VP/marketing & creative services, he worked with The Police
, Janet Jackson
, Bryan Adams
, Soundgarden
, Cat Stevens
, and Iggy Pop
, and art-directed album covers for Suzanne Vega
(winning the 1991 “Best Recording Package” Grammy for her “Days of Open Hand
” album), the Neville Brothers, Al Green
, and John Hiatt
.
In 1990 Gold joined Warner Bros. Records as senior VP/creative services, working with Seal
, R.E.M.
, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers
; art directing album covers for Prince
, Jimi Hendrix
, Miles Davis
, Squeeze, and New Order
; and receiving “Best Recording Package” Grammy nominations for his work on packages for R.E.M.
, ZZ Top
, and Paul Westerberg
. He was an executive producer of the album “Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
” and the soundtrack to Howard Stern’s
movie “Private Parts
.” In 1993, Gold helped Warner Bros. establish the first online presence for a major record label, with dedicated Warner areas on AOL
and Compuserve
, and later the first website for a record company. Gold was instrumental in music distributor Warner-Elektra-Atlantic's decision to sell CDs without the much maligned “longbox
,” leading to an industry-wide phase-out. Gold was promoted to executive vice president/general manager of Warner Bros. in 1995, and left in 1998 in a management shakeup.
American Journey: 1955-1966” and “Beatlemania!” “Regarded as one of the top five collector-dealers in the world," Gold operates the music memorabilia website Recordmecca and writes about music and memorabilia on Recordmecca's blog.
Gold has worked on archival and reissue projects for artists including Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead
, the Velvet Underground, the Stooges
, and Gram Parsons
. His discovery of previously undocumented live and studio outtake tapes has led to major label releases, including “Bob Dylan In Concert at Brandeis University
1963” and unreleased performances by the Velvet Underground and The Stooges. He has assisted in the research for numerous books, television projects, and museum exhibitions.
His consulting projects have included archiving the papers of legendary music executive Mo Ostin
for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and working with A&M Records founders Herb Alpert
& Jerry Moss
and the University of California, Los Angeles
, special collections library to catalog the A&M Records Collection (Gold also co-curated an exhibit of the A&M collection at UCLA’s Research Library). Gold was a featured appraiser on VH1's
television show "Rock Collectors” and was profiled in the books "Vinyl Junkies" by Brett Milano and "Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past" by Simon Reynolds.
,” which presented him (and his wife Jody Uttal) its Founder’s Award in 1997.
BBC
documentary “Cracked Actor
,” the Prince BBC Documentary “Prince’s Millions,” and the Rhino Records documentary “Rhino Resurrected."
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
executive, Grammy award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning art director, music historian and archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
, and music memorabilia collector-dealer, who was executive vice president/general manager of Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
from 1995-1998.
Career
Gold was the first employee of Rhino Records, producing the label’s first release, “Go To Rhino Records” by Wildman Fischer.In 1981 he joined A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, where, as VP/marketing & creative services, he worked with The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
, and Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, and art-directed album covers for Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
(winning the 1991 “Best Recording Package” Grammy for her “Days of Open Hand
Days of Open Hand
Days of Open Hand is Suzanne Vega's third album, released in 1990 . This album won the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package in 1991.-Track listing:All songs written by Suzanne Vega except as noted.# "Tired of Sleeping" – 4:22...
” album), the Neville Brothers, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, and John Hiatt
John Hiatt
John Hiatt is an American rock guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New Wave, blues and country. Hiatt has been nominated for several Grammy Awards - although he has never won- and has been awarded a variety of other...
.
In 1990 Gold joined Warner Bros. Records as senior VP/creative services, working with Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...
, R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
; art directing album covers for Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Squeeze, and New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
; and receiving “Best Recording Package” Grammy nominations for his work on packages for R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
, and Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band...
. He was an executive producer of the album “Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix is a 1993 album recorded by various artists in tribute to Jimi Hendrix. The artists were drawn from many genres of popular music. Contributors include his classic rock contemporaries Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, blues man Buddy Guy, classical violinist Nigel...
” and the soundtrack to Howard Stern’s
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
movie “Private Parts
Private Parts (1997 film)
Private Parts is a 1997 American biographical comedy film produced by Ivan Reitman and released by Paramount Pictures. Written by Len Blum and Michael Kalesniko, the film is an adaptation of the 1993 best-selling book of the same name by radio personality Howard Stern, who stars as himself. It...
.” In 1993, Gold helped Warner Bros. establish the first online presence for a major record label, with dedicated Warner areas on AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
and Compuserve
CompuServe
CompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates...
, and later the first website for a record company. Gold was instrumental in music distributor Warner-Elektra-Atlantic's decision to sell CDs without the much maligned “longbox
Longbox
A longbox is a form of exterior paperboard packaging for musical compact discs in widespread use in the 1980s and early 1990s in North America.- Background :...
,” leading to an industry-wide phase-out. Gold was promoted to executive vice president/general manager of Warner Bros. in 1995, and left in 1998 in a management shakeup.
Recent Projects
Since leaving Warners, Gold has worked as a music historian and archivist on projects for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Experience Music Project. He served as a curatorial consultant to museum exhibitions including “Bob Dylan’sBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
American Journey: 1955-1966” and “Beatlemania!” “Regarded as one of the top five collector-dealers in the world," Gold operates the music memorabilia website Recordmecca and writes about music and memorabilia on Recordmecca's blog.
Gold has worked on archival and reissue projects for artists including Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, the Velvet Underground, the Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, and Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
. His discovery of previously undocumented live and studio outtake tapes has led to major label releases, including “Bob Dylan In Concert at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
1963” and unreleased performances by the Velvet Underground and The Stooges. He has assisted in the research for numerous books, television projects, and museum exhibitions.
His consulting projects have included archiving the papers of legendary music executive Mo Ostin
Mo Ostin
Mo Ostin is a record executive who has worked for several companies, including Verve, Reprise Records, Warner Bros. Records, and DreamWorks. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 by Paul Simon, Neil Young, and Lorne Michaels...
for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and working with A&M Records founders Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
& Jerry Moss
Jerry Moss
Jerome S. "Jerry" Moss is an American recording executive, best known for being the co-founder of A&M Records, along with trumpeter and bandleader Herb Alpert....
and the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, special collections library to catalog the A&M Records Collection (Gold also co-curated an exhibit of the A&M collection at UCLA’s Research Library). Gold was a featured appraiser on VH1's
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
television show "Rock Collectors” and was profiled in the books "Vinyl Junkies" by Brett Milano and "Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past" by Simon Reynolds.
Rock the Vote
Gold formerly served as co-chairman of the youth voter registration organization “Rock The VoteRock the Vote
Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization in the United States of America whose mission is to engage and build the political power of young people....
,” which presented him (and his wife Jody Uttal) its Founder’s Award in 1997.
Film and Television Appearances
Gold appeared in the David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary “Cracked Actor
Cracked Actor
Cracked Actor is a 53-minute-long BBC television documentary film about the pop star David Bowie. It was filmed in 1974. At the time he was a cocaine addict and the documentary has become notorious for showing Bowie's fragile mental state during this period...
,” the Prince BBC Documentary “Prince’s Millions,” and the Rhino Records documentary “Rhino Resurrected."