Jerry Brandt
Encyclopedia
Jerry Brandt is a club owner, promoter
, and manager
, active since the 1960s. He is known chiefly for discovering Carly Simon
and serving as her first manager, as well as for his work with Lori Petty
. Brandt was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
but within a few years he moved up the ranks and became head of the pop music division. While working at William Morris
, he booked acts like the Beach Boys and Sonny and Cher and he discovered Chubby Checker
, and brought the Rolling Stones to the USA. He also handled Sam Cooke
, Dick Clark, and Muhammed Ali, for theatrical events. In the 1970s he managed glam rock
artist Jobriath Boone.
In 1968 Brandt married the actress Janet Margolin
.
Contemporaneous with his management work, Brandt also opened, owned, and managed major music venue
s such as The Electric Circus(1967), the The Ritz
, The Palladium and Spo-Dee-O-Dee - a Blues Club. In 1970 he left the Electric Circus and moved to Los Angeles.
In the mid 1970s he opened "The French Jeans Store" with Jerry Hart on east 60th st. in New York and was among the first to introduce European designer jeans in America. Brandt also produced the Broadway show "Gotta Go Disco" at the Minskoff Theatre
.
In 1992 Brandt opened the Italian restaurant "Italica" at 220 East 46th Street with Ron Delsener, Robin Leach
, and Bob Krasnow
. Here they introduced "pizza by the meter".
As part of Brandt's many involvements he is said to have bought the rights to the book Stranger in a Strange Land
and subsequently sold the movie rights to Warner Brothers Studios. Brandt also consulted for Steve Rubell
and Ian Schrager
at Studio 54
.
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
, and manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
, active since the 1960s. He is known chiefly for discovering Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
and serving as her first manager, as well as for his work with Lori Petty
Lori Petty
Lori Petty is an American film and television actress best known for playing "Tyler Endicott" in Point Break in 1991, "Kit Keller" in A League of Their Own in 1992, and the title role in Tank Girl in 1995.-Early life:...
. Brandt was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
Career
After serving in the army Brandt worked first as a messenger and then in the mailroom at the William Morris AgencyWilliam Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
but within a few years he moved up the ranks and became head of the pop music division. While working at William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
, he booked acts like the Beach Boys and Sonny and Cher and he discovered Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker is an American singer-songwriter. He is widely known for popularizing the twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist"...
, and brought the Rolling Stones to the USA. He also handled Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
, Dick Clark, and Muhammed Ali, for theatrical events. In the 1970s he managed glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
artist Jobriath Boone.
In 1968 Brandt married the actress Janet Margolin
Janet Margolin
Janet Margolin was an American theater, television and film actress.- Early life :Margolin was born in New York City, the daughter of Benjamin Margolin, an accountant who was born in Russia and was founder and president of the Nephrosis Foundation, now the Kidney Foundation of New York...
.
Contemporaneous with his management work, Brandt also opened, owned, and managed major music venue
Music venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Typically, different types of venues host different genres of music...
s such as The Electric Circus(1967), the The Ritz
Ritz (rock club)
-History:The Ritz was founded in 1980 by Jerry Brandt on 11th Street between Third and Fourth Avenues in the East Village neighborhood of New York City. Formerly a ballroom known as Webster Hall, The Ritz still retained some of its previous incarnation's Art Deco style. As a venue, it focused...
, The Palladium and Spo-Dee-O-Dee - a Blues Club. In 1970 he left the Electric Circus and moved to Los Angeles.
In the mid 1970s he opened "The French Jeans Store" with Jerry Hart on east 60th st. in New York and was among the first to introduce European designer jeans in America. Brandt also produced the Broadway show "Gotta Go Disco" at the Minskoff Theatre
Minskoff Theatre
The Minskoff Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre, located at 1515 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan. It is now showing the musical The Lion King, based on the Disney animated film of the same name....
.
In 1992 Brandt opened the Italian restaurant "Italica" at 220 East 46th Street with Ron Delsener, Robin Leach
Robin Leach
Robin Douglas Leach is an English celebrity writer famous for hosting his first show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, in the mid-1980s and into the mid-1990s, which focused on profiling well-known celebrities and their lavish homes, cars and other materialistic endeavors...
, and Bob Krasnow
Bob Krasnow
Bob Krasnow is a leading music industry entrepreneur. His early career included working as a promotions man for James Brown and sales representative for Decca Records. In the early 1960s, Krasnow founded MK Records, which released the novelty record "," a parody of the 1960 presidential campaign...
. Here they introduced "pizza by the meter".
As part of Brandt's many involvements he is said to have bought the rights to the book Stranger in a Strange Land
Stranger in a Strange Land
Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1961 science fiction novel by American author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians. The novel explores his interaction with—and...
and subsequently sold the movie rights to Warner Brothers Studios. Brandt also consulted for Steve Rubell
Steve Rubell
Steve Rubell was an American entrepreneur and co-owner of the New York disco Studio 54.-Early life:Rubell and his brother Don spent their childhoods with their parents in Brooklyn, New York. His father worked for the U.S. Postal Service and later became a tennis pro...
and Ian Schrager
Ian Schrager
Ian Schrager is an American hotelier and real estate developer. Often associated with co-creating of the Boutique Hotel genre. Originally, he gained fame as co-owner and co-founder of Studio 54.-Early years:...
at Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
.