Nat Tarnopol
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record producer. He played a vital role in producing and shaping R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music throughout the 1960s and 1970s as the president of Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
, a subsidiary label of Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. Responsible for launching the careers of The Chi-Lites
The Chi-Lites
The Chi-Lites are a Chicago-based smooth soul vocal quartet from the early 1970s, one of the few from the period not to come from Memphis or Philadelphia...
, Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
, Tyrone Davis
Tyrone Davis
Tyrone Davis , born Tyrone Fettson, was a leading American soul singer with a distinctive style, recording a long list of hit records over a period of more than 20 years. He had three no...
, Barbara Acklin
Barbara Acklin
Barbara Jean Acklin was an American soul singer and songwriter who was most successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her biggest hit as a singer was "Love Makes a Woman" in 1968...
and The Young-Holt Unlimited
Young-Holt Unlimited
Young-Holt Unlimited were an American soul and jazz instrumental musical ensemble from Chicago, Illinois.Drummer Isaac "Red" Holt and bassist Eldee Young, formerly members of Ramsey Lewis' jazz trio, formed a new outfit called the Young-Holt Trio with pianist Don Walker in 1966...
, Tarnopol scored 150 songs on the Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
charted singles between 1957 and 1981.
Early life
Tarnopol was the younger of two sons born to first generation Americans from Eastern Europe on January 26, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan. As a young man, Tarnopol’s two passions were baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and R&B music. His mother, Pearl Tarnopol, died shortly after his twelfth birthday, which forced Tarnopol to spend the remainder of his childhood in the home of his Aunt Lena. His parents originally wanted him to become a rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
. As a star shortstop, Tarnopol was scouted by, and was offered deals to sign with, both the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
and the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. After considering the low wages earned by ballplayers at that time, and the anti-Semitism that afflicted Jewish athletes such as Detroit’s Hank Greenberg, Tarnopol passed on both offers. Without money for college, Tarnopol took a job with Detroit’s Union Tire company and began spending his spare time at the Flame Show Bar in Detroit’s Black Bottom section.
Jackie Wilson
It was at the Flame Show Bar in 1956 where Tarnopol met and began working with an Al Green, who managed Atlantic Recording artist LaVern BakerLaVern Baker
LaVern Baker was an American rhythm and blues singer, who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedlee Dee" , "Jim Dandy" , and "I Cried a Tear" .-Early life:She was born Delores LaVern Baker in Chicago, Illinois...
, as well as singers Johnnie Ray and Little Willie John
Little Willie John
William Edward John was better known by his stage name Little Willie John. Many sources erroneously give his second name as Edgar...
. At Tarnopol’s insistence, Green signed a management contract with a young Jackie Wilson, who had decided to leave Billy Ward and the Dominoes
Billy Ward and the Dominoes
Billy Ward and His Dominoes were an African-American vocal group, one of the best-selling American R&B groups of the 1950s. The team began the careers of both Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson.-Career:Billy Ward Billy Ward and His Dominoes were an African-American vocal group, one of the...
for a solo career. By the time Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
was ready to sign Wilson, Green had died, leaving the entire job of management to Tarnopol, who was only 25.
Decca placed Wilson on their Brunswick label, which had become their depository for black recording artists as well as Buddy Holly’s Crickets
The Crickets
The Crickets are a rock & roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer/songwriter Buddy Holly in the 1950s. Their first hit record was "That'll Be the Day", released in 1957....
, who Decca first thought were black until they actually met them in person. The breakout hit for Wilson was “Lonely Teardrops” in 1958, which was written by fledgling songwriters Berry Gordy Jr.
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
and Roquel "Billy" Davis. According to Jackie Wilson, “Lonely Teardrops” was originally written and recorded as a blues ballad
Blues ballad
The term blues ballad is used to refer to a specific form of popular music which fused Anglo-American and Afro-American styles from the late 19th century onwards...
. After playing it back in the recording in the studio, it was Tarnopol who instructed Decca’s staff producer Dick Jacobs to reconfigure the song as an up-tempo recording. “Lonely Teardrops
Lonely Teardrops
"Lonely Teardrops" is a song recorded and released as a single in 1958 by R&B singer Jackie Wilson on the Brunswick label. It is a 1999 Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee...
” became a number one record which skyrocketed Jackie Wilson’s singing career and helped provide Berry Gordy the funds used to form the Tamla and Motown record labels.
Brunswick Records
Decca’s ultra conservative approach to music and promotion was a continuous hurdle that Tarnopol struggled with for years to come. In March 1959, Decca refused to manufacture sufficient numbers of the single “That’s Why (I Love You So)” until Tarnopol personally guaranteed the additional costs to cover the required pressing of 250,000 records. Producer Dick JacobsDick Jacobs
Dick Jacobs was an American musician, conductor, arranger, orchestrator, music director and an artists-and-repertoire director for several record labels who helped Jackie Wilson, Buddy Holly, Bobby Darin and others form their careers in the late 1950s and early 1960s.-Life and career:He was born...
recalls that, on several occasions, Tarnopol was forced to record music which was published by and/or selected by Decca’s A&R chief in order to get authorization for Wilson to gain access to the recording studio.
In 1959, Tarnopol joined Roulette Records
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
as A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
man. He returned to Brunswick the following year as executive vice-president.
In 1960, Tarnopol persuaded Decca to guarantee Wilson an advance of a quarter of a million dollars to resign with the company. This was six times the money that Elvis and Sun Records received from RCA just four years earlier. In order to keep both Tarnopol and Wilson on board, Decca also agreed to make Brunswick an independent label shared by Decca and a production company owned by Tarnopol.
In 1966, displeased with the direction Jackie Wilson’s recording career had taken, Tarnopol contracted Chicago’s Carl Davis to produce one album for Wilson. Positive of Davis’s production ability, Tarnopol made Davis Vice President of A&R for Brunswick and built a recording studio on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. Tarnopol then expanded the label by signing mostly Chicago based artists. Over the next four years, Tarnopol had fourteen top ten Billboard hits with The Chi-Lites
The Chi-Lites
The Chi-Lites are a Chicago-based smooth soul vocal quartet from the early 1970s, one of the few from the period not to come from Memphis or Philadelphia...
, Barbara Acklin
Barbara Acklin
Barbara Jean Acklin was an American soul singer and songwriter who was most successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her biggest hit as a singer was "Love Makes a Woman" in 1968...
, Tyrone Davis
Tyrone Davis
Tyrone Davis , born Tyrone Fettson, was a leading American soul singer with a distinctive style, recording a long list of hit records over a period of more than 20 years. He had three no...
, Young-Holt Unlimited
Young-Holt Unlimited
Young-Holt Unlimited were an American soul and jazz instrumental musical ensemble from Chicago, Illinois.Drummer Isaac "Red" Holt and bassist Eldee Young, formerly members of Ramsey Lewis' jazz trio, formed a new outfit called the Young-Holt Trio with pianist Don Walker in 1966...
, Gene Chandler
Gene Chandler
Gene Chandler also known as "The Duke of Earl" or simply "The Duke", is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, producer and record executive. He is one of the leading exponents of the 1960s Chicago soul scene...
, Jackie Wilson and The Artistics.
By 1970, Decca Records had become part of MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
. However, relations between Decca’s executives and Tarnopol had continued to deteriorate and Tarnopol wanted out. To resolve the problem, a deal was struck for Tarnopol to purchase the remaining 50% of Brunswick from MCA. However, MCA insisted on maintaining their rights to manufacture and distribute all of Tarnopol’s recordings. After conducting an audit of MCA in 1972, which uncovered roughly a million dollars in unpaid record sales, Tarnopol was finally able to break free from all manufacturing and distribution ties to MCA. Between the years of 1970 an 1975, Tarnopol totaled nineteen Top Ten Billboard records and had rebuilt the Brunswick trademark into one of the finest independent labels in the business.
Brunswick's decline
According to Ron BlombergRon Blomberg
Ronald Mark Blomberg , nicknamed Boomer, is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder...
, by the mid 70’s Tarnopol was more interested in purchasing the New York Yankees than anything else. Baseball had always been Tarnopol’s outlet from the turmoil of the music industry, and it was not uncommon for ball players like Thurman Munson
Thurman Munson
Thurman Lee Munson was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees...
or Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
to be seen hanging out in Tarnopol’s Manhattan office. Reggie Jackson credited Tarnopol with orchestrating the deal that brought Jackson to the Yankees from the Baltimore Orioles.
In 1975, Tarnopol, along with Clive Daivs of Arista Records, Kenny Gamble of Philadelphia International and sixteen other independent record executives were charged on a variety of financial irregularities stemming from a government investigation of payola in the record industry. Tarnopol was ultimately cleared by an appellate court in 1977. However, the legal costs of the case drained the label’s resources and seriously handicapped Tarnopol’s ability to produce and promote records. Compounded by a growing conflict with the management of Brunswick’s key recording artists, Tarnopol was forced to sell off Brunswick’s publishing wing in order to keep the record label financially afloat. According to former Uni Records head Russ Regan, Tarnopol was emotionally devastated by this series of events and was never the same man afterwards.
The last major hit for Tarnopol was the roller skating anthem "Bounce Rock Skate Roll" by Vaughan Mason & Crew
Vaughan Mason & Crew
Vaughan Mason & Crew was an American funk and post disco based group, best known for their single "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll", which reached #5 on the US Billboard Black Singles chart in 1980. In 1981, the band released the single "Jammin' Big Guitar", which charted at #65. "Bounce, Rock, Skate,...
, which reached the Number Five position on the Billboard R&B chart
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
in the spring of 1980. However, by this time the landscape of the music industry was undergoing dramatic changes, while experiencing an unprecedented slump in record sales. Without sufficient funding to ride it out, Tarnopol ceased producing records and closed his offices in 1982, just a few years shy of the CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
sales boom.
Death
After several years of financial hardship and poor health, Nat Tarnopol succumbed to congestive heart failure on December 25, 1987 at the age of 56. Tarnopol’s best known hit recordings were “Oh Girl” and “Have You Seen Her” by the Chi-Lites, the Young-Holt UnlimitedYoung-Holt Unlimited
Young-Holt Unlimited were an American soul and jazz instrumental musical ensemble from Chicago, Illinois.Drummer Isaac "Red" Holt and bassist Eldee Young, formerly members of Ramsey Lewis' jazz trio, formed a new outfit called the Young-Holt Trio with pianist Don Walker in 1966...
’s “Soulful Strut” and “Wack Wack,” the Tyrone Davis
Tyrone Davis
Tyrone Davis , born Tyrone Fettson, was a leading American soul singer with a distinctive style, recording a long list of hit records over a period of more than 20 years. He had three no...
classics “Turn Back The Hands Of Time” and “Can I Change My Mind” and Jackie Wilson’s “Lonely Teardrops
Lonely Teardrops
"Lonely Teardrops" is a song recorded and released as a single in 1958 by R&B singer Jackie Wilson on the Brunswick label. It is a 1999 Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee...
,” “Baby Workout” and “Higher & Higher.” Many of the songs that Tarnopol first recorded have been sampled by artists such as Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Paul Wall
Paul Wall
Paul Michael Slayton , better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper. He is currently affiliated with Swishahouse Records, having released several albums under the label as well as...
, Fantasia
Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Monique Barrino commonly known as Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, Broadway and television actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe", which...
, Jaheim
Jaheim
Jaheim Hoagland is an American R&B singer and formerly a rapper performing under the mononymous name of Jaheim. He was signed by Naughty by Nature's Kaygee to Divine Mill Records in 2000, and released his debut album Ghetto Love in 2001. His second effort, Still Ghetto, was released a year later,...
, Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
and Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
.
Brunswick Records is still owned by the Tarnopol family and Nat's son Paul is president of the company.
External links
- Biography pages from Brunswick Records
- [ Nat Tarnopol] at Allmusic