George Goldner

George Goldner (1918 – May 15, 1970) was an American record label owner and promoter. He worked, amongst others, with The Crows, The Flamingos, The Cleftones, The Shangri-Las, The Teenagers, The Chantels, Little Richard and Lou Christie. He had a son named Cary and a wife named Grace. His grandson George Goldner, son of Cary Goldner, was named after him.^{[citation needed]}

Biography

===Early life George Goldner was born February 9, 1918 to a mother Rose originally from Poland and father Adolph from Austria. He and his sisters Sophie and Stella grew up in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of the east side of New York City. As a young man George attended Peter Stuyvesant High School. But his eyes were on making money. While still in school he worked weekends as a waiter at the then famous Shelton Hotel where his father also worked. George, with his handsome looks and charm, was always a favorite at the hotel. At the same time George's father was acquiring brownstone furnished room houses. This background was his education to be successful in business.

Tico Records

In the late 1940s, Golder formed his first record label, Tico Records. In promoting his records, he resorted to paying DJs at radio stations, and this widespread practice came to be known as payola. Tito Puente was the most famous recording artist on Tico Records.

Morris Levy

In a recurring pattern, Goldner's gambling habit would lead to him selling part or all of his record company to Morris Levy, another dance hall owner. Goldner and Levy formed Rama Records, which would record rhythm and blues. The Crows' hit "Gee" on Rama would inspire another record label, Gee Records, whose most successful act was Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers. Other labels Goldner would help establish included Gone Records, End Records, Gold Disc, Mark-X and the longest lasting of his labels, Roulette Records. All of these labels would wind up under Morris Levy's ownership to cover Goldner's gambling debts.

Goldner recorded some of the most important East Coast doo-wop music of the 1950s, including records by The Crows, The Wrens and The Valentines (for Rama), The Cleftones, The Five Crowns, Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers and The Heartbeats (for Gee), The Chantels, Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Starlighters, and The Flamingos (for End) and The Dubs, The Channels, The Isley Brothers and The Trickles (for Gone).

Red Bird Records

Goldner's last successful label, Red Bird Records and its Blue Cat Records subsidiary, was actually co-founded by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Goldner was made a partner in the company and did the promoting of Red Bird releases, while Leiber and Stoller worked on production. Red Bird only lasted two years, as Leiber and Stoller wanted to get out of the record business, and Goldner again developed gambling debts. After an abortive attempt to merge Red Bird with Atlantic Records, Leiber and Stoller sold their interest in Red Bird Records to Goldner in 1966 for $1, by which time Goldner's uncontrollable gambling habit had placed the label under the control of the Mafia The Red Bird catalogue (except for releases by The Shangri-Las whose contract was sold to Mercury Records) was sold to Morris Levy's Roulette Records.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Goldner died of a heart attack on May 15, 1970, aged 52.

External links

• The George Goldner Story