Alan Lorber

Alan Lorber
Birth name	Alan Morton Lorber
Born	(1935-05-17) May 17, 1935
Origin	New York City
Genres	Classical, jazz, fusion, rock
Occupation(s)	Record producer, arranger, composer, piano, keyboards

Alan Lorber is an American music arranger, record producer, and composer.

Non-musical work

• Lorber, Alan (2010). Benny Allen Was a Star: a New York Music Story (paperback). New York: IMG Books, a division of Iris Music Group. Retrieved December 29, 2020 – via Google Books. ISBN 978-1-4515-3807-6. OCLC 854906615 – historical fiction mostly auto-biographical.

Family

ALAN LORBER Arranger / Producer / Composer - Leading New York City arranger in the early '60s, creating over 2,000 recordings with then top artists of the day, generating over 60 million dollars in sales. Multiple-genre innovator in Pop, R&B, Rock and Jazz/fusion. First NY arranger to record in Nashville (1963).

Lorber currently composes and records his modern classical works with his 21st Century Orchestra; and continues as creative director of his Iris Music Group music publishing catalogues and record labels.

60’s HIGHLIGHTS 1. With Phil Spector: Every Breath I Take (Gene Pitney) Orchestration is historically documented as the beginning of the Wall of Sound. Other Gene Pitney arrangements include multiple albums and Pitney's winning song for the1962 San Remo Festival. 2. With Leiber & Stoller: Hits include Mike Clifford's Top 10 Close To Cathy, sides with the Coasters, and the Clovers’ Bossa Nova. 3. With Al Nevins & Don Kirshner: As Music Director of the Aldon Music stable of artists, hits include Neil Sedaka’s #1 Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Next Door To An Angel and 12 other recordings for a total of 7 million units sold. Also recorded albums and singles for Tony Orlando and Barry Mann, with songs by staff-writers, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weill, Neil Sedaka and Howie Greenfield. 4. With Luther Dixon: As A&R Director of Scepter Records, Dixon commissioned Lorber to record the Shirelles’ Mama Said and Thing Of The Past; Chuck Jackson’s I Wake Up Crying; Human with Tommy Hunt; and the Rocky Fellers Killer Joe. 5. With Shelby Singleton: At Mercury Records, Lorber made Clyde McPhatter's Deep In The Heart Of Harlem and his classic Songs Of The Big City album; Lesley Gore’s All About Love album, and Brook Benton’s film-title recording of Burt Bacharach’s A House Is Not A Home for Paramount Pictures. It was Singleton who brought Lorber to Nashville to record Teresa Brewer and Brian Hyland. 6. Kapp Records: With A&R Directors Al Stanton and Tom Catalano, Lorber made the Top 5 Mr. Bass Man for Johnny Cymbal; the Lenny Welch hits, Darling Take Me Back I’m Sorry and Two Different Worlds; and the Ruby and the Romantics, Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore. 7. With George Goldner: Industry legend Goldner hired Lorber for Roulette and Gone Records artists, Lou Christie, Joey Dee, Bobbettes, Chantels and Ral Donner. 8. With Hy Weiss: For this equally famous music pioneer, Lorber created hits for The Earls and Arthur Prysock. 9. Brunswick Records: Of all the many records Lorber made for Nat Tarnapol's Brunswick label, including many of those by Big Maybelle and the Clovers, Lorber's recordings for Jackie Wilson are the most historically important of Wilson’s 1963-65 period. Lorber’s Gospel duet album for Wilson and Linda Hopkins produced the hit single, Shake A Hand. 10. Connie Francis: Lorber brought “Nashville” to Connie’s hit, Blue Winter. Other worldwide hits with Francis include Spanish Nights And You, Be Anything, and created the premier recording of Games That Lovers Play, written for Francis by James Last.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS In 1964, Lorber produced the legendary Mugwumps for Warner Bros. Records featuring Cass Elliot. The group then split into the Lovin' Spoonful (for which Lorber produced Do You Believe In Magic) and The Mamas and Papas.

In 1967 Lorber, with MGM Records, established the "Boston Sound," where 200 albums were produced with such hit psychedelic artists as Orpheus and Ultimate Spinach. During same period Lorber released his successful "East / West" jazz / fusion album, The Lotus Palace for Verve, featuring sitarist Colin Walcott. Lorber composed many scores for the David Yarnell produced ABC-TV specials and for BBC-TV specials with Anthony Newley.

Lorber created the first jazz/rock theme for NFL’81, commissioned by Don Ohlmeyer at NBC Sports. Major Radio and TV commercials include Miller Beer for the legendary Ad Man, Bill Backer; Ban (Won’t Wear Off); and the 2010 year-long UK TV commercial for Volkswagen’s Seat Division. His music for the Chemical Bank Loans campaign earned a Clio Award for its unique East/West concept. Other productions include the classic jazz recording of the Freddie Redd score for the hit 1960 play, The Connection; the original Broadway cast album of Alan Myerson’s comedy group, The Committee for Sinatra’s Reprise Records; and the iconic ground-breaking documentary recording, The Groupies spoken-word album of 1969.

Lorber’s published books include Benny Allen Was a Star, a work largely autobiographical; He’s Wearing Velvet Pants-A One-Act Dialogue Play a spin-off the Groupies spoken-word album; and Tucker’s Dream, a fiction, written in verse, set in New York’s old 42nd Street in1985.

FOOTNOTE Alan Lorber’s musical career actually began in the mid-'50s, when, "fresh out of high school" he became Music Director of WMCA Radio in New York City, where his innovative programing brought the station to #1 in its market, and Murray the K, his beginning as the famous New York rock impresario and disk jockey.