“If somebody asked me who I was, an aspiring journalist, a stick ball player from Washington Heights, the son of a window cleaner? No, I was a record collector. And we all felt that way.” – Jerry Wexler
Music legend Jerry Wexler — inventor of “rhythm and blues” — died on August 15th at age 91, writes Rolling Stone. One of the original music moguls (key word: music), he headed up Atlantic Records along with Ahmet Ertegun from 1953 to 1975 after leaving a career in music journalism. Known for introducing the world to soul greats like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
After leaving Atlantic in ’75 for Warner Bros., Wexler produced with the likes of Bob Dylan (“Slow Train”) and George Michael (“Careless Whisper”). He retired from music in the 1990s.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
