Jerry Wexler, the man who coined the term “rhythm and blues,” was born 104 years ago today.
Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s.
He was integral in signing and/or producing many of the biggest acts of the last 50 years, including Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers, Chris Connor, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Wilson Pickett, Dire Straits, Dusty Springfield and Bob Dylan.
During his time as an editor, reporter and writer for Billboard Magazine, Wexler coined the term "rhythm and blues" as a replacement for “race music.”
He became a partner in Atlantic Records in 1953. There followed classic recordings with Ray Charles, the Drifters and Ruth Brown. With Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegün, he built Atlantic Records into a major force in the recording industry. In 1967, he was named Record Executive of the Year for turning Aretha Franklin's career around.
Wexler was one of the most highly-regarded A&R men in popular music history, a status bolstered by his accomplishments with Aretha Franklin.
Wexler died at age 91 at his home in Sarasota, Florida, on August 15, 2008, from congestive heart failure.
Asked by a documentary filmmaker several years before his death what he wanted on his tombstone, Wexler replied: "Two words: 'More bass.’”
Wexler stands outside the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio at 3614 Jackson Highway in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The building is now in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.