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Mo Ostin

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Mo Ostin
Born
Morris Meyer Ostrofsky

(1927-03-27)March 27, 1927
New York City, New York, United States[1]
DiedJuly 31, 2022(2022-07-31) (aged 95)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Alma materUCLA
OccupationRecord producer
Spouse
Evelyn Ostin
​
(died 2005)​
Children
  • Michael
  • Kenny
  • Randy

Mo Ostin (born Morris Meyer Ostrofsky; March 27, 1927 – July 31, 2022) was an American record executive who worked for several companies, including Verve, Reprise Records, Warner Bros. Records, and DreamWorks. He was chairman and chief executive officer of Warner/Reprise from 1972 to 1994, signing the Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, and Van Halen to the label. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Early life

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Ostin was born Morris Meyer Ostrofsky[2] in New York City[3] on March 27, 1927.[4][5] His family was Jewish[6] and fled Russia during the Russian Revolution.[3][5] They eventually relocated to Los Angeles when Ostin was thirteen and operated a small grocery market close to the Fairfax Theatre.[5] He attended Fairfax High School, before studying economics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[3] He subsequently commenced studies at the UCLA School of Law, but ultimately dropped out to support his family.[5]

Career

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Ostin began his career in the mid-1950s as comptroller at Clef Records, a record company started by Norman Granz, brother of friend and neighbor, Irving Granz.[3] The company was soon renamed 'Verve', where he was involved with Jazz At The Philharmonic, a worldwide concert promotion operation that provided a live performance platform for the label's touring stars.[7] Frank Sinatra tried and failed to buy Verve, which was eventually sold to MGM Records. Sinatra was reportedly so impressed by the company's artists and the management's style that he formed his own Reprise Records in 1960 and hired Ostin to head it. Three years later, Reprise joined forces with Warner Bros.[5][8] The first rock act Ostin signed to Reprise was the Kinks. He signed Jimi Hendrix in the spring of 1967 based on hearing "Hey Joe", then was amazed after seeing him perform at the Monterey Pop Festival.[3]

Ostin ultimately spent 31 years at Warner/Reprise from 1963 to 1994,[5][9] serving as its chairman and CEO from 1972 onwards.[4] He oversaw the signing of Prince, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, R.E.M., Madonna, Paul Simon, Talking Heads, the Grateful Dead, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Halen, the Who, and Randy Newman.[4][5] He was noted for giving artists creative freedom and creating a company geared towards artists, attributing this outlook to his time with Sinatra.[9][5] Ostin later recounted how he trusted Prince to the point where he would only listen to his music once it was completed.[5] Ostin was also instrumental in the acquisition of the independent Elektra label by Warner Communications, as well as the subsequent formation of WEA Corporation and WEA International.[10] Recognized as an industry titan, he served as chairman of the Recording Industry Association of America for a two-year term. He left Warner acrimoniously in 1994 after they requested that he slash his payroll, turning down their offer of a three-year extension. He described the situation as "the toughest thing I've ever been through in the business", adding that "it shook [him] to the core".[5]

After departing Warner Bros., Ostin went on to join the music division of the entertainment conglomerate DreamWorks SKG in October 1995.[5][9] In 2003, Ostin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Paul Simon, Neil Young, and Lorne Michaels.[8] Three years later, he received The Recording Academy President's Merit Award at the 2006 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons.[11]

Philanthropy

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A graduate of UCLA, Ostin and his wife Evelyn donated $10 million and played a critical role in establishing the university's Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center, a state-of-the-art campus music facility.[12][13] In March 2015, Ostin donated $10 million to UCLA for the Mo Ostin Basketball Center, a state-of-the-art training facility, which was opened in October 2017 and named in his honor.[14][13][15] He also sat on the board of visitors for the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, and supported the UCLA Center for the Art of Performance.[11]

Personal life

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Ostin was married to Evelyn for 55 years until her death in 2005.[4][9] Together, they had three children, Randy, Kenny, and Michael Ostin.[16][17][18] All three worked as Warner executives.[9] Both Kenny and Randy predeceased him in 2004 and 2013, respectively.[5][9]

Ostin died in his sleep on July 31, 2022, at the age of 95.[10][19]

References

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  1. ^ Joanna Rubiner. "Mo Ostin Biography". musicianguide.com. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "Mo Ostin Record company executive". Encyclopedia.com. 2004.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hilburn, Robert (December 11, 1994). "Quotations From Chairman Mo : Mo Ostin lets his artists to do the talking about him and his whole career.Now the record-biz legend steps out of the shadows and takes us on a tour from Ol' Blue Eyes to Red Hot Chili Peppers". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ a b c d Snapes, Laura (August 2, 2022). "Mo Ostin, US record exec who signed Jimi Hendrix and the Kinks, dies aged 95". The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Gomez, Melissa (August 1, 2022). "Mo Ostin, executive who transformed Warner Bros. into revered record label, dies at 95". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  6. ^ Gensler, Andy; Halperin, Shirley (September 23, 2014). "Houses of the Holy: Where the Music Biz Celebrates the Jewish High Holidays". Billboard.
  7. ^ Hershorn, Tad (2011). Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26782-4.
  8. ^ a b "Mo Ostin | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame". Rockhall.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Italie, Hillel (August 2, 2022). "Mo Ostin, longtime Warner records chairman, dies at 95". Associated Press. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Newman, Melinda (August 1, 2022). "Mo Ostin, Legendary Warner Bros. Records Chief, Dies at 95". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Mo Ostin '51". alumni.ucla.edu. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  12. ^ Boehm, Mike (May 4, 2011). "Record executive Mo Ostin gives $10 million to UCLA for new music center". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "In memoriam: Alumnus Mo Ostin, 95, music industry legend and philanthropist". University of California, Los Angeles. August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  14. ^ "The Mo Ostin Basketball Center". uclabasketballfacility.com.
  15. ^ "UCLA Athletics Announces Plans for New Basketball Practice Facility". UCLABruins.com. May 22, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  16. ^ Barnes, Mike (September 1, 2013). "Music Exec Randy Ostin Dies at 60". The Hollywood Reporter.
  17. ^ "Randall Alan Ostin Obituary". Los Angeles Times. September 1, 2013.
  18. ^ Canby, Vincent (April 17, 1987). "Film: A Documentary, Diane Keaton'S 'Heaven'". The New York Times. Mr. King is the only so-called celebrity in the film, if you don't count the celebrity of Victoria Sellers, the daughter of Peter Sellers and Britt Ekland, and of her boyfriend, Kenny Ostin, the son of Mo Ostin, the head of Warner Brothers Records.
  19. ^ Chris Morris, "Mo Ostin, longtime Warner Bros. Records chief, dies at 95", Variety, August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022
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