George Goldner
b. 1919, nr Turtle Bay, Manhattan, USA, d. 15 April 1970. Goldner's long association with New York music circles began in the early '50s. Although initially employed at Tico, a label specializing in latin music, he switched to R&B in 1953 with the formation of Rama. Its roster included vocal groups the Crows and Harptones, establishing a pattern for Goldner's subsequent outlets, Gee, Gone/End and Roulette. Drawing on New York's profligate street-corner harmony acts, the entrepreneur launched the careers of Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers, Little Anthony And The Imperials and the Chantels, but subsequently sold his interests in each of the companies. Goldner re-emerged in 1964, partnering songwriters/producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in Red Bird Records. The label enjoyed a highly successful initial period with hits by the Dixie Cups, Jelly Beans and Shangri-Las, and Goldner later bought his partners out when they tired of administrative roles. Despite a promotional acumen, he was unable to maintain the outlet's position and it folded in 1966. In keeping with many contemporaries faced with a new generation of self-sufficient acts, Goldner was unable to exert the same influence in pop's post- Beatles history and later dropped out of music.