Jerry Moss
Born
Jerome Sheldon Moss

(1935-05-08)May 8, 1935
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 16, 2023(2023-08-16) (aged 88)
Bel Air, California, U.S.
Resting placeWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Alma materBrooklyn College (BA)
Occupation(s)Record company executive
Racehorse owner/breeder
Known forA&M Records, Zenyatta, Giacomo, Tiago, Madeo
Spouse
Tina Morse
​
(m. 2019)​
Honors

Jerome Sheldon Moss (May 8, 1935 – August 16, 2023) was an American recording executive, best known for being the co-founder of A&M Records, along with trumpet player and bandleader Herb Alpert.[1][2]

Music career

After graduating from Brooklyn College with a degree in English and serving in the United States Army, Moss began his music career by promoting "16 Candles", a 1958 hit for the Crests on Coed Records. In 1960, he moved to California, where he teamed up with Herb Alpert, forming Carnival Records in 1962 and running the company from an office in Alpert's garage. Discovering that the name was already taken, they dubbed their newly founded company A&M Records.

Moss and Alpert agreed in 1989 to sell A&M to PolyGram Records for a reported $500 million. Both continued to manage the label until 1993, when they left because of frustrations with PolyGram's constant pressure to force the label to fit into its corporate culture. In 1998, Alpert and Moss sued PolyGram for breach of the integrity clause, eventually settling for an additional $200 million payment.[3] Alpert and Moss then expanded their Almo Sounds music publishing company to produce records as well, using it as a vehicle for Alpert's music. Almo Sounds imitates the former company culture embraced by Alpert and Moss when they started A&M.

Moss, Herb Alpert and Herb’s cousin Steve Alpert were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 in the non-performer category.[4]

Horse racing

In 2004, Moss was appointed to the California Horse Racing Board, replacing longtime television producer Alan Landsburg.[5] Moss was a longtime horse-breeder and owner who won the 2005 Kentucky Derby with Giacomo, the first horse he had ever entered in that race, and the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic with Zenyatta.[6] In 2011, he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[7]

Art Collection

Part of his art collection sold for over $60 million at Christie's New York on 9 November 2023.[8]

Personal life and death

Moss was married three times: his marriages to Helen Sandra Rusetos[9] and to Ann Holbrook ended in divorce.[10] Moss married Tina Morse in 2019, after dating since 2016.[11] They lived in Bel Air, California and Maui, Hawaii.[11]

He died at his Bel Air home on August 16, 2023, at the age of 88.[12][13]

Philanthropy

In 2020, Moss and his wife Tina donated $25,000,000 to the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles, the largest single contribution ever made to the venue.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Jerry Moss of A&M Records on His Career in Music, Part 2 of 7: Meeting Herb Alpert". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  2. ↑ "A&M Records to release 50th anniversary album". Music-news.com. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Herb Alpert's Vivendi Deal Has $200-Million Encore Performance". LA Times.com. 1999.
  4. ↑ "Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ "California Thoroughbred Horsemen Honor Ann & Jerry Moss - Edwin J. Gregson Foundation - A Nonprofit Organization". March 4, 2016. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Jerry Moss - Pillar of Achievement - 2011". Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. 2011. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  8. ↑ timestamp 26:00
  9. ↑ Sandra Moss was said to be one of the few people who could make Herb Alpert smile, and for this reason, she appeared on two Tijuana Brass album covers, South of the Border and What Now My Love. "Legacy.com – Sandra Moss". Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  10. ↑ Williams, Richard (August 22, 2023). "Pop and rock: Jerry Moss obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Living (and Loving) in Harmony". Los Angeles Magazine. July 24, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Jerry Moss Dead at 88". Deadline Hollywood. August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  13. ↑ Williams, Richard (August 22, 2023). "Jerry Moss obituary" – via The Guardian.
  14. ↑ "A&M Co-Founder Jerry Moss, Wife Tina Give L.A.'s Music Center a Record $25 Million Donation". variety.com. October 8, 2020.
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