Goddard Lieberson: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|American recording executive (1911–1977)}}

'''Goddard Lieberson''' ([[April 5]], [[1911]]-[[May 29]], [[1977]]) was president of Columbia Records from [[1956]]-[[1971|71]] & [[1973]]-[[1975|75]]. Before becoming president, he was responsible for the introduction of the [[Analogue disc record|LP]]—the long-playing 33-1/3 rpm vinyl discs developed by engineer [[Peter Goldmark]]—which defined home audio for two generations.

{{Infobox person

| name = Goddard Lieberson

| image = LIEBERSON Goddard phD.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Goddard circa 1950

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1911|4|5}}

| birth_place = [[Hanley, Staffordshire]], England, UK

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1977|5|29|1911|4|5}}

| death_place = New York City, U.S.

| death_cause =

| resting_place =

| occupation =

| spouse = {{marriage|[[Vera Zorina]]|1946}}

| years_active = 1949–1977

| partner =

| children = 2, including [[Peter Lieberson]]

| parents =

}}

'''Goddard Lieberson''' (April 5, 1911 – May 29, 1977) was the president of [[Columbia Records]] from 1956 to 1971, and again from 1973 to 1975.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lieberson, Back at C.B.S. Post Talks About Rock and Records. Lieberson Challenges Image |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/31/archives/lieberson-back-at-cbs-post-talks-about-rock-and-records-lieberson.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 31, 1973 |access-date=2012-08-25 }}</ref> He became president of the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] in 1964.<ref>{{cite news |title=Goddard Lieberson Named Head of Record Association |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/01/22/archives/goddard-lieberson-named-head-of-record-association.html |quote=Goddard Lieberson, head of Columbia Records, was elected president of the Record Industry Association of America yesterday. ... |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 22, 1964 |access-date=August 25, 2012}}</ref> He was also a composer, and studied with [[George Frederick McKay]], at the [[University of Washington]], [[Seattle]]. He married [[Vera Zorina]] in 1946 and with her had 2 children.

His greatest legacy, however, was probably the [[cast recording|original cast recording]]s he produced. Columbia was not the first to offer such recordings; [[Decca]]'s 1943 recording of [[Oklahoma!]] is often considered the first. However, Goddard Lieberson's recordings at Columbia came to lead and define the genre. In addition to documenting the musical performances of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Lieberson also produced notable recordings of important musicals of the 1930s and 1940s, such as ''Pal Joey'' and ''The Boys from Syracuse,'' for which cast albums had not been made.

==See alsoBiography==

Lieberson was born to a Jewish family<ref>[http://jewishjournal.com/culture/218285/heres-paul-simon-skirball-showcases-words-music/ Jewish Journal: "Here's to you, Paul Simon: Skirball showcases his 'Words & Music'} by Ryan Torok] April 26, 2017</ref> on April 5, 1911, in [[Hanley]] in [[Staffordshire]]; his father was a manufacturer of rubber shoe heels who took his family to the United States when Lieberson was a child.<ref>Darryl Lyman, ''Great Jews in Music'', Jonathan David Publishers, 1986.</ref> He studied classical piano and composition at the [[Eastman School of Music]] in the 1930s and after graduating he wrote classical concert reviews under the pseudonym "Johann Sebastian".<ref name="ReferenceA">Dannen, Fredric, ''Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside The Music Business'', Vintage Books, 1991 ({{ISBN|0099813106}}), p. 58</ref> He was married to actress/dancer [[Vera Zorina]] from 1946 until his death in 1977. They had two sons: [[Peter Lieberson]], a composer, and Jonathan Lieberson. Lieberson was noted for his personal elegance, taste and style, and was renowned as a wit, ''bon vivant'' and international traveller, whose circle of friends and acquaintances included [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis]], [[Richard Rodgers]], [[W. Somerset Maugham]], [[Noël Coward]] and [[John Gielgud]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

* [[Analogue disc record]]

* [[Broadway]]

Lieberson began working for the CBS group of labels in 1938 – the same year the company was acquired by the [[CBS]] broadcasting empire – and he began his career at Columbia as an A&R Manager. Before becoming president of the company, Lieberson was responsible for Columbia's introduction of the [[long-playing record]].<ref name=obit/> The LP was particularly well-suited to Columbia's long-established classical repertoire, as recorded by the [[Philadelphia Orchestra]] under [[Eugene Ormandy]] and the [[New York Philharmonic Orchestra]] conducted by [[Artur Rodziński]], [[Dimitri Mitropoulos]], and [[Leonard Bernstein]]. Lieberson was also a lifelong friend of musician, recording artist, TV personality and Columbia A&R manager/producer [[Mitch Miller]], having met Miller when the two were studying music at the [[Eastman School of Music]] in the 1930s<ref>Dannen, Fredric, ''Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside The Music Business'', Vintage Books, 1991 ({{ISBN|0099813106}}), p. 62</ref>

* [[List of musicals]]

* [[Musical theatre]]

He was promoted to president of [[Columbia Records]] from 1956 to 1971 and again from 1973 to 1975. In 1957, [[Temple University]] awarded him an honorary Doctor of Music degree.<ref>"Lieberson Gets Music Degree." Billboard, 20 May 1957, 19.</ref> In 1966, in a reorganization, [[Columbia Records]] became subsidiary to the newly formed CBS/Columbia Group.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lieberson Heads New C.B.S. Group. Put in Charge of Activities Outside Broadcasting |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/06/10/archives/lieberson-heads-new-cbs-group-put-in-charge-of-activities-outside.html |quote=Goddard Lieberson, one of the more prominent figures in the phonograph recording industry, has been named president of the C.B.S./Columbia Group, a new unit of the Columbia Broadcasting System for expanded activities in education and music. The unit is part of the company's long range plans to achieve greater diversification outside the field of broadcasting. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 10, 1966 |access-date=August 25, 2012}}</ref> In 1967, Lieberson promoted [[Clive Davis]] to president of [[Columbia Records]].

In 1977, Lieberson co-wrote and produced the [[CBS-TV]] special ''They Said it with Music: From Yankee Doodle to Ragtime'', a salute to American songwriters throughout the ages, starring [[Bernadette Peters]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMkIDd_fjKE 'After your honeymoon' – Bernadette Peters & friends (YouTube)]</ref> [[Tony Randall]], [[Jason Robards]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbDckwaQ0oI 'Bobbing Up and Down' – Bernadette Peters and Jason Robards (YouTube)]</ref> [[Jean Stapleton]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlAr-WM2hqw "Husbands and Wives" songs from ''They Said it with Music'', YouTube]</ref> and [[Flip Wilson]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDi9QwO5Uy4 My Name is Morgan...Flip Wilson (YouTube)]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpSeQPLO1wY Flip Wilson: 'If That's Your Idea of a Wonderful Time...Take Me Home!' (YouTube)]</ref> with appearances by [[Thurl Ravenscroft]] and [[Jimmy Griffin]], a founding member of the soft-[[rock band]] [[Bread (band)|Bread]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8bU9wmRGaA&t=961s ''They Said it with Music'' (featuring James Griffin), YouTube]</ref> The show aired July 4,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Of0QAAAAQBAJ&dq=tammy+glenn+they+said+it+with+music&pg=PA361 Vincent Terrace, ''Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936–2012'' (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2013), p. 361.]</ref> thirty-seven days after Lieberson died of cancer in [[New York City]] on May 29, 1977, aged 66.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |quote=Goddard Lieberson, president of Columbia Records for 19 years, who introduced long-playing records to the American public, died of cancer early yesterday at his home in Manhattan. He was 66 years old. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/30/archives/goddard-lieberson-who-fostered-lps-at-columbia-records-dies-goddard.html |title=Goddard Lieberson, Who Fostered LP's at Columbia Records, Dies; Goddard Lieberson, Who Fostered LP's at Columbia Records, Dead |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 30, 1977 |access-date=August 25, 2012}}</ref>

==Positions==

{{s-start}}

{{succession box

| before =

| title = President of [[Columbia Records]]/[[Sony Music|CBS Records]]

| years = 1956 to 1971

| after = [[Clive Davis]]

}}

{{succession box

| before =

| title = President of [[RIAA]]

| years = 1964 to 1977

| after =

}}

{{succession box

| before = [[Clive Davis]]

| title = President of [[Sony Music|CBS Records]]

| years = 1973 to 1975

| after = [[Walter Yetnikoff]]

}}

{{s-end}}

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album 1960s|state=collapsed}}

{{Gramophone Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lieberson, Goddard}}

[[Category:1911 births]]

[[Category:1977 deaths]]

[[Category:American music industry executives]]

[[Category:American record producers]]

[[Category:Jewish American musicians]]

[[Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)]]

[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]

[[Category:People from Hanley, Staffordshire]]

[[Category:Columbia Records]]

[[Category:20th-century American male composers]]

[[Category:British Jews]]

[[Category:University of Washington School of Music alumni]]

[[Category:British emigrants to the United States]]

[[Category:20th-century American composers]]

[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]

[[Category:Eastman School of Music alumni]]

[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]