Bob Mercer
October 17, 1944 – May 5, 2010
Bob Mercer is perhaps best remembered as the music industry veteran who helmed the wildly successful Now That’s What I Call Music! hit compilation series. But to many of those with whom he worked, he was above all, a beloved mentor and motivator. Since the Now series debuted in the United States in 1998, it has sold in the neighborhood of 77 million units combined. What was fairly unique about the series at the time, at least in the US, was that the CDs collected the biggest current dor recent hits of the day, in a partnership with the major labels. To many, the series would be a flop, but of course they were proven wrong over and over again. During his career, Mercer also held executive positions at EMI UK (where he signed the Sex Pistols, Queen, and T. Rex to name a few), PolyGram’s TV division, and New Door Records. Bob Mercer was 65 when he died of lung cancer on May 5, 2010.
RIP – Bob Mercer, 65, signed great music to EMI: Queen, Steve Harley, Marc Bolan, Kate Bush & the Sex Pistols.(Yay!) He managed Roger Waters & McCartney.(Eh!) Then he inundated the USA with the ‘Now That’s What I Call Music!’ series.(Boo!)