Died On This Date (March 21, 2008) Jerry Mangalos / Label Veteran
themusicsover Jerry C. Mangalos
DOB Unknown – March 21, 2008
Jerry Mangalos was a beloved music industry executive whose career began at the storied Casablanca label during the ’70s. He ultimately worked as Neil Bogart’s assistant while at the label, and when Bogart left to form Boardwalk Records in 1979, Mangalos followed. He later went on to spend nearly two decades with Arista Records. On March 21, 2008, Jerry Mangalos died of double pneumonia at the age of 57.
After World War II ended, the big band sound began to lose its luster and smaller boogie woogie, western swing, honky-tonk and rhythm & blues combos began taking hold across America. It was inventor Leo Fender who figured out that the electric guitar was about to gain massive popularity with musician’s and audiences alike, so he set out to create one that was easy to hold, easy to tune and easy to play. And so came the birth of the Fender Stratocaster, and the company and lifestyle that would bear his name. Fender passed away in 1991 from complications of Parkinson’s Disease, but not before giving to us the guitar-of-choice of so many legends of pop music.