Died On This Date (August 25, 2009) Berle Adams / Former Label Executive & Agent
themusicsover Berle Adams (Born Beryl Adasky)
June 11, 1917 – August 25, 2009
Berle Adams was a longtime music industry executive who, through his career was Vice President of MCA and co-founded Mercury Records. Adams began his career as an agent, representing such acts as Coleman Hawkins and Louis Jordan. He later formed his own agency as well as a couple of publishing companies. In 1945, he co-founded Mercury Records, quickly releasing hits by the likes of Vic Damone and Frankie Laine. In 1950, Lew Wasserman hired Adams at MCA where he stayed for the next two decades, working mostly in television. While with MCA, Adams formed Uni Records who signed the Who, Neil Diamond and Elton John to name a few. In 1971, Adams left MCA to work for the William Morris Agency. Berle Adams passed away on August 25, 2009 at the age of 92.
Stacy Sutherland was the original guitarist in Roky Erickson’s 13th Floor Elevators, a psychedelic garage band that burst out of Austin, Texas in 1965. Sutherland also had a hand in writing some of the band’s material. And it was Sutherland’s use of reverb and echo that inspired a generation of garage bands. When Erickson was committed to a mental institution in 1969, the band members went their separate ways with Sutherland formed his own band. Later that year, he went to prison on drug charges. Upon his release during the mid ’70s, Sutherland attempted to make another go with it, but was losing his battle with alcohol addiction. On August 24, 1978, Stacy Sutherland, age 32, was shot and killed by his wife during a domestic dispute. His death was ruled an accident.
Joe Maneri was jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who came to some prominence during the ’90s. He specialized in taking traditional ethnic folk elements and embellishing them with his own avant garde free-form jazz. He has been compared to Ornette Coleman and 