On This Date (July 7, 2008) Hugh Mendl / Influential Decca Producder
themusicsover Hugh Mendl
August 6, 1919 – July 7, 2008
Hugh Mendl started his music career in the early ’40s when his grandfather, then chairman of Decca Records gave him his first job as a producer at the label. He stayed there for some 40 years. Over the years, the label followed Mendl’s great ear by signing such acts as Lonnie Donegan, the Moody Blues, Genesis, David Bowie and John Mayall. One act that the label famously did ignore his pleas to sign was the Beatles. Mendl eventually grew disillusioned with business and retired to become an antique dealer. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 89.
Philip Lithman, or as he was known professionally, Snakefinger was an English multi-instrumentalist who is best known for his collaborations with the Residents. Although he came out of the British blues scene, Lithman’s guitar fret work had more in common with Robert Fripp than John Mayall. In 1971, Lithman moved to San Francisco where he hooked up with avant-garde art rockers, the Residents to perform in their live band. Over the next few years would move back to the UK and then back to California where he shopped around a light rock album and eventually hooked back up with the Residents. In 1982, Lithman put together his own backing band called the Vestal Virgins. It was with this band that Lithman was performing in Austria on July 1, 1987. Midway during the show, Lithman died of a heart attack.
