Not to take anything away from Stan, who was a true trailblazer and visionary, but was what made WB great was so much more; Mo, Lenny, Thyret and the all to often forgotten Bob Regher
David Berman
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Hi Bob,
Thanks for these words about Stan Cornyn. I wholeheartedly agree.
In fact, that's why I published, together with my wife, the German version of his book, eleven years ago.
Unfortunately, outside of the music business, not many people were willing to read his story.
But the book is still available, in case some of your German-speaking subscribers would like to know more:
Explosiv! Helden, Hits & Hypes. Die abenteuerliche Geschichte der Warner Music Group.
http://amzn.to/1Fcgyt1
Greetings from Munich
Manfred Gillig
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I don't remember the name Stan Cornyn, but I have lots of these sampler albums ($2! mailed right to you!)
I'd have to go back and count, but I'm sure I got turned on to a dozen or more artists that I bought albums.
I've ordered his book.
---Dale Janus
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I remember when Phil Walden moved the Allman's distribution from Atlantic to Warner's in about 1972. Man, Warner's was the epitome of cool back then. Moe and Joe and all of that great supporting cast. Never again.
Willie Perkins
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One of the reasons I spent my life every day at 3300 Warner Blvd is because of this man... and all of the folks here before. The energy is still very much alive in this building and we're a team of music fans. Come and visit with us one day and we'll show you. Lenny was sitting on my sofa last night listening to a new Artist we are working on
Ever had a tour of our archive? I'd be happy to arrange... its great fun. we have a letter downstairs from Don Rickles to Mo complaining about the quality of the free tickets Mo sent him. There's a log entry in a "Demo's Received" book from 1974 written in perfect copperplate script that says "Peter Frampton - Shows promise"
Cheers
Dion Singer
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I purchased the Beach Boys "Holland" LP upon release. It was packaged with a bonus 7" that was taped to the rear cover. The problem was that the 7" record would slide out of the sleeve and tape residue would get on the record. Also, when you tried to remove the tape it would pull up some of the pasted-on rear cover. I called Warners to complain and was transferred to Carl Scott. I explained to him the situation and he said that his boss, Stan Cornyn, was in his office and asked if it was okay to put my call on the speakerphone. We discussed the situation and Stan sent me a replacement album plus he threw in a the current "loss-leader" selection. When I began to work in a record store a short time later I noticed that they were now putting the bonus disc inside the Holland jacket to avoid this problem.
Decades later, Stan included his email address in his book about Warner Music. I wrote him to provide an example of the adversarial relationship that had developed between the majors and their customers. I recounted to Stan the time that I received an envelope from WEA containing two policy letters. The first letter announced their elimination of the "longbox" and that they were immediately lowering wholesale prices by $0.20 to reflect this cost savings. The second letter included a new price sheet showing a $0.20 increase taking effect the first of the month. He loved that story.
Bob Paris
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I have my own story about Stan Cornyn. When was attending college in the middle of Kansas at the end of the 60's I wanted to get into the music business. Not as a musician, but in the business end of it. I didn't really know how the "business" worked, but wanted somehow to be a part. I had no clue how or where to start. I bought albums on Warner Brothers and Reprise blindly with full trust that they would be great, and they were. Warner Brothers/Reprise (and A&M) had that credibility. I kept seeing the name Stan Cornyn on the back jacket of these albums as well as the clever ads in Rolling Stone. So, I wrote him a letter using the Warner Brothers address listed on the albums. I had no expectations. But, he wrote me back! He explained about how record labels were distributed regionally throughout the country by independent companies. This was just before the formation of WEA. His suggestion was to go to work in a record store and learn the business from the bottom up and
through the eyes of the customer. So I did. That led to a long career in retail, distribution, and label sales. Some 30 years later when I was at Universal Distribution, the late Henry Droz knew my story and introduced me to the man himself. Mr Cornyn was warm and gracious and had a smile on his face as I recounted his letter to me many years prior. I give him much credit for taking the time to reply to a letter from someone he did not know, from the middle of nowhere and offer some encouragement. Warner/Reprise was one of a kind and so was Stan Cornyn. He made a life-long impression.
Curt Eddy
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I worked in the Ski Chalet from 2009-2011. I would love to tell you that I heard Stan's name often, but the truth is I never heard it at all. We used to hear the old timers talk about the Lenny and Mo Show, but Stan seemed to be a part of some hidden history. I was in my late twenties when I worked there, and I often wondered whether I was just too young to be in the club. Or maybe that history was just forgotten.
You're right, by the way: at one time it was the greatest label in the world.
I remember the first time I heard about the Warner Loss Leaders from a coworker, a veteran vinyl junkie (I always loved hanging with the guys who had been there for years). I HAD to have these. It wasn't until several years later when I had moved to Nashville that I got my hands on the collection (still incomplete). To this day they are one of the great treasures in my record collection.
I wish I had been there to see it back then. The label I worked at was just a completely different place. Still I couldn't help but walk those hallowed halls and daydream.
Mike Fabio
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Bob: What great response you got to the article on Stan Cornyn. He certainly deserved it. I had 5 artists on Warner Brothers in the early 1970's and always told people that for all the terrific people there, Mo, Joe, Lenny, etc., etc. the image of the company was a result of Stan Cornyn's wonderful, unique creativity. I also credit Art Director, Ed Thrasher with some of that. It was simply a terrific place to work or do business with.
Ken Kragen
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To Mr. Vallance - Bob didn't say Joan Jett wasn't the real deal, all he said was she didn't belong in the R&RHOF. Why is that an insult?
Art Masciocchi
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You've sold Mr. Benatar short, Bob.
Neil Giraldo threaded the needle of 80s pop and 80s rock, and counter-balanced her across that catalog of hits. Any dude caught rocking Benatar in his Z-28 could get nods of approval with "yeah, but the guitarist, man..."
Unlike Eddie VH, Neil's solos sound like they'd been composed, more in the mold of (Cars') Elliot Easton, Randy Rhoads, even Brian May. They weren't "shred" moments - they remained part of the story of the song.
A great example of all of this coming together (for me) is "Precious Time," which made their "Ultimate Collection," I was glad to see. The chorus is r-a-d-i-o ready, but the verses and solos are grindy and angular.
And in the video he's shirtless with a salmon BC Rich and a shiny green turban, wandering among giant hourglasses! It's worth it:
https://youtu.be/N-LaM-yS28A (2:48)
DLR had Eddie; Ozzy had Randy; Perry had Schon...
Put a notch in his lipstick case, Bob. He deserves it.
merrico1
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What timing ... Just went to see Pat & Neil for the 1st time last weekend at The Capitol Theatre. Last minute date night excursion, and was blown away at how great they were!! The show was fantastic, and Neil ripped and Patricia was so powerful. 35 years later, they sold out The Cap... It really says a lot about just how good those songs were. They have held up well.
Great show worth going to see.
Shawn Kilmurray
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I was the keyboard tech for Styx in 1997, and when I found out that Pat Benatar was going to be our opener all summer I have to admit I wasn't all that enthused. I was pretty unfamiliar with her catalog other than Hit Me With Your Best Shot and somehow had gotten the very mistaken impression that they were kind of a candy-ass pop band. Man was I wrong, they rocked it out hard every night - Pat sang her ass off and Neil is truly a force of nature on guitar. They had put out an album that year called Innamorata and one of the songs on it is a killer track called River of Love, if you're not familiar you can pull it up on Spotify. It's one of my favorite cuts of all time, no kidding. Great rock n roll song, Pat wails and Neil is absolutely ferocious on guitar. Give it a listen, I promise you'll be hooked.
Aside from that they are really great people and it was a pleasure touring with them. As for the R&RHOF who cares what they do, it's an interesting museum but other than that they're irrelevant.
Dan Farago
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How can you mention Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo and not mention Myron Grombacher, one of the most influential drummers of that era?
Dean Marone
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Loved reading your post and the comments so far. Been a fan since the first LP came out and even more after the 2nd.
Among all the great hits she had...the one song that really blew me away was on CMT's Crossroads with Martina McBride. Martina's "Freebird" is her signature song "Independence Day". Pat takes the first versus and both chorus and literally robs Martina of her big song. She stood there in silence as Pat belted out the chorus. Still gives me shivers. I really doubt Martina could ever really sing that ever again after Pat's version. Check it out on YouTube.
http://youtu.be/Zbv5iJEDzN8
Brian Helgesen
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Pat Benatar made it cool for guys to like chick songs
rkoent
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My first job in music publishing was working for Frank Davies at ATV Canada, and Eddie Schwartz had recently become the top writer with "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." It was a thrill to meet Eddie, let alone be working with him. In our first meeting, he told me a great story about the writing, demoing, and circuitous route it took to getting cut that's a classic tale of music industry heroes and idiots. I can't do it justice so I will let him tell it to you someday.
I started rambling on and on about how much I loved the song, and how I was sure it was a political song about women's lib, and what an impact it's had, how did a guy show such sensitivity to the movement, etc. After listening to me prattle on for awhile, he developed a puzzled look on his face that clearly meant "what the hell is this guy talking about?" He finally spoke up to correct me. "It's not about women's lib - it's about SELF CONFIDENCE." He went on to explain that most great songs can be described in one word or phrase that is usually an emotion, and if you can't, it's probably not a great song. I've never stopped using that test since.
These days he is busy working to change the world for songwriters as one of the leaders of the Fair Trade Music organization http://songwriters.ca/fairtrademusic.aspx
Best,
Michael McCarty
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Carolyne Mas seems bitter. Must one play guitar on stage to be taken seriously as a musician? Did Pat "Benetar's" career come screeching to a halt when she approached 40? Some of Pat & Neil's best work came after the pressure to churn out hit songs & videos was gone, IMO. Just because the general public has moved on to (or been lead to) the next big thing doesn't mean your career is over. Pat still tours and still rocks. Real fans listen with their ears, not their eyes. Get over it Carolyne, a woman can be taken seriously with or without a 1/4" jack in her hand if she delivers the goods.
Michael Kimball
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Kudos to Carolyne Mas -- being a dude, I don't think you can possibly have a clue as to what young girls thought about Joan or Pat and how both in their own way empowered women - especially those who wanted to be musicians or backing musicians in a man's arena. For one, I always loved Pat Benatar from the moment I saw her in that yellow & black "bee" get up. BUT, Joan had the grit, the snarl, the drive and what you saw was what you got and what you got was a lot, AND without all the needless, traditional sex appeal, despite what you and the others have dismissively said about her and her talent. I saw Joan Jett as sexy AND a badass - the perfect combination for me. From the first time I saw Joan Jett I wanted to be her...and at 50, I still do.
Karen Votava
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Bob,
I had the chance to promote her at radio and she was always a pleasure to work with.
She and her family came to my home for dinner where I cooked my famous Bar B Q...
Just a real nice person..
Kindest Regards,
Jeff Laufer
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Bob--Neil Giraldo refers to the album he and Pat Benatar did called "True Love", which included B.B. King's "Payin' the Cost To Be the Boss". I really enjoyed the whole album which also included another B. B. Song, "I've Got Papers On You". Neil wrote three of the songs including the title track and the remainder are primarily jump classics by artists like Wynonie Harris, Albert King, Charles Brown etc.
Pat's gritty vocals were great, the band was tight and the concept worked but I did wonder at the time about who the audience might be for the album as there weren't many radio outlets available for that style of music. Neil said that it was a labor of love so I was happy and surprised to read that the album has sold 339,000 copies through 2014 with very little radio airplay.
If you are a fan of jump blues, find a copy!
Dan Guilfoyle
PS-the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a SHAME!
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Bob – really enjoyed your piece on Pat Benatar, thanks for some truth. When my band first got signed in 1981, before we went to LA to record, our manager made us attend one of those "catch a rising star" gigs that was happening our hometown. Some chick singer named Pat Benatar. The ticket price was 92 cents, a tie-in with the local FM station's frequency. Our manager, a very smart guy, said "go see this band and pay attention. This is your competition." I walked out of that show thinking that this music biz thing was going to be harder than I thought...
Saw Pat & Neil last summer and they are still bringing it.
Best,
Mark Spangler
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I was a young impressionable 13 year old who was big into hard rock, so when Roklahoma was announced with the Doobie Brothers, Van Halen, Pat Benatar and Sammy Hagar at the University of Oklahoma football stadium in September 1980, I was SO there! I was all into the Mighty VH but also intrigued by the other acts on the bill
Sammy ended up being OK (all I remember is that he dropped F-bombs everywhere and some dude near me offered up a cigar-sized joint) and I was already a mark for VH
But the real surprise of the day was Pat Benatar - her second album had just come out and she had all those pulsating songs that turned into rock radio hits - Heartbreaker, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Treat Me Right, You Better Run - she played the sexy vixen with the incredible voice and killed it, her guitar player wasn't EVH but he could still rock (who knew they were an item?), and her drummer, Myron Grombacher, balding red hair and all, was just absolutely insane - I still remember him standing on his drum stool when being introduced and kicking the gong behind his kit into submission - teenage me loved every bit of it - Pat Benatar and band were nothing less than awesome on that brutally hot day
Chris Perry
Norman, OK
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Please tell Neil that the quote he paraphrased ("It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.") came from Harry S. Truman, not Reagan. Ronnie probably thought he came up with that line also, but then again, he was babbling well into his first term.
Bob Gannon
Venice, CA
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