Simon Waronker dies, co-founded Liberty Records
By Chris Morris, Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Simon "Si" Waronker, founder of Liberty Records, one of the top indie labels of the 1950s and early '60s, died in his sleep Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 90.

A child prodigy on violin, the Los Angeles native studied in Philadelphia and France. He attempted to establish a music career in Germany, but fled the country after the rise of the Nazis. From 1939-55, he worked at 20th Century Fox, playing on countless scores for the studio.

He founded Liberty in 1955. The company's initial single was "The Girl Upstairs," a side by Lionel Newman, a longtime power in the Fox music department; the label's early releases focused on film and orchestral music.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Liberty's first big hit was by an actress, Julie London, whose torchy "Cry Me a River" led to a run of popular albums on the label. The company's diverse roster included Ross Bagdasarian's novelty act the Chipmunks (one of whose helium-voiced members was named after Waronker), the young Henry Mancini, R&B veterans the Dominoes and exotica bandleader Martin Denny. In 1957 Liberty acquired Dick Bock's label Pacific Jazz.

During the rock 'n' roll era, Liberty was the home of singer-guitarist-producer Eddie Cochran, teen idol Bobby Vee, rocker-turned-pop vocalist Johnny Burnette and surf duo Jan & Dean.

In ill health, Waronker sold Liberty in 1963 to electronics company Avnet for $12 million. Ownership of the label subsequently changed hands several times, and its catalog is now controlled by EMI Music.

Waronker's son Lenny is the former head of Warner Bros. Records and DreamWorks Records. Granddaughter Anna Waronker is a former member of the group That Dog and co-founder of the indie label Five Foot Two Records. Grandson Steve Berman is head of sales & marketing at Universal's Interscope/Geffen/A&M unit.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter


06/08/05 21:01 ET

http://aolsvc.news.aol.co...14&cid=525
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Others that were on the label at one time or another...

Henry Mancini
Billy Ward and his Dominoes (Clyde McPhatter & Jackie Wilson were lead singers at times)
Willie Nelson
Spike Jones
Jackie DeShannon
Timi Yuro
Vikki Carr
Van McCoy
P.J. Proby
The Rivingtons
Roosevelt Grier
Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Del Shannon
Canned Heat
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Ike and Tina Turner
Bobby Womack
Sugarloaf
Classics IV
The Ventures
Kenny Rogers
Garth Brooks

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm
[Edited 6/9/05 21:34pm]