Name Dick Rowe Role Record Producer | Died June 6, 1986 | |
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Similar People Brian Poole, Tony Meehan, Pete Best, Bert Berns, The Tremeloes | ||
Richard Paul "Dick" Rowe (9 June 1921 – 6 June 1986) was an A&R man at Decca Records from the 1950s to the 1960s.
Contents
Career
He was one of the most important producers and record executives in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and early 1960s and is the man who signed the Rolling Stones, Them (Van Morrison), the Moody Blues, the Tremeloes, the Zombies, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, the Brumbeats, the Tornados, Tom Jones, the Small Faces, the Marmalade the Circus and Eternal Triangle amongst others. Rowe rejected The Beatles, however, declaring that "guitar bands are on their way out"; they went on to land a recording contract with EMI/Parlophone and become the biggest selling and most influential rock band of all time.
List of production
As a producer he had several number ones in the singles chart, and his discography includes:
He is historically presented in popular musical history as the man who did not sign the Beatles, even after their manager Brian Epstein paid Decca to provide a one-hour audition. George Harrison says he told their manager, "Guitar groups are on their way out, Mr. Epstein". He is also attributed as having said "Not to mince words, Mr. Epstein, but we don't like your boys' sound." He later signed the Rolling Stones after their audition, thanks to an introduction and encouragement from Harrison.
Legacy
Rowe died of diabetes on 6 June 1986. His son, Richard Rowe works in music publishing (and made the deal to create a joint partnership with Michael Jackson to publish the Beatles catalogue as Sony/ATV when he ran the publishing division of Sony Music).