Jeff Katz

Music career

He is one half of a hitmaking duo with Jerry Kasenetz, the two working together as the Super K Productions company. He and Kasenetz have manufactured and produced Shadows of Knight, Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus, The Music Explosion, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Crazy Elephant and The Ohio Express. Kasenetz and Katz met at the University of Arizona in the early sixties. Both came from observant Jewish families. One of their first projects in the music business was as concert promoters bringing the British band the Dave Clarke Five to the University of Arizona. Leaving the University of Arizona before their senior year they moved back to New York and opened a small office on Broadway in Manhattan. Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz created the concept of bubblegum music. Neil Bogart of Buddah Records asked the duo to come up with a marketing name for their music. Between 1967 to 1969 some of their bubblegum music releases are "Beg, Borrow and Steal," "1,2,3, Red Light," "Goody, Goody Gumdrops," "Indian Giver," "Down at Lulu's," "Chewy,Chewy," "Mercy," "Simon Says," "Special Delivery," "Yummy Yummy Yummy" and "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin." In 1966 their first production was with Christine Cooper "S.O.S. Heart In Distress." In 1966 Kasenetz and Katz had also begun working with an Ohio band, The Music Explosion who recorded " Little Bit O' Soul." Kasenetz got in his car and drove across the country promoting the song to radio stations. In July 1967, the song reached No. 2 on the charts, selling a million copies. This solidified Kasenetz and Katz as music industry players.

In 1977 Kasenetz and Katz achieved another top twenty hit "Black Betty" by the group Ram Jam.