Mo AustinWarner Bros. Legendary Head of Records dies at 95

Mo Austin, the legendary label executive who owns Warner Bros Records, who led the label to artistic and commercial success for more than 30 years, died on Sunday. He was 95 years old.

Austin, who has signed and/or worked with bands such as The Kinks, Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, REM, Randy Newman and many others, was “one of the greatest record holders of all time and a great architect of modernity. music,” Warner Records Co-President and COO Tom Corson and Warner Records Co-President and Chief Executive Officer Aaron Bey-Shuck said in a joint statement.

“For Mo, first of all, he always helped artists to realize their vision. A seminal figure in the evolution of the Warner Music Group, Mo led Warner/Reprise Records into a golden age of revolutionary art that changed culture in the 1960s. Over the next three decades on the label, he remained a tireless advocate of creative freedom, both for the talent he cultivated and the people who worked for him. Mo lived an extraordinary life doing what he loved, and he will be missed throughout the industry he helped build, and the countless artists and colleagues he inspired to do their best. On behalf of everyone at Warner, we want to thank Mo for all he has done and for his inspiring belief in our bright future. Our condolences to his family at this difficult time.”

Austin, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and received the Recording Academy Trustee Award in 2017, was born in New York and moved to Los Angeles, where he attended Fairfax High School and UCLA. After starting his career at Verve Records, Austin was hired by Frank Sinatra to launch Reprise Records in 1960. Three years later, Warner Bros. Records bought Reprise and Austin quickly caught on to the pop zeitgeist, signing The Kinks. Shortly after, he brought Hendrix, Mitchell and Neil Young to the label.

Austin became president of records for Warner Bros. in 1970, leading Warner and Reprise labels until retiring in 1994 as president/CEO. With an artist-first mentality, record companies became home to a surprising variety of artists in the following period. His credits include Van Halen, James Taylor, The B-52s, Paul Simon, ZZ Top, George Benson, Don Henley, Tom Petty, Green Day, Van Dyke Parks, Dire Straits, Chaka Khan and, famously, Prince. , which he signed with Signed. to the label in 1977.

Although Prince left the label in 1996 after accusing him of “slavery”, only returning in 2014, Austin called Prince a genius and compared him to Sinatra in a 2016 interview. advertising panel After the prince’s death. He recalled the first time he heard Prince and how Warner Bros. regarding the artists and shrewd moves led Prince to choose the label: [at the time]Russ Thyret received a demo from our Minnesota promoter Owen Hasney, who later became Prince’s manager. We were completely impressed and wanted to sign right away. There was a lot of competition because other people knew him: A&M and Columbia were trying to sign him and he became very competitive. But A&M wanted to publish it and didn’t give up, so they gave it to him. Columbia would only give him a two-LP deal, so we decided to give him a three-LP deal because we really believe in him. And also because we appreciate artists, he hired us.

Austin ran Warner Bros. of a multi-story brown wooden building nicknamed the Ski Lodge in Burbank. He made it a haven for creativity, artists often visited new music. “Ricky Lee Jones came on guitar and played about two and a half songs, which was enough to tell me he was great,” recalled Warner Brothers A&R representative Lenny Waronker in 2019. advertising panel An oral history of the building before Warner Bros. move to downtown Los Angeles. “I think it was just me and Ted Templeman. It was a no-brainer. Van Dyck Parks came to my office before his first record while working with Brian Wilson. He had his stuff and it was amazing to me, he was sitting at the piano… even though it could have been in an old building. Once when Russ Titelman and I released the first Ricky Lee Jones album [in 1979]We had a meeting in Russ’ office, which was next to mine, and he came up with a new idea for a “Chuck E. Girlfriend” setup that was basically to slow down. It gave him a real attitude.

Austin’s next generation of executives also report to him. “Mo has been a great mentor,” Universal Music Group President and CEO Lucian Grange said in a statement. “I lived a set of values ​​that taught me a lot about business, leadership and life. My respect for him as an executive and as a family man was total. His “nose” for talent was legendary, but he was also an amazing people connector; Today something is missing in business and in the world. My deepest condolences to Michael and the entire family.”

Max Lusada, CEO of Warner Recorded Music, added: “In an era where creative entrepreneurs are revered, we celebrate Mo Austin as a pioneer who wrote the rules for others to follow. Warner Music Group and Warner Records would not exist without his passion, vision and intelligence. Not only did he help build one of the biggest music companies in the world, he also inspired a culture fueled by boldness and ingenuity. Mo saw the artists for who they really were and gave them space and support to fully express their originality. We express our condolences [Mo’s son] Michael and the entire Austin family. Mo was a legend and I will miss him terribly.”

Since his retirement, Austin has kept himself busy, including serving as a consultant and board member for music schools at his alma mater, UCLA, as well as USC.

Austin’s wife, Evelyn, and their two children, Randy and Kenny, preceded him in death. He leaves his son Michael.

This story first appeared on billboard.com