Jerry Wexler

From Grokipedia

Jerry Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was an American music journalist, producer, and industry executive renowned for coining the term "rhythm and blues" in 1949 while working at Billboard magazine, where he replaced the derogatory "race records" chart designation to better reflect the evolving Black music scene. Born in the Bronx, New York City, to a Jewish family, Wexler developed an early passion for jazz through visits to Harlem clubs in the 1930s, later studying journalism at Kansas State University after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. His career bridged journalism and production, shaping the sound of R&B, soul, and beyond as a pivotal figure at Atlantic Records from 1953 to the mid-1970s.

As a producer at Atlantic, Wexler collaborated closely with founders Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun, transforming the independent label into a powerhouse by signing and helming sessions for groundbreaking artists such as Ray Charles, whose 1959 hit "What'd I Say" fused gospel, blues, and pop under Wexler's guidance. He produced iconic tracks for The Drifters, Big Joe Turner, and Wilson Pickett, including Pickett's 1965 collaboration "In the Midnight Hour" recorded at Stax Studios. Wexler's hands-on approach extended to revitalizing Aretha Franklin's career in 1967 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, yielding her breakthrough album I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You and hits like "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," which earned multiple Grammys and cemented soul's commercial dominance.

Wexler's influence reached beyond Atlantic, as he freelanced for artists including Dusty Springfield on her 1969 masterpiece Dusty in Memphis, Bob Dylan's 1979 gospel album Slow Train Coming, and Willie Nelson's country-soul crossovers, while serving as a senior vice president at Warner Bros. Records. He played a key role in elevating Muscle Shoals, Alabama, as a premier recording destination starting in 1966, producing for acts like The Staple Singers and Dire Straits. Honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, alongside induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement that same year and posthumous induction into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017, Wexler's legacy endures as an architect of modern American music, blending genres and championing Black artists' innovations.

In brief

Gerald Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integral in signing and/or producing many of the biggest acts of the time, including Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers, Chris Connor, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Wilson Pickett, Dire Straits, Dusty Springfield and Bob Dylan. Wexler was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and in 2017 to the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.