BERNA AND RODRA

[Aqua do Brasil]

Dear forum members,

On may songs on albums by Sergio Mendes the Music Publishing names
BERNA or RODRA is marked.

I guess thes names are Sergio Mendes owned copyrights imprint names, and I gues corrected me if I’m wrong those are composed from his childerens name RODRIGRO and BERNARDO.
Maybe, some of the forum members are familiar with this question.

All the best,
Aqua do Brasil

 

[JMK]

Those are two of his publishing companies, Aqua. When you are a publisher member of either ASCAP or BMI, you need to have publishing entities to receive royalties. I can't remember which (I think it was Rodra), but one of them was still listed on the mailbox of the house in Encino that collapsed during the Northridge quake. (My brother and sister in law live right across Ventura Blvd. from Sergio's old house and longtimers here will remember I drove by a few years ago to discover it was gone. Claudio later confirmed it had collapsed during the quake, but when I was there the mailbox was still up, though leaning precariously!).

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Yes, Aqua, Sergio's publishing entities are named after his sons. Sergio and Gracinha now reside in Woodland Hills, in a beautiful home overlooking the valley.

Jon

 

[Cortnee]

I have always wonder how Sergio came up with Berna & Rodra. Now it all makes sense to me. Sergio isn't the only artist to name his publishing company after their children. Eumir Deodato( Kennya) and Quincy Jones ( Rashida & Kidada) have named their companies after their daughters. Kennya Deodato is married to actor Stephen Baldwin( Alec, Daniel, & Billy) YES! THAT BALDWIN FAMILY! Kim Basinger, & Chynna Phillips are Kennya's sister-inlaws. Alec Baldwin has acted in some Chicago based play with Miss Aria Alpert. It's amazing how everybody is connected! Rodrigo & Bernardo are indeed Sergio's sons from his first marriage and they both share a house in Sherman Oaks, Ca. Sergio had many songwriting deals with Berna & Rodra for many of his Brazilian composer peers including Dori Caymmi, Antonio Adolfo, Marcos Valle, Edu Lobo, Jorge Ben, etc. Every now & then, Ebay will sell a trade article about Berna & Rodra, so keep your eye on Ebay!

 

[JMK]

Don't forget Rondor in the named after kids category.

 

[Dave]

I thought the late Jim Croce had his Publishing Co. named after his son, Adrian. And Adrian now has a music career, kinda modeled after his dad's.

Dave

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Another name combination came in the form of Serrich Productions -- a combination of Sergio and Richard Rosenberg.

Jon

 

[W.B.]

I thought the late Jim Croce had his Publishing Co. named after his son, Adrian. And Adrian now has a music career, kinda modeled after his dad's.

No . . . I.I.N.M., in his lifetime Jim Croce's works were co-published by Blendingwell Music, which I believe was owned by the producers of his records, Terry Cashman and Tommy West (the other publisher was ABC/Dunhill Records' ASCAP-affiliated publisher, American Broadcasting Music, after 1973; before that it had been Wingate Music which was originally associated with Lou Adler's Dunhill concern). Cashman & West's production company at the time was called Interrobang Productions; by the time they established their own Lifesong label (which, along with Mr. Croce's old ABC masters, also boasted A&M alumnus Henry Gross who had his biggest hit on Lifesong with "Shannon"), their production company became Cashwest Productions, named after the first four letters of the two men's last names.

 

[Aqua do Brasil]

I have always wonder how Sergio came up with Berna & Rodra. Now it all makes sense to me. Sergio isn't the only artist to name his publishing company after their children. Eumir Deodato( Kennya) and Quincy Jones ( Rashida & Kidada) have named their companies after their daughters. Kennya Deodato is married to actor Stephen Baldwin( Alec, Daniel, & Billy) YES! THAT BALDWIN FAMILY! Kim Basinger, & Chynna Phillips are Kennya's sister-inlaws. Alec Baldwin has acted in some Chicago based play with Miss Aria Alpert. It's amazing how everybody is connected! Rodrigo & Bernardo are indeed Sergio's sons from his first marriage and they both share a house in Sherman Oaks, Ca. Sergio had many songwriting deals with Berna & Rodra for many of his Brazilian composer peers including Dori Caymmi, Antonio Adolfo, Marcos Valle, Edu Lobo, Jorge Ben, etc. Every now & then, Ebay will sell a trade article about Berna & Rodra, so keep your eye on Ebay!

Dear Cortnee,

Thanks for this interesting info!

Mister Barry Gordy, founder of Motown Records also named his Publishing House JOBETE after the first two initials from his three childern JO BE and TE the full names I lost some twenty years ago in my archive due to moving from one house to another. During my employment with EMI music from 1979 till 1987 I was some years connected and works a lot for Motown ( licensend to EMI music till 1981 worldwide).
The Jobete Music Publishing Cy. was completely sold last april to EMI Music Publishing but the Motown recordings are owned by the UNIVERSAL Music Group

All the best,
Aqua Do Brasil

 

[Aqua do Brasil]

Don't forget Rondor in the named after kids category.

Dear JMK,

IRVING, one of the three A&M related publishing houses was named after Irving Moss the father of Jerome Sheldon Moss the second son of Irving and Rose Moss born on may 8th 1935 better known as Jerry Moss
co-founder of A&M records as we all known.

This time no kids -naming.

All the best,
Aqua do Brasil

 

[W.B.]

This time no kids -naming.

Which reminds me . . . Gamble & Huff, the legendary "Philly Sound" producers, seemed to have a thing about the number '3'. Consider these music publishers which handled their compositions (and, to an extent, Thom Bell's) . . .
- World War III Music
- Act Three Music
- Mighty Three Music