R.I.P. Jerry Moss

Steve Sidoruk

Steve Sidoruk

Founder, A&M Fan Net
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Jerry Moss, the music executive who together with his creative partner, Herb Alpert, formed A&M Records in 1962, has died at age 88 at his Bel Air, Calif. home. The news was announced by his family on his obituary posted on August 16, 2023, on Legacy.com. The pair of music industry titans had originally planned on naming their label Carnival Records but settled on A&M—their initials—when they discovered that their original choice was already taken. Led initially by the phenomenal success of recordings by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, the duo ultimately led one of the great independent labels of all-time with such signings as Sergio Mendes, Carpenters, Joe Cocker, Carole King (through an agreement with Lou Adler’s Ode Records), Cat Stevens, the Captain & Tennille, Billy Preston, Humble Pie, Peter Frampton, Supertramp, the Police, Sting, Janet Jackson, and dozens of others.

Read more here:

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Jerry Moss, Who Formed A&M Records With Herb Alpert, Dies - Best Classic Bands

The pair led one of the great independent labels with Carpenters, Cat Stevens, Peter Frampton, the Police, and Janet Jackson. Jerry Moss tributes...
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I too dread this kind of thing But I agree Jerry's contributions to music as a whole are just one of the many Reasons we all are here on this forum This world would indeed have been much drastically different without him "Rest Well Mr Moss You will be very much missed."
 
 
This is such sad news. He's the only record company executive I ever wished I could meet and shake his hand, in thanks for all the great contributions he made to the music industry and just for being a genuinely good person. A giant of the industry indeed. He literally changed my life.
 
😢 Very sad news. Saw him in passing one day at the races and wanted to go over and shake hands, but I hated to bother him.
 
Sad is not even the way I'm feeling now; believe it or not, I'm nearly in tears about this.A&M Records has been such a huge part of my life so much that it feels like I've known both Herb and Jerry. Although I met Herb, I didn't meet Jerry, but from what I understand, he was one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet. from the video interviews I've seen of him, this confirms this sentiment. I would suggest that you all check out the series of interviews he did for Artisthouse which is on youtube where he talks about how he got his start in the music industry, his meeting Herb, etc.

The last video that I saw of him was when he was interviewed for the documentary "Mr.A & Mr. M" and he revealed to the interviewer that he wished he had signed...Neil Diamond! During the interview, I could see that he was struggling to talk and not as loquacious as he had been in previous interviews. So with that I could see that his health was being challenged. Also during the interview, I could see that it appeared that he was attended to by what it looks to be a male nurse. The video is on youtube.

Mr. Alpert, if you are reading this, my sincerest condolences to you and also to Mr. Moss' family and friends and all the A&M family out there. Mr. Moss, thank you for presenting some of the greatest music in the latter part of the 20th century and thank you for your genius, innovation and most of all, your INTEGRITY in creating on of the most ground breaking, innovative labels of all time. We here at A&M Corner will make sure that you are never fporgotten and your memory will live on forever. Rest In Peace and in Power my friend. You were and still are loved.

From jazzdre.
 
The loss of the "M" in A&M is a huge one in a year marked by many noteworthy passings. Condolences to his family and many friends.

JB
 
R.I.P. Jerry Moss and condolences to the Moss family. I will never forget a Herb Alpert concert I attended at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. I was front row with Herb jammin on stage and Jerry Moss in attendance right behind me.Surreal. Thanks for the music...
 
I met Jerry Moss at, I think, Joe’s Pub in 2008 and again at Cafe Carlyle just before COVID hit. He was in the reception hall and I introduced myself, saying we’d met 10 years or so ago. I asked whether he, too, was staying at the Carlyle for Herb’s performances and of course he was. Such a gracious man.

I last saw him at one of Herb’s Ronnie Scott’s performances. He got a round of applause when Herb said he was there but didn’t speak.

How sad that he has gone, but what a wonderful, wonderful legacy to have touched so many of us.
 
It's very sad news. I just wrote a few words about him on the messageboards of the other website I frequent. But on THIS site, what could I possibly say that you don't already know?

It's tacky of me to say that I profited in any way from this matter, but... well, I did. Those obituaries to which the original post of this thread linked gave me valuable information for my book. It's been years since I asked on these boards what Sandra Moss' maiden name was. I never learned the answer until today, when reading those articles.

So I guess I could say: thank you, Steve Sidoruk, for all those links.
 
I participated in a poll that appeared on bing.com after a feature article regarding Jerry's passing. About 20% of respondents were very familiar with his accomplishments, which I guess I should have expected; but over 60% had absolutely no idea who he was. That seems unfair, because his contributions to our society are so massive, and not only in music. Jerry didn't do what he did for fame. that's for sure...we'll never forget him, but the rest of the world probably won't remember or even realize just how much his efforts touched us all.

RIP Jerry Moss, and thank you for making the world a much better place.
 
Steven J. Gross said:
The greatest in the business is gone. There are no words. RIP.
Click to expand...
Agree! Jerry was unique in his business style.He gave us such great music.I remember buying albums and most had the A&M logo.I remember thinking that the owners of this label are special ppl.My favorite interview from him was when he said Karen was just about the nicest person you could meet and I have worked with alot of artists.Thank You Jerry.I will always have a warm spot in my heart for You! Rest Easy Jerry.We will Miss You!
 
Regarding the late great Jerry Moss, if I recall several years ago someone posted at this forum a very long interview of Jerry. It was so long that I didn't finish reading the entire interview. He went way back discussing his youth and Army days and then into his long and productive career. I did a search on this website, but could not find the interview. Is there anyone who knows where this interview is located?
 
To honor Jerry Moss, Paul Grein included a tabulation of the 50 best A & M singles from the pre-PolyGram days in the latest edition of Billboard Magazine.
 
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