Hank Medress

Henry "Hank" Medress (November 19, 1938 – June 18, 2007) was an American singer and record producer.

Biography

Medress was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he attended Abraham Lincoln High School. In 1955 he joined a doo-wop group called the Linc-Tones, which also included Neil Sedaka.[1][2] After Sedaka's departure, the group reformed with additional singers as The Tokens. The Tokens achieved a number 1 chart success in 1961 with their arrangement of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", as well as other minor hits. Medress and the Tokens produced hits for the Chiffons, such as "He's So Fine".[1][2]

After leaving the Tokens, Medress co-produced (with Dave Appell) many of Tony Orlando and Dawn's hits as well as Melissa Manchester's LP.[3] Later, he worked with David Johansen, Rick Springfield, Dan Hill, and Richard Simmons.[4] He was president of EMI Music Publishing Canada, from 1990 to 1992.[1] Medress produced the Dan Hill song, "Never Thought (That I Could Love)" in 1987, which was a #43 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and a #2 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

After returning to New York, Medress became a partner in Bottom Line Records, which released recordings of performances at The Bottom Line club in Greenwich Village, as well as new work by emerging artists. In recent years, Medress had worked as a consultant for SoundExchange, an agency that collects royalties from digital broadcasters, like satellite and Internet radio.

Death

Medress died of lung cancer at his Manhattan home on June 18, 2007, aged 68.[4]

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References
  1. 'Lion Sleeps Tonight' singer dead, cnn.com; accessed January 28, 2015.
  2. 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' singer dies, yahoo.com; accessed May 23, 2017.
  3. Los Angeles Times, "Hank Medress, 68; pop music producer, a member of the Tokens", June 21, 2007; accessed January 28, 2015.
  4. "Hank Medress, 68, Doo-Wop Singer on ‘Lion Sleeps Tonight’, Dies", nytimes.com; accessed January 28, 2014.


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