Lenny Waronker

Lenny Waronker (born 3 October 1941) is an American producer and music industry executive. As the president of Warner Bros. Records, and later, as the co-Chair of DreamWorks Records, Waronker was noted for his commitment to artists and his belief that "music, not money, was still number one."[1][2]

Lenny Waronker
Born	Leonard Waronker (1941-10-03) 3 October 1941 Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Music industry executive Producer
Board member of	USC Thornton School of Music
Children	Joey Waronker Anna Waronker Katie Waronker Lily Waronker Grace Waronker
Parent(s)	Simon Waronker Jeanette Waronker

Early life and education

Waronker was born to a Jewish family[3] in 1941 and grew up in Pacific Palisades, California. His father, Simon Waronker, a classical violinist, performed with the 20th Century Fox Orchestra from 1936 through 1939, and served as the orchestra's contractor at the studio from 1939 to 1955. When Waronker was 13, his father founded Liberty Records. With a roster that included Johnny Burnette, Eddie Cochran, Julie London, Bobby Vee, Jan and Dean, and the Ventures, Liberty became one of the most successful independent labels of the post-World War II period.[4][5]

Liberty's first release was an orchestral composition entitled "The Girl Upstairs" by Lionel Newman. Newman's nephew Randy Newman and Waronker – raised in the same neighborhood – were close friends.[6] They frequently visited the Liberty Records office, where they would watch recording sessions and study studio personnel. Waronker had little interest in becoming a musician, and gravitated instead towards production. "I remember going to Randy's house and saying 'why don't we figure out the arrangement for some standard?' And it was just amazing: He'd take any odd standard song and he'd sit down and mess with it and come up with a pop arrangement," he said in a 1994 interview with Billboard.[7]

Career

At his father's urging, Waronker – by then educated in songwriting, the music industry, and publishing – attended USC, where he studied music and business. As he had in high school, Waronker worked in the A&R department at Liberty during summer breaks. Notably, in addition to serving as a gofer, Waronker worked with staff producer Snuff Garrett. Garrett, who was legendary for his "shrewd ability to identify a good song and know what singer could do it justice"[8] heavily influenced Waronker as he learned about production.

Waronker was additionally exposed to songwriters including Burt Bacharach, Mort Shuman, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, and Doc Pomus.[7]

After his college graduation in 1961, Waronker was employed by Liberty full-time, working in the label's promotion department. A year later, he transferred to Liberty's publishing arm, Metric Music, where he worked for Mike Gould and, briefly, as an assistant to Tommy LiPuma. At Metric, Waronker produced song demos; out of a fear that the producers would "mess up the song or the arrangement", Waronker learned how to make the demos sound like fully produced records with limited funds, and how to take advantage of "moments within a song".[9]

Whatever success I've had as a songwriter, I guess I have to trace back to my friendship with Lenny Waronker. His father played in the orchestra at Fox when my Uncle was there, so I know Lenny since I was one. He's two years older than me. I remember when I was four or five, he would tell me stories. I would be the audience. He would say, 'Let's ride on this tricycle.' He'd get on the back and I would pull him, and we'd fall off. I would get hurt and he wouldn't. I still have scars from that tricycle. He'd say, 'We can do this, we can do that,' and I would be the one who ended up getting smashed. And it was that way with songwriting. I was studying classical music, and Lenny said, 'Why don't you try writing some songs?'
Randy Newman[10]

At Metric, Waronker pitched songs to Dick Glasser at Warner Bros. and Jimmy Bowen at Reprise. Impressed by his song demos, Bowen and Glasser recommended Waronker to Reprise label president Mo Ostin. Ostin subsequently hired him as a junior A&R representative for Reprise and for Warner Bros., which was then run by Joe Smith. Charged with developing artists who were originally on the roster of Autumn Records, a defunct label Reprise had acquired, Waronker produced the Mojo Men's "Sit Down, I Think I Love You," hiring Newman on piano and Van Dyke Parks as an arranger. He also produced Harpers Bizarre's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)," which he hired Leon Russell to arrange. Both songs were hits.[7]

At the time, Warner/Reprise was characterized by a roster which included Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Petula Clark, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Sonny and Cher.[11] The perception of the label shifted as Ostin and Smith signed artists including Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, the Grateful Dead, and Van Morrison, among many others, and Waronker signed and/or produced artists including Newman, the Beau Brummels, James Taylor, Arlo Guthrie, Van Dyke Parks, Ry Cooder, Gordon Lightfoot, and Maria Muldaur.

In 1970 Ostin promoted Waronker to head of A&R. Waronker assembled an A&R staff composed of acclaimed producers and artists including Tommy LiPuma, Ted Templeman, Russ Titelman, Steve Barri, Gary Katz, Michael Omartian and John Cale,[2] and by the early 1980s, Ostin, Smith and Waronker had transformed Warner/Reprise into a label known as a haven for artists.[12] Rickie Lee Jones, who Waronker signed on the strength of a four-song demo, was an example of the success of the Warner Bros. artist-centric philosophy; her debut album, which Waronker co-produced with Titelman, went multi-platinum, and was considered by many to be one of the best debut albums of all time. Although the singles charts at the time was dominated by disco and arena rock anthems, Chuck E.'s In Love was a Top 10 hit. Jones won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1979 and Waronker was nominated for a Grammy in the Record of the Year category for his work as the record's producer.[13] (He was nominated in the same category in 1975 for Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis.")

In 1982, Waronker determined that his A&R-focused role was limiting and "becoming tiresome." He went to Ostin, seeking to become more active as an executive at the label. Waronker was subsequently installed as president. Although he remained significantly involved in signing artists, and produced tracks including Rod Stewart's "Broken Arrow" and Eric Clapton's "Forever Man," he reduced the amount of time he spent in the studio, and instead worked closely with Ostin to run Warner/Reprise.[2][12]

With an emphasis on the quality of the records they released, under the joint leadership of Ostin and Waronker, Warner/Reprise entered a period of substantial commercial success. Although many of the label's artists failed to deliver records in 1983, in 1984, with multi-platinum records from Madonna, John Fogerty, and Prince, among others, the label posted a 51% increase in revenue.[14] Warner/Reprise continued to thrive throughout the 1980s, with releases from R.E.M. and Prince, both of whom Waronker signed, Eric Clapton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paul Simon, Madonna, Talking Heads, Van Halen, Neil Young, and Dire Straits, among others. Through meticulous A&R, Warner/Reprise continued to be recognized for the quality of their roster, and with aggressive marketing, the company remained a dominant force in the market during Waronker's tenure.[7][15]

In 1992, following the death of Time Warner Chairman Steve Ross, the Chairman of Warner Music Group, Robert J. Morgado, reorganized the corporate management structure. Under Ross, the Warner Music Groups were autonomous; Morgado, described as "a bean counter with little knowledge of music," required that the label heads report to him. Ostin declined to renew his contract as Chairman of Warner/Reprise, and resigned his position in August 1994.[16][17] Waronker rejected Morgado's offer to succeed Ostin as the chairman of Warner Bros./Reprise. "The way things are right now, it just doesn't feel right," he said.[18][19]

In the months following their departure, Ostin and Waronker were pursued by more than a dozen entertainment companies, including Disney, Viacom, Fox, PolyGram and Time Warner. In October it was announced that they would co-chair DreamWorks Records, the newly created music arm of Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg's DreamWorks.[20] Michael Ostin was appointed president of the label.

Although he served in a leadership role at DreamWorks, Waronker continued to work closely with artists including Rufus Wainwright, the first artist he signed to DreamWorks, the Eels, Elliott Smith, and Newman, who he brought to the label in 1998. With artists such as Nelly Furtado, Morphine, and Propellerheads, DreamWorks embraced the same artistry-first principles that Warner Bros. had become known for, and by 2003, despite the vast changes in the landscape of the music industry, DreamWorks had flourished, with 59 gold, platinum and multiplatinum sales certifications and 26 Grammy award-winning releases. The label was purchased by Universal Music Group for $100 million, and was subsequently folded into Geffen Records.[12][21][22] Waronker left DreamWorks several years later.

In 2010, at the invitation of then-Chairman Tom Whalley, Waronker returned to Warner Bros. as a consultant, and works in partnership with the company's A&R staff on selected projects which have included records by Gary Clark Jr., Kimbra, and Jenny Lewis.[23]

Personal life

Waronker lives in Los Angeles. He was married to Shindig! star Donna Loren, with whom he had three children, including songwriter and That Dog founder, Anna Waronker, and drummer, Joey, as well as a second daughter, Katie. His second marriage to jewelry designer, Cathleen Waronker, with whom he had two children, Lily and Grace, ended in divorce. He has three grandchildren.[24][25]

Waronker serves on the board of directors of the USC Thornton School of Music.[26]

Selected discography

Year	Album	Artist	Credit	Notable Tracks
2017	Dark Matter	Randy Newman	Producer
2014	Live	Gary Clark Jr.	A&R
	The Golden Echo	Kimbra	A&R
	The Voyager	Jenny Lewis	A&R
2012	Black and Blu	Gary Clark Jr.	A&R
	3 Pears	Dwight Yoakam	Executive Producer
2011	Vows	Kimbra	A&R
2010	We Walk This Road	Robert Randolph and the Family Band	A&R and Co-producer
2008	Harps and Angels	Randy Newman	Producer
2004	Want Two	Rufus Wainwright	A&R
2003	Want One	Rufus Wainwright	A&R, Executive Producer
	Shootenanny!	The Eels	Executive A&R
2001	Poses	Rufus Wainwright	Executive Producer
	Souljacker	The Eels	Executive A&R
2000	Daisies of the Galaxy	The Eels	Executive A&R
	Figure 8	Elliott Smith	Executive A&R
1998	Electro-Shock Blues	The Eels	Executive A&R
	Rufus Wainwright	Rufus Wainwright	Executive Producer
	XO	Elliott Smith	Executive A&R
1996	Beautiful Freak	The Eels	Executive A&R
1992	Little Village	Little Village	Executive Producer
1991	"Broken Arrow" (single)	Rod Stewart	Producer	"Broken Arrow"
1988	Brian Wilson	Brian Wilson	Executive A&R
1985	Behind the Sun	Eric Clapton	Executive Producer	"Forever Man"
1983	Hearts and Bones	Paul Simon	Producer
	Trouble in Paradise	Randy Newman	Producer	"I Love L.A."
1982	If That's What It Takes	Michael McDonald	Producer	"I Keep Forgetting"
	Shadows	Gordon Lightfoot	Executive Producer
1981	Pirates	Rickie Lee Jones	Producer
	Ragtime (Music from the Motion Picture)	Randy Newman	Producer
1980	Dream Street Rose	Gordon Lightfoot	Executive Producer
1979	Rickie Lee Jones	Rickie Lee Jones	Producer	"Chuck E.'s In Love"
	Born Again	Randy Newman	Producer
1978	Endless Wire	Gordon Lightfoot	Producer
1977	Little Criminals	Randy Newman	Producer	"Short People"
1976	Amigo	Arlo Guthrie	Producer
	Sweet Harmony	Maria Muldaur	Producer
	In the Pocket	James Taylor	Producer	"Shower the People"
	Summertime Dream	Gordon Lightfoot	Producer	"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
1975	Gorilla	James Taylor	Producer	"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" "Mexico"
	Gord's Gold	Gordon Lightfoot	Producer
	The Beau Brummels	The Beau Brummels	Audio production
	Cold on the Shoulder	Gordon Lightfoot	Producer
1974	Maria Muldaur	Maria Muldaur	Producer	"I'm A Woman" "Midnight at the Oasis"
	Paradise and Lunch	Ry Cooder	Producer
	Arlo Guthrie	Arlo Guthrie	Producer
	Sundown	Gordon Lightfoot	Producer	"Sundown" "Carefree Highway"
	Good Old Boys	Randy Newman	Producer
1973	The Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys	Arlo Guthrie	Producer
1972	Sailin’ Shoes	Little Feat	Executive A&R
	Sail Away	Randy Newman	Producer
	Boomer Story	Ry Cooder	Producer
	Don Quixote	Gordon Lightfoot	Producer
	Hobo's Lullaby	Arlo Guthrie	Producer	"City of New Orleans"
	Old Dan's Records	Gordon Lightfoot	Producer
1971	The Doobie Brothers	The Doobie Brothers	Producer
	Into the Purple Valley	Ry Cooder	Producer
	Randy Newman Live	Randy Newman	Producer
1970	12 Songs	Randy Newman	Producer
	Sit Down Young Stranger	Gordon Lightfoot	Producer	"If You Could Read My Mind"
	Washington County	Arlo Guthrie	Producer
	Ry Cooder	Ry Cooder	Producer
1969	Harpers Bizarre 4	Harpers Bizarre	Producer	"Witchi Tai To"
	Running Down the Road	Arlo Guthrie	Producer
1968	Bradley’s Barn	The Beau Brummels	Producer
	Randy Newman	Randy Newman	Producer
	Roots	The Everly Brothers	Producer
	Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre	Harpers Bizarre	Producer
	Song Cycle	Van Dyke Parks	Producer
1967	Anything Goes	Harpers Bizarre	Producer	"Anything Goes"
	Feelin' Groovy	Harpers Bizarre	Producer	"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" "Come to the Sunshine"
	Triangle	The Beau Brummels	Producer
	"Sit Down, I Think I Love You" (single)	The Mojo Men	Producer	"Sit Down, I Think I Love You"

References

1. Selvin, Joel (4 June 1995). "A Record Executive's Pride and Joy / Warner Bros. re-releases Lenny Waronker's early masterpieces". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
2. Scoppa, Bud (11 July 1989). "From Studio to the Board Room : Lenny Waronker's low-key, laissez faire style pays off at Warner Bros". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
3. Dickinson, Jim (2017). I'm Just Dead, I'm Not Gone. University Press of Mississippi. p. 242. ISBN 978-1-4968-1120-2. Cooder's co-producer was a short Jewish guy roughly my own age, Lenny Waronker, a vice president of Warner Brothers, head of the A&R department, and son of the infamous president of Liberty Records from the 1950s
4. Staff (28 November 1982). "THE MEN BEHIND THREE LABELS". New York Times. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
5. McLellan, Dennis (9 June 2005). "Simon Waronker, 90; Founded Liberty Records Label in 1950s". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
6. Chilton, Martin (December 2013). "Political Science (1972) – Randy Newman: 20 essential songs". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
7. White, Timothy (12 November 1994). "Lenny Waronker and Mo Ostin: How 2 Warner Bros. Execs Taught the Bunny to Rock". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 107.
8. Garcia, Gilbert (3 September 1998). "Happy Trails". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
9. "Background on Lenny Waronker". artisthousemusic.org. Artist House Music. September 2006. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
10. Newman, Randy. "In his own words: Randy Newman". superseventies.com. Super Seventies. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
11. Cornyn, Stan. "STAY TUNED BY STAN CORNYN: LENNY'S CORPS". rhino.com. Stay Tuned. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
12. Willonsky, Robert (10 December 1998). "The music man". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
13. Morse, Tim. "Classic Tracks: Rickie Lee Jones' "Chuck E.'s In Love"". Mix Magazine. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
14. Knoedelseder Jr., William K. (14 February 1985). "Turnaround After 2 Years of Setbacks : Warner Bros. Records Plays a Happier Tune". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
15. Knodelseder Jr., William K. (20 March 1989). "MUSIC TO WARNER'S EARS : Profit from Records Unit, the Industry Leader, Far Outstrips High-Profile Movie Division". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
16. Farr, Jory (23 July 2001). Moguls and Madmen. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 18. ISBN 0743228936.
17. Phillips, Chuck (16 August 1994). "COMPANY TOWN : At Warner Bros. Records, Mo Ostin Loyal to the End". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
18. Hofmeister, Sally (25 October 1994). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Turmoil Grows Worse At Time Warner Music". New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
19. Phillips, Chuck (25 October 1994). "Company Town : Waronker Turns Down Offer of Top Job When Ostin Leaves Warner Records in '95". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
20. Phillips, Chuck (5 October 1995). "Together Again : DreamWorks Lures an Industry Titan to Run Its Pop Music Division". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
21. Billboard Staff (31 October 2003). "UMG To Acquire DreamWorks Records". Billboard. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
22. "DREAMWORKS AND UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP REACH AGREEMENT FOR UMG TO ACQUIRE DREAMWORKS RECORDS". universalmusic.com. UMG Corporate (Press release). 11 November 2003. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
23. Roberts, Randall (30 April 2011). "Kin tight act". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
24. "Classic Rock Almanac October 3, 2014". wncx.cbslocal.com. CBS. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
25. Davidow, Audrey (Spring 2009). "Mini Spree". Modern Luxury. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
26. "Leonard Waronker". music.usc.edu. USC Thornton School of Music. Retrieved 18 November 2014.