Jerry Brandt

Jerry Brandt (January 29, 1938 – January 16, 2021) was an American entrepreneur, impresario, agent, manager, promoter, and club owner who was active since the 1960s. He is known for discovering Carly Simon and serving as her first manager, as well as for his work with Lori Petty.

Life and career

Born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Brandt served in the army and afterwards first worked as a messenger in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency. Within a few years, he moved up the ranks and became head of the pop music division. While working at William Morris, he discovered Chubby Checker, booked acts like The Beach Boys and Sonny & Cher, and brought The Rolling Stones to the USA. He also handled Sam Cooke,[1] Dick Clark, and Muhammad Ali for theatrical events. In the 1970s, he managed glam rock artist Jobriath Boone, and in 2012, appeared in the documentary Jobriath A.D..[2]

Contemporaneous with his management work, Brandt also opened, owned, and managed major music venues such as The Electric Circus (1967), The Ritz,[3] and Spo-Dee-O-Dee,[4] a Blues Club. In 1970 he left the Electric Circus and moved to Los Angeles where he opened the Paradise Ballroom with legendary financier Bernie Cornfeld. Brandt produced the legendary flop Broadway musical Got Tu Go Disco, which closed in 1979 after nine previews and eight performances.[5]

In 1992, Brandt, along with Ron Delsener, Robin Leach, and Bob Krasnow, opened the Italian restaurant "Italica"[6] at 220 East 46th St. which introduced "pizza by the meter."

Death

Brandt died from COVID-19 and pneumonia-related causes in Miami Beach, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida. He was 82 years old.[7]

References

Goodman, Fred (2015). Allen Klein: The Man Who Bailed Out the Beatles, Made the Stones, and Transformed Rock & Roll. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 40, 53. ISBN 978-0-547-89686-1. OCLC 904505949.
MOJO magazine, November 1998, (pp. 69-70).
Goodman 2015, p. 110.
New York Magazine, July 3, 1989
"Got Tu Go Disco". IBDB. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
New York Magazine, September 14, 1992
Irwin, Corey (January 22, 2021). "Jerry Brandt, Founder of New York Nightclub The Ritz, Dead at 82". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 15, 2023.

External links

Jerry Brandt - A Helluva Life - book homepage.
Jerry Brandt "It's A Short Walk From Brooklyn, If You Run" Presentation Video trailer for the book.
Carly Simon for Brandtworks Records
New York Magazine article June 25, 1979
Jerry Brandt, Whose Music Clubs Captured a Moment, Dies at 82 New York Times Obituary, Neil Genzlinger, Jan. 28, 2021

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[1] Goodman, Fred (2015). Allen Klein: The Man Who Bailed Out the Beatles, Made the Stones, and Transformed Rock & Roll. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 40, 53. ISBN 978-0-547-89686-1. OCLC 904505949.

[2] MOJO magazine, November 1998, (pp. 69-70).

[FOOTNOTEGoodman2015110-3] Goodman 2015, p. 110.

[4] New York Magazine, July 3, 1989

[5] "Got Tu Go Disco". IBDB. Retrieved April 30, 2022.

[6] New York Magazine, September 14, 1992

[7] Irwin, Corey (January 22, 2021). "Jerry Brandt, Founder of New York Nightclub The Ritz, Dead at 82". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 15, 2023.