Mo Ostin

Mo Ostin (* 27. March 1927 in New York City ) is a rock music - producer who primarily as head of Warner Brothers Records was known.

Ostin grew up in Los Angeles , California, where Irving Grantz lived in the neighborhood. Grantz 'brother Norman was the founder of the music label Verve Records and gave Ostin a job with the label in 1954. When Frank Sinatra left Capitol Records in 1960 and founded his own music label Reprise Records , Ostin got a position from him as Vice President. Reprise Records had musicians like Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. under contract, but when the label was acquired by Warner Bros. Records in 1963, Ostin began producing a variety of musicians as well. In the early 1970s he was named chairman of the label by Warner Bros. manager Steven Ross .

Under the direction of Ostin, Warner Bros. Records welcomed musicians such as Fleetwood Mac , Frank Zappa , Grateful Dead , James Taylor , Jimi Hendrix , Joni Mitchell , Neil Young , Paul Simon , Prince , Randy Newman , Ry Cooder , The Beach Boys , The Sign Fugs , The Kinks and Van Morrison . Later also REM and Red Hot Chili Peppers . In 1995, Ostin left Warner Bros. Records because the then new head of Warner Robert Morgardo did not suit him.

In the late 1990s, Ostin and Lenny Waronker took a job at DreamWorks , where the two produced Randy Newman, Elliott Smith and Rufus Wainwright , among others . In 2003, Ostin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the "Non-Performers" category.