Richard Weize

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Weize (born August 4, 1945 in Bad Gandersheim , Germany ) is the founder of the Bear Family Records music label and author.

education

Weize grew up in Bad Gandersheim. His family has been running a bookbinding business here since 1845, as well as a book and stationery shop. His enthusiasm for pop music developed with the appearance of the first Anglo-American singles on the German market. The AFN , Elvis and the stars in the Hamburg Star Club did the rest. Weize became a pioneer as early as 1960, importing barely available country and rock 'n' roll albums from the USA and selling them - at a small premium - to friends and acquaintances. It was not only the beginning of his own record collection, it also laid the foundation for his Bear Family Records label.

After graduating from school in 1960, he began training in an iron foundry, two years later he switched to a decorator and then ended up working as a wine seller in mid-1966. The wine company sent him to England in 1967, where he lived for the next five years. The music had faded into the background, it wasn't until the Wembley Country Music Festival in 1968 that his passion for collecting was revived. Back in Germany, Weize first tried his hand at being a representative for printed matter. An emergency solution, because he was looking for a real task.

In 1971 he had founded the Folk Variety label together with a partner , which he ran on the side. When his partner began to be politically active in Bremen after a few years, that was all over. Weize gave up his agency work at the end of 1974, founded Bear Family Records in 1975 and now wanted to devote himself entirely to this task. The main business area was the sale of imported panels.

Bear Family Records

In 1972 the first in-house productions by Bill Clifton and Carl T. Sprague appear on Folk Variety Records, and later on Bear Family Records. Weize was able to persuade the two musicians to re-record. Weize was still typing the label's first “catalogs”, but he soon had to hire employees to help him with his work. Bear Family was no longer just a mere mail order company; Weize's work had transformed the label into a worldwide label for re-releases. Over the years Richard Weize had found companions - other producers, authors, musicians, music lovers - who helped him e.g. Till this day (e.g. Jürgen Brückner (†), John Cowley , Hank Davis, Colin Escott , Bill Geerhart, Martin Hawkins, Hugo Keesing, Michael Kleff, Volker Kühn (†), Rainer E. Lotz , Bernd Matheja , Ted Olson, Tony Russell, Dr. Jürgen Schebera to name just a few). In the end, the “big labels” of the Bear Family opened their archives.

further activities

In addition to these activities, Richard Weize is on the board of the Klaus Kuhnke Archive . In 2002 he also founded the small "... and more bears" label. This label was intended to establish itself in the download area as well. Over the years Weize had acquired rights to titles that he wanted and wants to present on various platforms according to their importance. The same applies to the "Richard Weize Archives Label (RWA)", which was only founded in 2016. Some CDs and LPs have since appeared there from his archive. He also brought his industry knowledge to bear in book publications: as the editor of "1000 Nadelstich (American & British singing German 1955-1975)", "Creole Music of the French West Indies - a discography 1900 - 1959" and co-author of the "LONDON- Label Lexicons ”and employees of“ The TELDEC Story ”. He still sporadically puts together projects for Bear Family Records.

family

Richard Weize has five children from his first two marriages with Helga and Petra Weize: Ricky (* 1964), Rene (* 1965), Tobias (* 1972), Sarah (* 1974) and Philipp (* 1979). Weize has lived with his third wife Birgit in Vollersode near Bremen since 1994.

Awards

The recognition for Richard Weize was not limited to the USA. The German music industry honored Richard Weize's life's work in 2009 with an " Echo ". In addition to the German Record Prize , he received a. a. the "WC Handy Award" and the " Blues Music Award ".

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Weize, Richard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German record label operator
DATE OF BIRTH August 4, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH Bad Gandersheim , Germany