Mercury Distrib, Personnel Changes Maharis Signs With Epic CHICAGO—Mercury Records last regional sales manager to take up his •week announced sevei-al changes in new duties. West’s departure from its distribution set-up and several Mercui’y will take place the same personnel changes. date as the new distributorship be- Kenny Myers, vice president in comes effective, Dec. 27. Myer’s an- ^ charge of sales, announced the ap- nouncement also named Bob Kryl to pointment of the Raymond Rosen Co., take over West’s former position. ' RCA Victor’s distributor in the area, Kryl was formerly promotion man as the Mercury distributor in the for Hopkins Equipment Co., Mercury Philadelphia territory, making it one distributor in Atlanta. Another ap- of the few Victor distributors han- pointment announced was the firm’s dling a line not owned by Victor. The signing of Lee Mendell to take over line was formerly handled in the Phil- as Mercury’s western regional sales adelphia territory by David Rosen, manager. Mendell comes to the firm > Inc. The new distributorship took ef- from his position as manager of the fect Dec. 22. Negotiations were made west coast branch of Kapp Records in by Tom Joyce, president of Raymond Los Angeles. Mendell, a veteran of Rosen Company, and Paul Knowles, the disk business, was also formerly head of the record department for R. district manager for RCA Victor in Rosen, with Kenny Myers of Mercury. Canada for eight years prior to his Myers also announced Texas Rec- position with Kapp. ord Distributors had taken over the Myers announced the distribution distribution of the Mercury line in of the Mercury line in Dallas and Fort Houston. The territory was formerly Worth, effective Dec. 27, will be han- handled by H. W. Daily, Inc. At the dled by Texas Record Distributors of NEW YORK—George Maharis, star helm of the new distributorship in Houston. The Mercury line in this of the TV’er “Route 66,” signs an ex- Houston will be Bob West, who is territory was formerly handled by clusive recording contract with Epic leaving his post as Mercury southern Big State Distributors. Atlantic Takes Over Records. Watching the inking are Distribution of Montel Deck (left to right) Bob Morgan A&R pro- ducer, Len Levy, Epic national sales NEW YORK—Atlantic Records has manager, and Mimi Weber, Marharis’ Moss Hart Helped Musicals Grow Up taken over the distribution of “Lonely manager. Man” by Dale Houston on the Montel na- NEW YORK—Moss Hart, who died Before that. Hart had contributed label—and has set an “all-out” tional promotion campaign for the last week (20) of a heart-attack in material for the Irving Berlin’s “Face deck, which Atlantic says is breaking- Palm Springs, Calif., was mainly The Music,” (1932), “As Thousands out in the southwest. FROM noted for his straight comedy plays, Cheer” (1933), Cole Porter’s “Jubilee” Though the deal only involves the THE HOUSE OF HITSI but his contributions to the musical (1935) and other song shows. Houston session, which will still carry the Montel logo, the label may take- Breaking In All Markets & theatre, both as a writer and director, For the films. Hart wrote the scripts efforts. Label is based on other Montel Hitting The Trade Charts were many and often important to the for “Hans Christian Anderson” (1961) in Baton Rouge. development of the integrated, sophis- (music and lyrics by Frank Loesser) Under the direction of Bob Korn- “LETTER FULL OF TEARS” ticated musical show. and the Judy Garland-starred remake heiser, national sales and promotion director, the full Atlantic promotion Pips " As a writer. Hart’s most impressive of “A Star Is Born” (1954), which Gladys Knight & The staff is being used to work on the disk Fury 1054 musical comedy book was “Lady in featured new songs by Harold Arlen to reach every disk market as quickly the Dark’’ (music by Kurt Weill, and Ira Gershwin. as possible. Bigger Than "YA YA" lyrics by Ira Gershwin) in 1941, the As a director. Hart’s greatest tri- Promotion man Larry Maxwell has just flown to New Orleans to kick-off f first musical to use Freudian psychol- umph was the fabulous “My Fair “DO RE Ml” the campaign with a swing through of ogy to account for the actions its Lady” (music by Frederick Loewe, six states to work with deejays and Lee Dorsey star, Gertrude Lawrence. book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner), distributors on the disk. Norman Ru- Fury 1056 Prior to “Lady in the Dark,” 1937 which long after it had opened was bin, Moe Shulman and Red Baldwin and Joe Galkin are following with Thai- Kansas City Man saw a libretto by Hart and George S. still being looked-after by Hart in trips to other parts of the country. Kaufman, his collaborator on such order to keep its opening-night is Back with A Smash enduring straight comedies as “You sparkle intact. Hart also directed and “THE Can’t Take It With You,” the Pulitzer staged the last Lerner & Loewe ef- KANSAS CITY TWIST” Prize winning play of the 1936-37 fort, “Camelot” (1960), at whose out- Smash Buys / season, and “The Man Who Came To of-town tryouts Hart suffered a near- Wilbert Harrison Master 1059 Dinner,” for “I’d Rather Be Right” fatal heart attack. Lecam Fury (music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by In Hart, born in New York, FIRE 1949, NEW YORK—The Smash label has ON Lorenz Hart), a daring take-off on directed Irving Berlin’s “Miss Li- purchased master, “Hey, Baby” just a That “FANNIE MAE" Man the Roosevelt administration, starring berty,” with the first (and last) musi- by Bruce Channel, originally on the Has A Hit. Zooming To #1 George M. Cohan as Roosevelt, which cal comedy book by the late play- LeCam label, according to Charlie Smash, who heads the Mercury affiili- used the actual names of people in wright Robert E. Sherwood. ate. Deck is reportedly showing action “SUGAR BABE” Roosevelt’s cabinet. Hart, who was was married to , 57, in Dallas. Buster Brown Kitty Carlisle, a former musical Fire 507 comedy singer. He and Miss Carlisle had two children, a son and a Don't Overlook This One! Lopez Promo For in daughter. Award Ford Breaking L.A., Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Houston “LOOK ON YONDER WALL” b/w Chris Albertson Forms “SHAKE Disk Producing Firm YOUR MONEY-MAKER” NEW YORK—Chris Albertson, a free- Elmo James lance A&R man who has produced Fire 504 more than 60 albums for the Prestige and Riverside labels this year, has HAPPY NEW YEAR formed his own production company FIRE/FURY RECORDS here, Chris Albertson Productions, 271 W. 125th St., N.Y. Inc. The firm’s first sessions have just been completed, featuring trumpeter Howard McGhee, tenor saxist George Colean, pianist Junior Mance, bassist George Tucker and drummer Jimmie The Demotrons Cobb. Other immediate recording HOLLYWOOD—Navy public informa- NEW YORK—Orkster Vincent Lopez plans include Elmer Snowden and tion officer, Lt. Comm. Prank Coghlan (left) and Alfred Lewis, exec veep singer Jimmy Rushing. The masters presents Capitol artist Ernie Ford an ''HOMBRr' and general manager of the Hotel will be released to interested diskeries. award in appreciation for his contri- Taft, pose along side a special album Albertson, who came to the U.S. bution to the success of the 50th an- Radar 2615 display of the new MGM Lopez LP from Denmark four years ago, was niversary of Naval Aviation. Ford “Dance Along With Lopez” on display responsible for taking the Riverside performed for the Navy onboard the in the lobby of the hotel and the Grille label’s mobile recording unit to New Carrier Yorktown during the celebra- RADAR RECORDS Room, where bandleader plays night- Orleans and Chicago to cut jazz vets tion of the event last May. The award 375 West End Ave., NY 24 ly. Cocktail cards illustrating the al- for the firm’s “Living Legends” series. was given to the songster as the result UN 6-3654 bum cover are also being used as part He also brought back to disks Ida Cox, of a directive from Admiral George of the promotion campaign. Lonnie Johnson and Elmer Snowden. Andersen, Chief of Naval Operations. Cash Box—December 30, 1961 59 —.