Jeffry Katz (born May 20, 1943, Brooklyn, New York) is an American

music producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

, one of the first proponents of

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a more specific rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States in the late 1960s, th ...

Music career

He is one half of a hitmaking duo with Jerry Kasenetz, the two working together as the Super K Productions company.Clarke, Donald (ed.) (1998) ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', Penguin Books, , p. 182 He and Kasenetz have manufactured and produced Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus,

The Music Explosion The Music Explosion was an American garage rock band from Mansfield, Ohio, discovered and signed by record producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz. The quintet is best known for their number two hit record, hit, "Little Bit O' Soul". The single ...

, 1910 Fruitgum Company,

Crazy Elephant Crazy Elephant was an American bubblegum pop band (music), band noted for their 1969 hit record, hit single (music), single, "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'". History Crazy Elephant was a recording studio, studio concoction, the Marzano-Calvert Stud ...

and The Ohio Express.Romanowski, Patricia; George-Warren, Holly & Pareles, John (2001) ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll (third edition)'', Simon & Schuster Ltd, , p. 700Hall, Claude (1967)
Long Sessions Required for 'Serious' Pop
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', September 2, 1967, p. 1, 10, retrieved 2011-06-25 Kasenetz and Katz met at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

in the early 1960s. Both came from observant Jewish families. One of their first projects in the music business was as concert promoters bringing the British band

the Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark was the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964, they had their first UK top-ten single, ...

to the University of Arizona. Leaving the University of Arizona before their senior year they moved back to New York and opened a small office on Broadway in Manhattan. Kasenetz and Katz created the concept of bubblegum music.

Neil Bogart Neil E. Bogart (born Neil Scott Bogatz, February 3, 1943 – May 8, 1982) was an American record executive. He was the founder of Casablanca Records, which later became Casablanca Record and Filmworks. Life and career Born Neil Scott Bogatz i ...

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...

asked the duo to come up with a marketing name for their music. Between 1967 and 1969 some of their bubblegum music releases are "Beg, Borrow and Steal," " 1, 2, 3, Red Light," "Goody, Goody Gumdrops," " Indian Giver", "Down at Lulu's," "Chewy, Chewy," "Mercy," " Simon Says," "Special Delivery," " Yummy Yummy Yummy" and " Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'." In 1966, their first production was with Christine Cooper on "S.O.S. Heart In Distress." The same year Kasenetz and Katz began working with an Ohio band,

who recorded " Little Bit O' Soul." Kasenetz got in his car and drove across the country promoting the song to radio stations. In July 1967, the song reached No. 2 on the ''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

chart, selling a million copies. This solidified Kasenetz and Katz as music industry players. In 1977, Kasenetz and Katz achieved another top twenty hit "Black Betty" by the group Ram Jam, featuring Bill Bartlett of the Lemon Pipers.

References

1943 births Living people Record producers from New York (state) {{US-musician-stub