Jack Rieley
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John Frank Rieley III (November 24, 1942 – April 17, 2015) was an American businessman, record producer, songwriter, and disc jockey who managed
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
between mid-1970 and late 1973. He is credited with guiding them back to popular acclaim and was described by ''
New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
'' as "a radio DJ turned career mentor." Rieley co-wrote a total of ten songs included on the Beach Boys' albums '' Surf’s Up'' (1971), '' Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"'' (1972), and ''
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
'' (1973). He also sang lead on the ''Surf's Up'' track " A Day in the Life of a Tree" and narrated
Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...
's
fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
'' Mount Vernon and Fairway'' (1972). Following his work with The Beach Boys, Rieley made the rock book project ''
Western Justice ''Western Justice'' is a 1934 American Western film directed by Robert N. Bradbury and starring Bob Steele. Steele sings in the film. Scenes were shot around Buena Vista Lake.Three Additional Work Projects Granted Kern Los Angeles Times Febru ...
'' with Machiel Botman in 1975. He would later go on to collaborate with artists such as
Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (musician), Ronald Bell (also known as " ...
,
Ride Ride may refer to: People * MC Ride, a member of Death Grips * Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut * William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Ride'' (1998 film), a comedy film by Millicen ...
, and
Jaye Muller Jaye Muller (born Jens Müller) is a German musician and Internet entrepreneur who performed under the name J. in the 1990s, and later in a duo named "Muller and Patton" with American musician Ben Patton and since 2015 under the name "Count Jaye" ...
(recording as "Count Jaye"). In 1995, Rieley, along with Muller, founded e-fax pioneer J2 Global, Inc., which later became
Ziff Davis Ziff Davis, Inc. is an American digital media and internet company. Founded in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis, the company primarily owns technology- and health-oriented media websites, online shopping-related servi ...
following its $167 million acquisition of the digital publishing company. He died in 2015 at the age of 72.


Background

Rieley was born in
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
.


The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
met Rieley, while promoting their album ''
Sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a species of large annual forb of the daisy family Asteraceae. The common sunflower is harvested for its edible oily seeds, which are often eaten as a snack food. They are also used in the pr ...
'', and hired him as their manager. He wrote and co-wrote lyrics to several of the Beach Boys songs including "
Long Promised Road "Long Promised Road" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1971 album '' Surf's Up''. It was written by Carl Wilson and Jack Rieley. Aside from a few guitar instrumentals written in the early days of the band and collectiv ...
", "
Feel Flows "Feel Flows" is a song recorded by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1971 album '' Surf's Up''. It was written by guitarist Carl Wilson and band manager Jack Rieley, and was one of Wilson's first songs. Background and recording The b ...
", "
Sail On, Sailor "Sail On, Sailor" (mislabeled "Sail On Sailor" on original pressings) is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1973 album ''Holland''. It was written primarily by Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson with Ray Kennedy, Tandyn Almer, an ...
", "
Funky Pretty "Funky Pretty" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their January 1973 album ''Holland''. Themed around astrology, the song was written by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and Jack Rieley. Carl Wilson explained that the song was quickly rec ...
" and "The Trader". He sang lead vocal on " A Day in the Life of a Tree". He also narrated the bonus disc for the ''
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
'' album: "Mt. Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale)". Rieley falsely claimed to have been a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
and
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning journalist for
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
. Brian Wilson later wrote a song about Rieley's tendency for falsehoods, titling it "Is Jack Rieley Really Superman?". As of 2014, a recording of the song has not surfaced. Several months after the release of ''Holland'', Rieley disassociated from the Beach Boys.
Ricky Fataar Ricky Fataar (born 5 September 1952) is a South African musician of Malay descent who has performed as both a drummer and a guitarist. He gained fame as an actor in ''The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash'', a spoof on the Beatles, in which he per ...
stated, "In the middle of all the in fighting that afflicted the group, Jack was the person trying to hold everything together. ..Eventually, we realised that Rieley was very much into manipulating the arguments, starting stories and telling tales—a divide and conquer mentality. When that came to light, we had to let him go." Alternatively, biographer Mark Holcomb states that Rieley resigned from the position. Rieley gave his side of the story in a 2013 interview, Biographer
Steven Gaines Steven Gaines (born 1946) is an American author, journalist, and radio show host. His books include ''Philistines at the Hedgerow: Passion and Property in the Hamptons'', '' The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of The Beatles'', '' Heroes and Vi ...
offered, "It was reportedly noticed by members of the group that Jack's young male assistant seemed to be living with him. Whether the relationship was sexual or not was never determined, but in the homophobic enclave of the Beach Boys, enough of a shadow had been cast. ... Carl made the trip back to Holland and fired Rieley." Although there are many books and articles about the Beach Boys, Rieley was rarely interviewed before November 2007 when he was interviewed by Flasher.com in relation to the documentary ''
Dennis Wilson Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their drummer and the middle brother of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Carl Wilson as well as ...
Forever''.ack Rieley on Dennis Wilson> The first seems to have been in summer 1982, for the UK fanzine ''Beach Boys Stomp''.


Other work

Rieley worked with
Kool and the Gang Kool may refer to: People * Kool (surname), surname of Dutch origin * Robert "Kool" Bell (born 1950), American bassist and founder of Kool and the Gang * Roger Kool (1954–2005), Singaporean DJ (Roger Kiew) * Kool DJ Herc (born 1955), Jamaica ...
.''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', Jan 17 1993, online editio

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In 1975, he released a solo album, ''Western Justice.'' Recorded in the Netherlands in collaboration with Machiel Botman, it dealt with the treatment of the old world powers by the newly emerging third world in the context of a global weather crisis. Rieley took the lead vocal on three songs, including the title track. In the 1990s Rieley collaborated with several artists including
Mark Gardener Mark Stephen Gardener (born 6 December 1969) is an English rock musician, best known for being one of two singer-guitarists for the shoegaze band Ride. Career Ride Gardener formed Ride with Andy Bell (guitarist), whom he met at Chen ...
of the UK group
Ride Ride may refer to: People * MC Ride, a member of Death Grips * Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut * William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Ride'' (1998 film), a comedy film by Millicen ...
as well as with
Jaye Muller Jaye Muller (born Jens Müller) is a German musician and Internet entrepreneur who performed under the name J. in the 1990s, and later in a duo named "Muller and Patton" with American musician Ben Patton and since 2015 under the name "Count Jaye" ...
and Ben Patton of the writing/production team Muller and Patton. In 1995, Rieley and Muller co-founded JFAX Personal Telecom Inc., also known as JFAX.com. The company later rebranded as
J2 Global J2 Global, Inc. was an American technology holding company based in Los Angeles, California. The company provided Internet services through two divisions: Business Cloud Services and Digital Media. History J2 Global was founded in December 199 ...
before acquiring and merging with
Ziff Davis Ziff Davis, Inc. is an American digital media and internet company. Founded in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis, the company primarily owns technology- and health-oriented media websites, online shopping-related servi ...
. () Today, Ziff Davis operates as a technology holding company, its assets including popular gaming and entertainment news website
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
. Along with Muller, Rieley is recognized as the inventor of the electronic fax.


Death

Rieley died on April 17, 2015, while residing in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.''
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
'
Artist page for Jack Rieley
Brian Wilson's social media posted a memorial, attributed to Wilson, which stated, "Sad to hear about Jack Rieley passing away. Jack was our manager in the early 70s and helped us a lot. My thoughts go out to Jack’s family." However, during the filming of the 2021 documentary '' Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road'', Wilson said he had been unaware of Rieley's death, and became visibly upset after being informed of the fact.


References


Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rieley, Jack 1942 births 2015 deaths The Beach Boys Businesspeople from Milwaukee American music managers Record producers from Wisconsin Songwriters from Wisconsin American expatriates in Germany 20th-century American businesspeople