Jerry Ross (record Producer)
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Jerry Jan Ross (May 1, 1933 – October 4, 2017) was an American songwriter, A&R man,
record 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 ...
, and
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
owner. As a writer, his greatest success was with "
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" is a soul song most popularly released as a joint single performed by Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations for the Motown label. This version peaked for two weeks at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in the United States ...
," which he co-wrote with his protégé
Kenny Gamble Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...
and
Leon Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...
. His greatest successes as a producer include " Sunny" by Bobby Hebb, and he also released "
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
" by
Shocking Blue Shocking Blue was a Dutch rock band formed in The Hague in 1967. They were part of the Nederbeat movement in the Netherlands. The band had a string of hit songs during the Counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture movement of the 1960s and e ...
in the United States. Jerry produced The Mob on their self-titled first album in 1970.


Biography

Ross was born in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, and grew up with aspirations to be a trumpeter and singer before deciding to become a songwriter and record producer. After a period in Armed Forces Radio, he studied at
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
, and began working at
WFIL-TV WPVI-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Owned and operated In the broadcasting industry, an owned-and-operated station (frequently abbreviated as an O&O) usually refers to a television or ra ...
(later WPVI). When
Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American television and radio personality and television producer who hosted ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 1989. He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid (game show), ...
began hosting the TV show ''
American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'' (AB) is an American Music television, music performance and dance television series that aired in various iterations from 1952 to 1989. It was hosted by Dick Clark who also served as the program's Television producer, pr ...
'', Ross became his booth announcer, and also started hosting Clark's WFIL radio show, ''Caravan of Music''. He set up his own record production and promotion business, Ross Associates, in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, and increasingly became involved in all aspects of the work of record production, "from writing or buying the song, finding the right artist, hiring the crew 'and telling them what I was looking for in a sound.' ... followed by the business part - promoting the music, getting it distributed, into the stores and on the radio." He signed the 17-year-old singer
Kenny Gamble Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...
to a songwriting contract, and started writing songs with him, including "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," first recorded by
Dee Dee Warwick Delia Juanita Warrick (September 25, 1942 – October 18, 2008), known professionally as Dee Dee Warwick, was an American soul singer. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, she was the sister of singer Dionne Warwick, the niece of Cissy Houston, a ...
in 1966 and later an international hit for Diana Ross and the Supremes with
the Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...
. In 1965 he moved to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
to work in A&R at
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
, where he worked with musicians including Bobby Hebb, Spanky & Our Gang, Jay & The Techniques, and
Jerry Butler Jerry Butler Jr. (December 8, 1939 – February 20, 2025) was an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, who were inducted into the Rock and ...
, and produced Bobby Hebb's 1966 hit " Sunny". Ross wrote "Mr. Dream Merchant" with Larry Weiss, which was recorded by Jerry Butler and later New Birth. After leaving Mercury, he set up his own
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
s,
Heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset A heritage asset is an item which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge and/or culture. Such items are usually physical assets, but some countries also ...
and
Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue; colossal statues, are generally taken to mean a statue at least twice life-size ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ...
. He came across "
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
" by the Dutch band Shocking Blue that was a hit in Europe, and secured the rights for its release in the United States. "Venus" became a US No. 1 hit on the Colossus label in early 1970. Other songs by Dutch bands he released were " Ma Belle Amie" by
Tee-Set Tee-Set was a pop rock musical ensemble, band formed in 1965 by singer Peter Tetteroo in Delft, Netherlands. The band is best-known for their single "Ma Belle Amie", which was a No. 5 hit in the United States and No. 3 in Canada. The band had a ...
and " Little Green Bag" by George Baker Selection the same year. However, he had to shut down Colossus in 1971. He also worked with
Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
for about a year in the early 1970s. In 1972, the label released an album of orchestral pop cover recordings under his name, ''The Jerry Ross Symposium Vol. II'', a previous album of the same format having been released in 1969 by Ross's Colossus label. Both albums were arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman. He continued to work as a songwriter, record publisher and promoter in Philadelphia. In 2013 he was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame. Ross died of
prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...
in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania, at the age of 84.


Record labels

Around 1960, he set up the Sheryl Records Inc. label. Later he recorded a local group called The Larks. His efforts paid off and with The Larks recording on his label, they had a hit with " It's Unbelievable" in 1961. Some of the other acts to record for the label were Tommy De Noble, Cleopatra, The Co-Eds and The Del Knights.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross (record producer), Jerry 1933 births 2017 deaths Record producers from Pennsylvania American music industry executives Businesspeople from Philadelphia Songwriters from Pennsylvania Deaths from prostate cancer in Pennsylvania 20th-century American businesspeople