Lester Louis Adler (born December 13, 1933) is an American record and film producer and the co-owner of the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California. Adler has produced and developed a number of high-profile musical artists, including The Grass Roots, Jan & Dean,

The Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were an American folk rock vocal group that recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, with a brief reunion in 1971. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. Formed in New York C ...

, and

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

. King's album ''

Tapestry Tapestry is a form of Textile arts, textile art which was traditionally Weaving, woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical piece ...

'', produced by Adler, won the 1972

Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an award presented by the The Recording Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the r ...

and has been called one of the greatest pop albums of all time. Adler is an executive producer of ''

The Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 independent musical comedy horror film produced by Lou Adler and Michael White, directed by Jim Sharman, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The screenplay was written by Sharman and Richard O ...

'' and discovered and produced comedy albums and films for

Cheech & Chong Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo founded in Vancouver and consisting of American Cheech Marin and Canadian Tommy Chong. The duo found commercial and cultural success in the 1970s and 1980s with their stand-up routines, studio recordings, and fea ...

. In 2006, he was awarded a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

for his achievements in music. He was inducted into the

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

in 2013 as the recipient, alongside

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

, of the

Ahmet Ertegun Ahmet Ertegun ( ; , ; July 31, 1923 – December 14, 2006) was a Turkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive and philanthropist. Ertegun was the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records. He discovered and championed many lead ...

Award.

Early life

Adler was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family, the son of Manny and Josephine (Alpert) Adler, in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, in 1933, and raised in the

Boyle Heights Boyle may refer to: Places United States * Boyle, Kansas, an unincorporated community * Boyle, Mississippi, a town *Boyle County, Kentucky *Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, a neighborhood Elsewhere * Boyle (crater), a lunar crater * 11967 Boyle, ...

section of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Career

Music

Adler's career in music began as co-manager, alongside

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, conductor, painter, sculptor and theatre producer, who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (sometimes called "Herb Alpe ...

, of Jan & Dean. Adler and Alpert transitioned from managing into songwriting, composing the songs "River Rock" in 1958 for Bob "Froggy" Landers and The Cough Drops and " Wonderful World" with

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

. In 1964, Adler founded Dunhill Records. He was president and chief record producer of the label from 1964 to 1967. During that time, Adler signed

to Dunhill, producing six top-five hits for the group, including "

California Dreamin' "California Dreamin" is a song written by John and Michelle Phillips in 1963 and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in Dec ...

" and " Monday, Monday". Dunhill also reached #1 on the pop charts with

Barry McGuire Barry McGuire (born October 15, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter primarily known for his 1965 hit " Eve of Destruction". He was later a singer and songwriter of contemporary Christian music. Early life McGuire was born in Oklahoma City; ...

's single " Eve of Destruction". Through additional efforts by co-producers and songwriting duo P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, the label reached #8 on the pop charts with The Grass Roots single " Let's Live for Today". Capitalizing on Dunhill's success, Adler sold the label to ABC in 1967 and founded

Ode Records Ode Records (also known as Ode Sounds and Visuals) was an American record label, started by Lou Adler in 1967 after he sold Dunhill Records to ABC Records. It was distributed by CBS's Epic Records except between 1970 and 1976, when the label w ...

, to which he signed

, Spirit,

, Scott McKenzie,

Peggy Lipton Margaret Ann Lipton (August 30, 1946 – May 11, 2019) was an American model, actress, and singer. She made appearances in many of the most popular television shows of the 1960s before she landed her defining role as flower child Julie Barnes i ...

, and others. Adler produced all of King's albums on Ode, which include four gold, one platinum, and one diamond album, as certified by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. King's second album for Ode, ''

'', sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, and is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Adler's work on ''Tapestry'' garnered him two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s in 1972:

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...

(for producing " It's Too Late") and Album of the Year. In addition to work with his own label's artists, Adler produced a number of live albums for Johnny Rivers. In June 1967, Adler helped to produce the

Monterey International Pop Festival The Monterey International Pop Festival was a three-day music festival held June 16-18, 1967, at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. The festival is remembered for the first major American appearances by the Jimi Hendrix E ...

, as well as the film version, ''

Monterey Pop ''Monterey Pop'' is a 1968 American concert film by D. A. Pennebaker that documents the Monterey International Pop Festival of 1967. Among Pennebaker's several camera operators were fellow documentarians Richard Leacock and Albert Maysles. ...

'', which he co-produced with John Phillips from The Mamas & the Papas.

Film

After ''Monterey Pop'', Adler and Phillips teamed up again to produce the 1970

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

film '' Brewster McCloud''. In 1975, Adler served as executive producer of the cult classic ''

''. After seeing ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...

'' at a theater in London, Adler bought the American rights to the show, presented it live in Los Angeles, and executive-produced the film version (adding "Picture" to the title). The movie went on to become the longest-running theatrical film in history. In 1978, Adler directed the movie ''

Up in Smoke ''Up in Smoke'' (also referred to as ''Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke'') is a 1978 American buddy stoner comedy film directed by Lou Adler and starring Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Tom Skerritt, Edie Adams, Strother Martin, and Stacy Keach. It ...

'', starring

. The movie remains a cult hit, and in 2000 Adler and

Cheech Marin Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American comedian and actor. He gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s with Tommy Chong, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dom ...

recorded a commentary track for the DVD release. His 1981 film, '' Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains'', did not make a large impact upon release but has enjoyed a long life on cable TV broadcasts. Also in 1981, Adler executive produced the follow-up to ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'', '' Shock Treatment''.

Personal life

Adler married actress and singer

Shelley Fabares Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares (; born January 19, 1944) is a retired American actress and singer. She is known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom ''The Donna Reed Show'' (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitc ...

in 1964 and produced several of her songs. They separated in 1966 and formally divorced in 1980. In 1973, he fathered his first son, Nic Adler, with actress

Britt Ekland Britt Ekland (born Britt-Marie Eklund; 6 October 1942) is a Swedish actress. She appeared in numerous films in her heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including roles in ''The Double Man (1967 film), The Double Man'' (1967), ''The Night They ...

. In 1978, he fathered another son, Cisco Adler, with then-girlfriend Phyllis Somer. In the 1980s, his son Sonny was born from a brief relationship with Danish model Winnie Hollman. In 2024, it was revealed that Hollman’s daughter Honey, who is two years older than Sonny, is also Adler's biological child. Before that, Honey was assumed to have been the daughter of Jack Nicholson, who Hollman was also seeing at the time. Today, Adler is married to former actress

Page Hannah Page Adler (née Hannah) is an American philanthropist and former actress. Life and career Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is married to producer Lou Adler, and the couple have four sons. She is the younger sister of actress Daryl ...

. They have four children. Adler often sat courtside next to Dyan Cannon and

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

home games. He owns The Roxy Theatre with his son Nic, who operates the historic music venue on the

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California, United States. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western bord ...

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...

Peter Fonda Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, both for acting and screenwriting, and a two-time Golden Globe Award winner for his a ...

based his character Terry Valentine in ''

The Limey ''The Limey'' is a 1999 American crime film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs. The film features Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Barry Newman, Nicky Katt, and Peter Fonda. The plot concerns an English care ...

'' on Adler. In 1976, Adler and his administrative assistant were kidnapped from their Malibu home. One of the perpetrators pulled a gun on Adler's assistant and gained entry. The two men were held for eight hours and released after $25,000 in

ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...

money was paid. Three suspects were arrested and sheriff's deputies later recovered $14,900 of the ransom. Two suspects were later convicted and one was sentenced to life in prison.

Production discography

The following is a list of albums produced by Lou Adler:

Filmography

The following is a list of films produced and/or directed by Lou Adler: *''

'' (1968) – producer *'' Brewster McCloud'' (1970) – producer *''

'' (1975) – executive producer *''

'' (1978) – director, producer *'' Shock Treatment'' (1981) – executive producer *'' Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains'' (1982) – director *'' Murphy's Romance'' (1985) – music producer *'' American Me'' (1992) – executive producer *'' Cheech & Chong's Animated Movie'' (2013) – producer * '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again'' (2016) – executive producer

References

External links

*
Allmusic Bio
* * The Pop Chronicles interviewed Adler o
1.1.1968
he appears in shows 2 21 35, 36 and 47.
The Grass Roots Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adler, Lou 1933 births Living people Film producers from California Record producers from California Grammy Award winners American music industry executives Businesspeople from Los Angeles People from Boyle Heights, Los Angeles Jewish American songwriters Jews from California Jews from Illinois Fairfax High School (Los Angeles) alumni Film directors from Los Angeles 21st-century American Jews Jewish American film people