MAURICE LATHOUWERS

Maurice Lathouwers, died at his Los Angeles area home Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. Born and raised in Chicago, he played with several of that city's best big bands including Ralph Marterie, Jay Burkhart, and Jimmy Dale. He entered the music industry in the mid 1950s as a salesman for Okeh Records before joining Capitol Records as a promotion man in 1957. His love for the tenor sax never dimmed, and he continued accepting jobs with various Chicago bands. It was Nat King Cole, so impressed with Lathouwers' promotion style, who in 1962 contacted Capitol president, Glenn Wallichs, suggesting that Lathouwers be transferred to Capitol's home office in Los Angeles. Capitol did so in late 1965. With a gift of spotting talent, along with a deep sense of marketing strategies, he moved up the executive ladder swiftly, working with many artists including The Beatles, Steve Miller Band and Grand Funk Railroad. He signed Helen Reddy to the label, and was the guiding force behind Super Sax and many others. When Neil Bogart launched Casablanca Records in 1974, Lathouwers was hired to be its General Manager. He was soon promoted to Vice President in charge of International Affairs. As the company developed he traveled the world extensively on behalf of the company and its artists, including Donna Summer and KISS. When Casablanca was folded into Polygram in the late 1970, Lathouwers went to CBS Records where he was in charge of their west coast international office, working with artists such as Michael Jackson, the Go Go and Julio Iglesias. When the east and west coast international departments merged he moved to the Jazz Division, working again in the arena of his music of choice. He retired from the music business in 1990, remaining an active member of NARAS, an original member of that organization. In 2005 he joined and performed with the Los Angeles Recorder Orchestra (LARO), a group of thirty recorder players from around Southern California. He leaves his wife of 57 years, Shelby (Davis) Lathouwers; his son, Maurice Lathouwers, Jr. and wife, Cheryl; his daughter, Germaine Lathouwers; two grandchildren, and many close friends. Donations can be made to NARAS/Musicares.