Jerry Moss was a record executive who co-founded A&M Records, for a time the world’s largest independent record company, and was later inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
- Died: August 16, 2023 (Who else died on August 16?)
- Details of death: Died in Bel-Air, California, at the age of 88.
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Jerry Moss’ legacy
Though Moss’ legacy would be most closely tied to music, it wasn’t where he initially started his journey. He graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in English, served time in the U.S. Army, and even became a successful horse racer and breeder. Then in 1958, Moss helped promote “16 Candles,” a hit song by The Crests. Two years later, he moved to California and partnered with trumpet player Herb Alpert to form A&M Records.
Within a decade of being founded, their company became the largest independent record label in the world. A&M released albums from a wide range of artists, including Burt Bacharach, The Carpenters, Quincy Jones, Joan Baez, Cat Stevens, Janet Jackson, The Police, The Go-Go’s, Bryan Adams, Oingo Boingo, and many others. In 1989, A&M was purchased by PolyGram for $500 million. Moss and Alpert continued to run the label until 1993, when corporate interference forced them to leave the company.
After leaving the industry, Moss returned to horse racing. In 2004, he was appointed to the California Horse Racing Board; the following year he won the largest ever purse at the Kentucky Derby with Giacomo, the first horse he entered into the race.
Moss is a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. In 2020, he and his wife, Tina, donated $25 million to the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles, the largest donation in the facility’s history.
Tributes to Jerry Moss
Full obituary: Los Angeles Times
