Richard Perry

Richard Van Perry (born June 18, 1942) is an American record producer. He began as a performer in his adolescence while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late 1960s and early 1970s to become a successful and popular record producer with more than 12 gold records to his credit by 1982. From 1978 to 1983, he ran his own record label, Planet Records, which scored a string of hits with the main act on its roster, pop/R&B group The Pointer Sisters. After Planet's sale to RCA Records, Perry continued his work in the music industry as an independent producer. With hit records stretching from the 1960s through the 2000s, his successful modern releases include albums by Rod Stewart and Carly Simon. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Perry came to his interest in rock music young. Perry has Jewish ancestry. He has 3 younger brothers. His brother, Fred Perry, who lives in New York, helped work as a promoter at Planet Records in the late 1980s. His parents sold and manufactured musical instruments and also served as musical teachers. He was classically trained on piano, guitar, drums, bass and oboe, and was a member of a doo-wop group in the 1950s called the Escorts, who were subsequently signed to Coral Records. In 1955, at the age of 12, he attended the first of Alan Freed's live rock shows at the Paramount Theatre. He began his career in rock music as a local performer during his adolescence. He attended Poly Prep Country Day School and graduated in 1960. After graduating from the University of Michigan (BMus ’64), he shifted into songwriting and acting briefly, working at Kama Sutra Records in its marketing division, collaborating with Kenny Vance. Perry was launched on his career as a producer, with early projects including Captain Beefheart's debut Safe as Milk and Fats Domino's Fats Is Back. In 1967, Perry moved to Los Angeles and in 1968 produced God Bless Tiny Tim, the debut album of Reprise Records artist Tiny Tim. The album was Perry's first charting hit, reaching No. 7 on Billboard magazine's Pop Albums chart. 1970s and 1980s Perry was well established as a producer by 1970.