Record producer Jerry Wexler, who influenced the careers of singers including Aretha Franklinn, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan, died on friday at age 91 at his home in Sarasota, FL, USA . The cause was congestive heart failure, said his son, Paul. Mr Wexler was partner with the late Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records. As a writer with the trade magazine, Billboard, he coined the term "rhythm and blues" in the late 1940s. He produced the hugely popular Aretha Franklin hit Respect, which was a re-working of an Otis Redding song.
He also produced the classic Percy Sledge track, When a Man Loves a Woman, as well as the Wilson Pickett song, In the Midnight Hour. In addition, Wexler helped develop such acts as Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett and Roberta Flack, often finding talent in places like Memphis, TN, Muscle Shoals, AL and Miami, FL
Mr Wexler also helped Bob Dylan win his first Grammy award by producing Dylan's 1979 album, Slow Train Coming. Atlantic Records was known as an outlet for groundbreaking African-American talent (Mr Wexler's musically choice) but later signed rock acts such as Yes, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. And, in the 1980s, Mr Wexler worked with acts such as Dire Straits, Carlos Santana and George Michael. Mr Wexler was born in Manhattan, New York, in 1917, the son of Polish immigrants. He worked as a window washer with his dad before serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He developed a passion for jazz and blues in his teens, frequenting clubs in Harlem (NYC).
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