09/10/2024
Very sad to have to write this send-off.... R.I.P.
Marvin Schlachter was a true maverick, a visionary and the kind of person one should call a consummate record man through and through. To my complete astonishment he made me a job offer to do A&R for his label about 10 minutes after we first met in his office in early June 1978. This to indicate just what an absolutely fearsome talent scout he really was, as it obviously didn't take him much time to figure out that I would be a good fit for his fledgling label at a time of growth. Within three weeks of my starting to work under his aegis, I was tasked to go into the studio and remix the label's first mega-hit "In The Bush" by Musique as produced by Patrick Adams. This was just the way we got started under his direction!
Over the course of his storied career, Marvin managed to sign and support the rise and development of many promising artists and producers. For Prelude, they include Sharon Redd, France Joli, Musique (the brainchild of star producer Patrick Adams), D Train, Unlimited Touch. As well as he inked several long-term production deals with the like of Moses Dillard & Jesse Boyce (Nashville), Mainline Productions (Willie Lester & Rodney Brown), Fred Petrus, Ray Reid & William Anderson among others - all of which yielded fruitful results. He arguably helped catapult Shep Pettibone's career into overdrive by releasing his Kiss Mastermix compilations as he was just getting started, and gave Timmy Regisford and Boyd Jarvis their first big success with the landmark club hit "The Music's Got Me" by Visual.
His uncanny instinct for picking hit records didn't appear to have limits, he was equally comfortable with ferreting out pop hits from someone like France Joli, or astutely signing a R&B-tinged Greg Carmichael / Patrick Adams production that featured up-and-coming diva Jocelyn Brown ("I'm Caught Up In A One-Night Love Affair") which became one of the many bona fide classics from the Prelude catalog. His enthusiasm for music was genuine and total; Among all the people I've rubbed shoulders with over the years, he most certainly was one of the handful like Seymour Stein or Chris Blackwell who had their fingers on the pulse of popular music and were able to act upon their intuition like very few have done since.
Prelude's rise came at the exact moment when the major labels all collectively bailed out after Comiskey Park's infamous 'Disco Sucks' record-burning event in the summer of 1979. They all proceeded to summarily fire their entire disco promotion departments in the space of two weeks. This in turn left the door open for astute promoters working for independent labels to get a foot in the door of previously-unattainable major radio stations, and to sweet-talk program directors from these key markets into lending an ear to their music, something which would have previously been close to impossible.
By 1980, Schlachter's signings were all not just getting club play but major radio airplay across the entire US, especially in big urban markets but also in the all-important south with multiple chart-topping singles in Billboard's Black Music as well as freshly-minted Dance Music charts. This in turn translated into massive sales, and with him at the helm the label went from success to success. Prelude kept building a reputation for consistency and quality which his ace radio promotion crew (Joe Kolsky, Joey Bonner, label co-owner Stan Hoffman) and publicist Michael Gomes were able to in turn help translate into solid sales.
During that time, I personally was tasked with supervising many of the roster's ongoing recording projects in development, keeping an eye on all the mastering sessions, editing down album cuts into singles for radio play, performing quality control and approval of product to be shipped commercially, as well as setting up an in-house tape duplication operation to copy all masters sent to licensees and ensuring that safety copies of the entire catalog were made. I would attend music conferences like the yearly MIDEM get-together in Cannes, France where the label got a chance to forge solid bonds with many of its overseas partners.
But my primary job as A&R director was of course to go into the studio to remix the songs that were deemed to be requiring extended versions for club play; That being said, the versions I worked on often turned out to be the ones that were chosen for inclusion on the albums and singles. They include such timeless staples as "I Hear Music In The Streets" by Unlimited Touch, "You're The One For Me" and "Keep On" by D Train, "Can You Handle It" as well as "Beat The Street" by Sharon Redd and many others which all became instant club hits and have since turned into bona fide disco classics of the era.
I can't ever remember Marvin being critical of things I delivered during these many sessions, he remained very supportive and only encouraged me to develop my talents further by giving me more challenging assignments and expanded responsibilities. This was the exact time during which I was able to develop this dub mixing style I became known for, as I was given ‘carte blanche’ to experiment and try bold approaches into uncharted areas of dance music.
During those years from 1979 to 1983, it seemed that Prelude could do no wrong with whatever they signed, and Schlachter was able to parlay this and turn it into very lucrative label distribution deals like the one with CBS UK, at the time under the helm of its managing director Peter Robinson. This was pretty much unheard of for a small US indie label at that time, and speaks volumes of the enthusiastic reactions Prelude's music was creating around the globe.
Marvin was an astute deal-maker, he seemed to have personal relationships with just about anyone who mattered in the rarefied upper strata of the record business. I clearly remember his friendship with Jerry Wexler from Warner Bros as well as many other top executives as being something that he was able to leverage when extra help was needed. When I brought him an obscure record by Vogue Records in France for us to sign, he was able to call its managing director and friend Leon Cabat and make a license deal for it on-the-spot in the space of a mere few minutes while on the phone. He often snatched releases from major labels overseas' affiliates like Nick Straker's "A Little Bit Of Jazz" and several others which often left the slow-moving US entities who actually owned them blindsided by the speed at which these licenses were made.
While he wasn't personally attending many parties or staying up late at night as many other indie label heads were known to be, he would always show up in his office very early in the morning. Ever the avid listener, his door remained open to anyone who wanted to play him demos of new material. Always smartly dressed and keeping stylish, his desk was kept pristine, and the only thing on it was an all-important little metal card box with all of the licensing and record signing deals listed, including option periods and other relevant information.
His wife Trudy was an extremely talented photographer who managed to conceptualize most of the striking artwork that was used by the label. The crack team that he put together was a highly efficient operation, with Jerry Kuster in charge of manufacturing, and a very competent accounting staff to make sure monies were collected in time.
In hindsight, there is no question that his establishing Prelude and turning it into one of the juggernauts of independent NYC record labels managed to set standards of quality that were seldom (if ever) equaled since. This explains why to this day Prelude's output is so revered and considered so influential by many modern producers and artists, as well as continuing to be treasured by music lovers around the planet.
Needless to say, from being around such an incredible mentor during the four years I worked there left an indelible mark on my approach to things, and unquestionably was one of the major factors that allowed me to make a successful career for myself in the music business. His work ethic as well as his passion for music remained an inspiration through all my years wearing different hats in this business.
Unquestionably, I will forever be in his debt for having had the foresight to see enough potential in me, giving me the chance to grow and develop. This has in turn always informed my approach to try and emulate this in my interactions with others who might be exhibiting promising but undiscovered talents as I often managed to do when I started my own companies a few years later.
My thoughts and condolences go to his immediate family and loved ones on the loss of such a wonderful and unique person we all were privileged to have known and worked with.
François Kevorkian
New York City, October 3, 2024
(Photo taken at the Prelude booth during MIDEM in Cannes, France Jan. 1980)
