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Don Graham, the music promotion pioneer who worked at Warner Bros. Records, A&m Records and Blue Thumb Records with the likes of Edd “Kookie” Byrnes and Connie Stevens, The Everly Brothers and Ike & Tina Turner, has died. He was 87.
Graham died Thursday in Los Angeles of stomach cancer, his family announced.
In 1958, Graham learned that Warner Bros. was about to start a record label and soon became head of its San Francisco operations. Under his leadership, Warner Bros. Records signed actors Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, Connie Stevens and Tab Hunter, plus The Everly Brothers and Peter, Paul & Mary.
One of Warner Bros.’ first records to be successful was “Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb” by Kookie and Stevens, based on Byrnes’ popular character on the ABC show 77 Sunset Strip. When top San Francisco radio station Kya would not add the song to its playlist,...
Don Graham, the music promotion pioneer who worked at Warner Bros. Records, A&m Records and Blue Thumb Records with the likes of Edd “Kookie” Byrnes and Connie Stevens, The Everly Brothers and Ike & Tina Turner, has died. He was 87.
Graham died Thursday in Los Angeles of stomach cancer, his family announced.
In 1958, Graham learned that Warner Bros. was about to start a record label and soon became head of its San Francisco operations. Under his leadership, Warner Bros. Records signed actors Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, Connie Stevens and Tab Hunter, plus The Everly Brothers and Peter, Paul & Mary.
One of Warner Bros.’ first records to be successful was “Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb” by Kookie and Stevens, based on Byrnes’ popular character on the ABC show 77 Sunset Strip. When top San Francisco radio station Kya would not add the song to its playlist,...
- 7/12/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tower Records, the beloved music chain that shuttered all of its U.S. physical locations 14 years ago, has been revived as an online store.
After nearly a year of teasing its return via a social media presence, the new Tower Records officially relaunched this week, complete with the return of its Tower Pulse magazine as well as online performances, Deadline reports.
The Tower Records relaunch — which includes the online store and planned pop-up shops — was originally scheduled to occur at this year’s SXSW, but that was postponed due to the coronavirus.
After nearly a year of teasing its return via a social media presence, the new Tower Records officially relaunched this week, complete with the return of its Tower Pulse magazine as well as online performances, Deadline reports.
The Tower Records relaunch — which includes the online store and planned pop-up shops — was originally scheduled to occur at this year’s SXSW, but that was postponed due to the coronavirus.
- 11/14/2020
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
One of the most iconic retailers in entertainment has returned in a new incarnation. Tower Records, which closed its stores 14 years ago and declared bankruptcy, today announced it has come back as an online service.
The new Tower Records has online events, the return of its Tower Pulse! magazine, a merchandise section, and, of course, music, music, music, including vinyl and cassette selections in various genres.
Founded in Sacramento in 1960 as a section in a drug store, the chain grew to an international success behind the savvy of the late Russ Solomon, who was memorialized in a 2015 film, All Things Must Pass, which studied the chain’s rise and eventual demise, save for a giant store in Tokyo that retained the name and remains open.
The new online version of Tower Records was originally scheduled for introduction at the 2020 South by Southwest, but pulled back when that event was curtailed by the pandemic.
The new Tower Records has online events, the return of its Tower Pulse! magazine, a merchandise section, and, of course, music, music, music, including vinyl and cassette selections in various genres.
Founded in Sacramento in 1960 as a section in a drug store, the chain grew to an international success behind the savvy of the late Russ Solomon, who was memorialized in a 2015 film, All Things Must Pass, which studied the chain’s rise and eventual demise, save for a giant store in Tokyo that retained the name and remains open.
The new online version of Tower Records was originally scheduled for introduction at the 2020 South by Southwest, but pulled back when that event was curtailed by the pandemic.
- 11/14/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The Music Business Association announced that Tower Records Founder Russ Solomon, who died on on March 4, will be inducted into the inaugural Music Business Hall of Fame at the organization’s Music Biz conference in Nashville.
The Hall of Fame ceremony will launch at a luncheon on May 17 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Actor and director Colin Hanks, who helmed the 2015 Tower Records documentary “All Things Must Pass,” will pay tribute to Solomon. The film will also be screened at the 2018 Nashville Film Festival, with Hanks in attendance.
“Russ was indeed one of a kind, and I’m incredibly grateful that I was not only able to help tell his story with All Things Must Pass, I also learned a great deal from him,” said Hanks. “But far more importantly I got to know Russ and am lucky to have been able to call him a friend. Much like the...
The Hall of Fame ceremony will launch at a luncheon on May 17 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Actor and director Colin Hanks, who helmed the 2015 Tower Records documentary “All Things Must Pass,” will pay tribute to Solomon. The film will also be screened at the 2018 Nashville Film Festival, with Hanks in attendance.
“Russ was indeed one of a kind, and I’m incredibly grateful that I was not only able to help tell his story with All Things Must Pass, I also learned a great deal from him,” said Hanks. “But far more importantly I got to know Russ and am lucky to have been able to call him a friend. Much like the...
- 4/10/2018
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Russ Solomon, who grew Tower Records into one of the world’s largest record and video retailing chains and was the subject of a well-received documentary on his life, has died. He was 92 and passed away at his home in Sacramento, California of an apparent heart attack, according to his son, Michael Solomon. Solomon was a beloved and iconic figure in the music and video industry, and his stores were a favorite of fans for its broad selections of media. Many of the…...
- 3/5/2018
- Deadline
Remember Tower Records? The saga of the massive brick & mortar music retailer is a great story with marvelous characters. When you meet founder Russ Solomon it becomes obvious why the store clicked -- the guy knew how to turn music-brained hippies into motivated collaborators. With good extras... this docu generates genuine Good Vibes. All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records DVD FilmRise 2015 / Color / 1:78 enhanced widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date January 19, 2016 / 24.95 (also available on Blu-ray) Starring Russ Solomon, Chris Cornell, Heidi Cotler, Rudy Danzinger, Bob Delanoy, David Geffen, Stan Goman, Dave Grohl, Chris Hopson, Elton John Steve Knopper, Steve Nikkel, Bruce Springsteen, Jim Urie, Mark Viducich. Cinematography Neil Lisk, Nicola Marsh, Bridger Nielson Film Editor Darrin Roberts Original Music Bill Sherman Written by Steven Leckart Produced by Sean M. Stuart Directed by Colin Hanks
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
If you lived in a city with a Tower Records in the 1970s,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
If you lived in a city with a Tower Records in the 1970s,...
- 2/16/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The story of one of the most famous record store companies in the world, Tower Records, is now set to be told in a new documentary, courtesy of Colin Hanks.
Titled All Things Must Pass, the documentary, which now has its first trailer, is directed by Hanks, who steps behind the camera for the second time and the first time for a project that’s not a short. Hanks reunites with writer Steven Leckart for this project once again, as the two previously worked together on Hanks’ directorial debut, the documentary short The Anti-Mascot.
The film’s synopsis is as follows.
Established in 1960, Tower Records was once a retail powerhouse with two hundred stores, in thirty countries, on five continents. From humble beginnings in a small-town drugstore, Tower Records eventually became the heart and soul of the music world, and a powerful force in the music industry. In 1999, Tower Records made $1 billion.
Titled All Things Must Pass, the documentary, which now has its first trailer, is directed by Hanks, who steps behind the camera for the second time and the first time for a project that’s not a short. Hanks reunites with writer Steven Leckart for this project once again, as the two previously worked together on Hanks’ directorial debut, the documentary short The Anti-Mascot.
The film’s synopsis is as follows.
Established in 1960, Tower Records was once a retail powerhouse with two hundred stores, in thirty countries, on five continents. From humble beginnings in a small-town drugstore, Tower Records eventually became the heart and soul of the music world, and a powerful force in the music industry. In 1999, Tower Records made $1 billion.
- 8/31/2015
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
Hey - Tower Records! We all remember that place. We also remember they're explosive collapse, all tangled up with the rise of the internet and MP3s. But is that really the real story behind their demise? All Things Must Pass is a feature documentary made by actor Colin Hanks exploring the history of Tower Records, focusing on its founder Russ Solomon. This looks like it's an extensive look inside at the real story, as they have tons of archival footage and lots of interviews. I'm very intrigued to see this. And I'm intrigued to see the discussions in it, like the one Dave Grohl mentions about "I don't understand why it's gone...?" Indeed. Here's the first trailer for Colin Hanks' documentary All Things Must Pass, on YouTube (via SlashFilm): Synopsis: Established in 1960, Tower Records was once a retail powerhouse with two hundred stores, in thirty countries, on five continents.
- 8/28/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Long before the Internet grew into the cultural cornerstone it is today, producing new forms of accessing media via YouTube and Spotify, corner shops were the go-to hotspots for all of your cultural needs. From film to comic books, video games to music, these focal points experienced a steep decline in the mid-to-late ’90s, and perhaps one of the more high-profile downfalls was that of Tower Records. Established in 1960, the company steadily grew into an industry titan, but towards the turn of the millennium, Tower Records’ might began to fade and fade fast.
For his upcoming documentary, Colin Hanks will chart the company’s trailblazing rise and fall with All Things Must Pass. Lending its title from the George Harrison album of the same name, today brings the first trailer for Hanks’ musical picture, and it’s a nostalgic peak into the blossoming, cultural-centric music scene of yesteryear.
Interviews with Foo Fighters’ lead Dave Grohl,...
For his upcoming documentary, Colin Hanks will chart the company’s trailblazing rise and fall with All Things Must Pass. Lending its title from the George Harrison album of the same name, today brings the first trailer for Hanks’ musical picture, and it’s a nostalgic peak into the blossoming, cultural-centric music scene of yesteryear.
Interviews with Foo Fighters’ lead Dave Grohl,...
- 8/28/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
All Things Must Pass Trailer. Colin Hanks‘ All Things Must Pass (2015) movie trailer stars Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen, and Russ Solomon. All Things Must Pass‘ plot synopsis: “‘All Things Must Pass’ is a documentary that explores the rise and fall of Tower Records, and its legacy forged by its rebellious founder, Russ Solomon.” This looks like a wild, fun ride into […]...
- 8/28/2015
- by Marco Margaritoff
- Film-Book
Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to All Things Must Pass, the Colin Hanks documentary about the demise of Tower Records. It world premiered at SXSW, and now a September theatrical release is planned. The pic, from Hanks and Sean Stuart’s Company Name, digs into the onetime record giant’s rise (it made $1B in 1999) under rebellious founder Russ Solomon, its tragic fall (it filed for bankruptcy in 2006), and its legacy. The deal is a nice milestone for…...
- 4/16/2015
- Deadline
Enthusiastically discovering and pursuing a thriving business venture you’re intensely passionate about isn’t a luxury everyone has the privilege to explore in their lives. But for those who have that powerful advantage, they naturally exude a powerful devotion to spread that eagerness to everyone who works, and interacts, with them. Such is the case with Russ Solomon, the founder of the renowned 20th century music store, Tower Records, who created such an engaging environment for his employees and customers, that people around the world were keen on taking part of the company’s movement and history. Actor Colin Hanks intriguingly captured the world’s attraction to Tower Records in his feature documentary [ Read More ]
The post SXSW 2015 Interview: Colin Hanks and Sean Stuart Talk All Things Must Pass appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post SXSW 2015 Interview: Colin Hanks and Sean Stuart Talk All Things Must Pass appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 4/12/2015
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
South by Southwest (SXSW) is the best week of the year for film fanatics. Period. It's in a wonderful place (Austin, Texas), sweetened by a lovely atmosphere that mixes the highbrow appreciation of erudite film nerds with the go-for-broke excitement of genre enthusiasts. There's nothing quite like it in the world of film festivals -- the vibe at SXSW isn't something that's easily replicated or translated; it just is.
We were on hand to take it all in and report back. Our interviews from the festival will be coming soon, along with the films that they accompany. But we also wanted to rank every film that we saw, in order of best to worst. This year's crop was pretty wonderful, even those in the back half of the list are still pretty great. (There were a couple of stinkers, but that happens at every festival.)
So sit back and relax,...
We were on hand to take it all in and report back. Our interviews from the festival will be coming soon, along with the films that they accompany. But we also wanted to rank every film that we saw, in order of best to worst. This year's crop was pretty wonderful, even those in the back half of the list are still pretty great. (There were a couple of stinkers, but that happens at every festival.)
So sit back and relax,...
- 4/1/2015
- by Drew Taylor
- Moviefone
The Hanks family really loves music.
ETonline sat down with Colin Hanks at South By Southwest in Austin, TX, where he unveiled a new documentary on the rise and fall of Tower Records called All Things Must Pass.
"This documentary is about a guy by the name of Russ Solomon who started selling used 78s out of his father's drug store in 1938 and went on to create Tower Records," Hanks tells ETonline. "[He] had a motley crew of characters who he worked with, who helped him build this company up and became a family. We chronicled the rise of the company and we sort of popped the…misconception why people think the Internet killed Tower. That's not really 100 percent accurate. That's part of it, but not entirely."
Watch: Tom Hanks Stars in Carly Rae Jepsen's New Video
Hanks hails from Sacramento, Calif., where Tower Records originated. The actor says that the company long served as a point...
ETonline sat down with Colin Hanks at South By Southwest in Austin, TX, where he unveiled a new documentary on the rise and fall of Tower Records called All Things Must Pass.
"This documentary is about a guy by the name of Russ Solomon who started selling used 78s out of his father's drug store in 1938 and went on to create Tower Records," Hanks tells ETonline. "[He] had a motley crew of characters who he worked with, who helped him build this company up and became a family. We chronicled the rise of the company and we sort of popped the…misconception why people think the Internet killed Tower. That's not really 100 percent accurate. That's part of it, but not entirely."
Watch: Tom Hanks Stars in Carly Rae Jepsen's New Video
Hanks hails from Sacramento, Calif., where Tower Records originated. The actor says that the company long served as a point...
- 3/18/2015
- Entertainment Tonight
Following his recent Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work on FX's critically acclaimed series "Fargo," Colin Hanks is in Austin at the 2015 Film Festival wearing a different hat. The documentary "All Things Must Pass" marks the actor's feature filmmaking debut. Hanks has made a series of short promo documentaries for Los Angeles radio station Kcrw, as well as shorts in Espn’s "30 for 30" series, but "All Things Must Pass" is the project that proves Hanks holds true promise as a storyteller. The film provides an insightful and entertaining look into the rise and fall of Tower Records, Russ Solomon's retail music powerhouse that at one point had 200 operating stores in 30 countries on five continents. In 1999, Tower Records made $1 billion. In 2006, the company filed for bankruptcy. Indiewire caught up with Hanks the night before the film's world premiere.Read More: SXSW: The 8 Best Things Christine Vachon Said at Her.
- 3/18/2015
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in TrainwreckPhoto: Universal Pictures With Sundance just wrapping up and Berlin starting up in a few days, we are now immersed in the year-long barrage of film festivals. One such festival in South By Southwest. A few weeks back they announced the first seven films of their program, including the opening night film Brand: A Second Coming. Today, they have revealed the rest of the features to be shown in March (except for the midnight program), and some of it has me very excited. The bigger titles announced do not do much for me. Paul Feig's Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, and the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart starrer Get Hard leave a lot to be desired in terms of anticipation, as does a work in progress cut of Judd Apatow's latest film Trainwreck. I'm guessing an Apatow work in progress is probably around three and a half hours.
- 2/3/2015
- by Mike Shutt
- Rope of Silicon
South by Southwest, the multi-faceted film, music and technology festival held annually in Austin, TX will feature such upcoming films as Paul Feig’s Spy, David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn, Alex Gibney’s documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, and Ondi Timoner’s Russell Brand profile Brand: A Second Coming as headliners in this year’s film festival lineup.
SXSW runs from March 13 to 21 in Austin and is now in its 22nd year. Variety has details of the 145 films and 100 world premieres bowing at this year’s festival. Brand, as previously reported, will be the festival’s opening night film.
Other notable titles on the list are the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, a rough cut of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the directorial debut of 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and a new comedy by Michael Showalter, Hello, My Name is Doris.
On the small screen,...
SXSW runs from March 13 to 21 in Austin and is now in its 22nd year. Variety has details of the 145 films and 100 world premieres bowing at this year’s festival. Brand, as previously reported, will be the festival’s opening night film.
Other notable titles on the list are the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, a rough cut of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the directorial debut of 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and a new comedy by Michael Showalter, Hello, My Name is Doris.
On the small screen,...
- 2/3/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
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