BOOK REVIEW 12-21-99 by Jack Brolly
****************"FOLLOW THE MUSIC"***************
<<<<<AUTHORS JAC HOLZMAN and GAVAN DAWS>>>>>
FIRST MEDIA PUBLICATIONS http://www.followthemusic.com
With "Follow the Music", Jac Holzman provides an inside look at the music industry that most of us have never been privy to before. Not only did he do that, but he also allows us to see what it takes to build a business from the ground up. The book is filled with obvious careful attention to detail. The roots of folk music and the stories behind all the troubadours that made up the music scene in Greenwich Village and L.A. in the fifties, sixties, and seventies are captivating and right on the money. Substantive comments and interviews with music legends and record label entrepreneurs abound. Anecdotes, hard- luck stories, and successful musical ventures are sometimes inspirational and oft-times motivational. The author shows what real determination and absolute dedication and hard work are all about. He gives new meaning to the independent man, the independent thinker, the independent innovator. This world hasn't seen many men like Jac Holzman. He was hi-tech when the only chip anyone ever heard of came from a potato and was in a bag with a wise old owl on the label. Indeed, a wise young man was he, and if you've ever had the pleasure of conversing with Jac you will find that Jac adds new meaning to the saying "you're only as old as you feel". As he approaches what most men consider to be retirement age, Jac makes most young turks look like mousekateers. He sometimes appears to be light years ahead of all the rest. I think it's just his nature, his mental make- up, his lust for new ideas, and his love for family and friends that keep him younger than those who dictate today's trends and visions. Jac proved that honesty, integrity and sheer class are the true characteristics that go into the making of the prototypical "real man". He showed all who read his book that values do count and they do matter and they are rewarded in the long-run. The key words here are "long-run". Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was Elektra. It took time, foresight, intuition, confident decision-making, and guts. Jac Holzman had a vision and he followed his well intentioned instincts to achieve what no other music industry executive has accomplished. And after all his hard work, Jac's reputation as a gentleman and a man of his word is even stronger today than it ever was. This is a must-read book. In the second half of this fast-fading millenium there are very few people that a person like myself can admire. Jac Holzman has joined a very short list of twentieth century American corporate heroes and I'm glad that his family pressured him into letting the story of Elektra Records be told. If you think about it, "Follow The Music" was almost fifty years in the making. I wish I had been a part of it. Jac Holzman...I tip my hat to you and I thank you for all the positive contributions that you've made to the world of music. I am extremely happy that back in 1950 the founder of Elektra Records made the decision to just follow the music. |
