Hank Medress

Henry "Hank" Medress (November 19, 1938 – May 29, 2017) was an American singer and record producer.

Biography[]

Medress was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he attended Abraham Lincoln High School. In 1955 he joined a doo-wop group called the Linc-Tones, which also included Neil Sedaka.^[1][2] After Sedaka's departure, the group reformed with additional singers as The Tokens. The Tokens achieved a number 1 chart success in 1961 with their arrangement of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", as well as other minor hits. Medress and the Tokens produced hits for the Chiffons, such as "He's So Fine".^[1][2]

After leaving the Tokens, Medress co-produced (with Dave Appell) many of Tony Orlando and Dawn's hits as well as Melissa Manchester's LP.^[3] Later, he worked with Frankie Valli, David Johansen, Rick Springfield, Dan Hill, and Richard Simmons.^[4] He was president of EMI Music Publishing Canada, from 1990 to 1992.^[1] Medress produced the Dan Hill song, "Never Thought (That I Could Love)" in 1987, which was a #43 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and a #2 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

After returning to New York, Medress became a partner in Bottom Line Records, which released recordings of performances at The Bottom Line club in Greenwich Village, as well as new work by emerging artists. In recent years, Medress had worked as a consultant for SoundExchange, an agency that collects royalties from digital broadcasters, like satellite and Internet radio.^{[citation needed]}

Death[]

Medress died of lung cancer at his Manhattan home on May 29, 2017, aged 78.^[4]

References[]

External links[]

• Interview with Medress, spectropop.com; accessed January 28, 2015.