Jack Rieley

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Jack Rieley
Rieley circa 1974
Rieley circa 1974
Background information
Birth nameJohn Frank Rieley III
Born(1942-11-24)November 24, 1942
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
DiedApril 17, 2015(2015-04-17) (aged 72)
Berlin, Germany
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, disc jockey, record producer, entrepreneur
InstrumentsPiano
Years active1960s–2015
Associated actsBeach Boys, Jaye Muller (aka J., aka Count Jaye), Kool and the Gang, Ride

John Frank Rieley III (November 24, 1942 – April 17, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and disc jockey who is best known for managing the Beach Boys between mid-1970 and late 1973. He is credited with guiding them back to popular acclaim[1] and was described by New Statesman as "a radio DJ turned career mentor."[2]

Rieley co-wrote a total of seven songs included on the Beach Boys' albums Surfs Up (1971), Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" (1972), and Holland (1973). He also sang lead on the Surf's Up track "A Day in the Life of a Tree" and narrated Brian Wilson's fairy tale Mount Vernon and Fairway (1972).

Following his work with the Beach Boys, Rieley collaborated with artists such as Kool & the Gang, Ride, and Jaye Muller. In 1975, Rieley released a solo album, Western Justice. He died in 2015 at the age of 72.

Background[]

Rieley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[3]

The Beach Boys[]

The Beach Boys met Rieley, while promoting their album Sunflower, and hired him as their manager.[4] He wrote and co-wrote lyrics to several of the Beach Boys songs[5] including "Long Promised Road", "Feel Flows", "Sail On, Sailor", "Funky Pretty" and "The Trader". He sang lead vocal on "A Day in the Life of a Tree". He also narrated the bonus disc for the Holland album: "Mt. Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale)".

According to Mark Holbcom, Rieley convinced the band to move their families and studio to Amsterdam for eight months in 1972 to record their album Holland, costing Warner and the Beach Boys a small fortune to produce. Rieley quit his job as manager of the group after their return to the US.[4]

Rieley falsely claimed to have been a Peabody Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for NBC News.[6][7] Brian Wilson later wrote a song about Rieley's tendency for falsehoods, titling it "Is Jack Rieley Really Superman?".[8] As of 2014, a recording of the song has not surfaced.[9]

Although there are many books and articles about the Beach Boys, Rieley was rarely interviewed before November 2007 when he was interviewed by Flasher.com in relation to the documentary Dennis Wilson Forever.[10] The first seems to have been in summer 1982, for the UK fanzine Beach Boys Stomp.[original research?]

Other work[]

Rieley worked with Kool and the Gang.[11]

In 1975, Rieley released a solo album, Western Justice: recorded in the Netherlands in collaboration with Machiel Botman, it dealt with the treatment of the old world powers by the newly emerging third world in the context of a global weather crisis. Rieley took the lead vocal on three songs, including the title track.[12]

In the 1990s Rieley collaborated with several artists including Mark Gardener of the UK group Ride as well as with Jaye Muller and Ben Patton of the writing/production team Muller and Patton.

Rieley co-founded the company JFAX Personal Telecom Inc. (now j2 Global, Nasdaq: JCOM) in 1995 together with Jaye Muller.[13]

Death[]

Rieley died on April 17, 2015 while residing in Berlin, Germany.[14][15] Brian Wilson's social media posted a memorial, attributed to Wilson, which stated, "Sad to hear about Jack Rieley passing away. Jack was our manager in the early 70s and helped us a lot. My thoughts go out to Jack’s family."[16] However, during the filming of the 2021 documentary Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, Wilson said he had been unaware of Rieley's death, and broke down crying after he was informed of the fact.[17]

References[]

  1. ^ Jack Rieley Breaks Silence on Beach Boys in Flasher.com Interview: Interview, PRNewswire, Nov 2, 2007.
  2. ^ "New Statesman - Washed-up". Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  3. ^ "A Beach Boys Timeline 1917-2009". Archived from the original on 2012-06-30.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Mark Holcomb. The Beach Boys (Rock & Roll Hall of Famers) (Chapter: The Rieley Factor). New York: Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 77–81. ISBN 0-8239-3643-0.
  5. ^ Carlin, Peter. Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Emmaus, Pa: Rodale Books. p. 182. ISBN 1-59486-320-2.
  6. ^ Leaf 1978, p. 138.
  7. ^ Gaines 1986, p. 234.
  8. ^ Leaf 1978, p. 146.
  9. ^ Chidester, Brian (March 7, 2014). "Busy Doin' Somethin': Uncovering Brian Wilson's Lost Bedroom Tapes". Paste. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  10. ^ "[Jack Rieley on Dennis Wilson]". Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  11. ^ Washington Post, Jan 17 1993, online edition [1] (needs signup)
  12. ^ Understanding rock: essays in musical analysis. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. 1997. p. 52. ISBN 0-19-510005-0.
  13. ^ Schlender, Brent (7 July 1997). "Cool Companies these Days". Fortune.
  14. ^ "Jack Rieley has passed..."
  15. ^ AllMusic Artist page for Jack Rieley.
  16. ^ @BrianWilsonLive (21 April 2015). "Sad to hear about Jack Rieley passing away. Jack was our manager in the early 70s and helped us a lot. My thoughts go out to Jack's family" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Ryan, Patrick (June 7, 2017). "Brian Wilson talks new documentary 'Long Promised Road' ahead of Tribeca Film Festival premiere". USA Today.

Sources

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