Jon Lind, A&R Exec and author of hits for Earth, Wind & Fire, Madonna and others, dies at 73
Jon Lind, songwriter for Earth, Wind & Fire, Madonna, Vanessa Williams and others, died Saturday after a two-year battle with cancer, his attorney, Jeremy Rosen, confirmed. He was 73 years old.
Lind’s catalog, in which Primary Wave acquired a majority stake last year, included songs such as “Boogie Wonderland” and “Sun Goddess” by Earth, Wind & Fire, “Save the Best for Last” by Vanessa Williams and “Crazy for You”. . by Madonna, the latter two of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Save the Best for Last” was named ASCAP’s Song of the Year in 1992 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year. ‘year. year and record of the year in 1993 He also co-wrote hits for Cher, Deniece Williams, Atlantic Starr, Aaron Neville, the Emotions, Rick Astley and others.
Lind also served as A&R manager for Hollywood Records, where he worked closely with Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Jesse McCartney, among others.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Lind got his start as a folk singer in the late 1960s, opening for artists like Judy Collins, Tom Paxton and Harry Chapin as a teenager. While studying classical guitar at Mannes College of Music, he formed the Fifth Avenue Band, which signed with Warner Bros. and was managed by Bob Cavallo (then manager of Lovin’ Spoonful and later co-manager of Prince). Later in the 1970s he formed the bands Howdy Moon (whose debut album was produced by Lowell George of Little Feat) and White Horse, neither of which enjoyed commercial success.
Cavallo, then director of Earth, Wind & Fire, suggested he become a professional songwriter and, as Lind told Songwriter Universe in 2012, “I was in the waiting room of Bob Cavallo’s office. , strumming my guitar, playing a new “fragment” of music I had written. [Earth, Wind & Fire leader] Maurice White popped his head and said, “What is that?” He suggested that I “put it down” and bring it to him. I did, and over the next three months he transformed her into a “sun goddess”.
The song was covered by Ramsey Lewis and later EWF, and launched his career as a professional songwriter. Frequently collaborating with writers like Allie Willis, John Bettis, Phil Galdston and others, Lind also co-wrote hits for Deniece Williams, Atlantic Starr, Betty Wright and others, hitting his stride in the 80s and 90s. featuring Madonna, Cher, Cheap Trick, Aaron Neville, Mica Paris, Emotions, Jennifer Holliday, Rick Astley and more.
In 1998, Cavallo, then president of Disney’s music division, signed Lind to a publishing and A&R consulting deal, which led to a 13-year stint with the company. He was later named head of A&R and worked closely with some of the biggest stars of the following decades, including Cyrus, Gomez, the Jonas Brothers and many more.
Lind is survived by his wife, music manager Susan Drew; his daughters Jenny and Joanna; stepchildren Daniel D’Astuges and Catherine Jones; and three grandchildren.
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