Dick Glasser
Encyclopedia
Richard Eugene "Dick" Glasser (also known as Dick Lory) (December 8, 1934 - July 10, 2000) was a singer, songwriter
, and record producer
.
He was born in Canton, Ohio
. His biggest hit as a songwriter was "Angels in the Sky
, which he recorded and released on Jack Gale's Triple-A label in early 1954. RCA Records
subsequently made an offer to Gale for the song and gave it to their singer Tony Martin that same year. The deal also involved Gale pulling the Glasser original off the market. The following year, the song was revived by The Crew Cuts on Mercury and their version sold a million copies.
Glasser went on to release many excellent recordings during the mid to late 50s on Dot, Argo, then Columbia
, before moving to Liberty
in 1960 where he was appointed head of Metric Music, Liberty's song publishing arm. Aside from running Metric, Glasser also released 8 singles for the label, the pick being 'Handsome Guy', a 1962 recording produced by Snuff Garrett
and written by PJ Proby under his real name, James Marcus Smith. The record was a top 10 hit for him that year in Australia. He also did session work for the label as a guitarist, in addition to producing a number of recordings for other acts including Vic Dana, The Fleetwoods and The Ventures.
From Liberty he moved to Warner Bros. Records
where he produced a number of recordings by The Everly Brothers
, including their Two Yanks In England album, as well as Freddy Cannon. After Warners he moved to Reprise
in the mid 60s where he produced a series of hits by The Vogues. By the 1970s he had accepted the position of managing MGM's country music division in Nashville and there he produced C.W. McCall's #1 record 'Convoy', a worldwide hit for the company.
Among artists who recorded his songs were Bobby Vee
, PJ Proby, Chet Atkins
, Walter Brennan, Glen Campbell
, Billy Fury
, Dean Martin
- (I Will), Buddy Greco, The Kingston Trio
and Ruby Winters.
Among the artists whose recordings he produced were Vic Dana
, The Everly Brothers
, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, and The Ventures
, among many.
He was a general manager of Dolton Records
, an A&R
director for Warner Bros. Records
, and started Richbare Music.
He died of lung cancer
on July 10, 2000.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
He was born in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. His biggest hit as a songwriter was "Angels in the Sky
Angels in the Sky (song)
"Angels In The Sky" is a popular song by Dick Glasser. It was published in 1954 and has been recorded by a number of artists. The first recording was by Glasser himself and was issued on Jack Gale's label, Tripla A , flipped with "Is It Too Late?", another Glasser composition...
, which he recorded and released on Jack Gale's Triple-A label in early 1954. RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
subsequently made an offer to Gale for the song and gave it to their singer Tony Martin that same year. The deal also involved Gale pulling the Glasser original off the market. The following year, the song was revived by The Crew Cuts on Mercury and their version sold a million copies.
Glasser went on to release many excellent recordings during the mid to late 50s on Dot, Argo, then Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, before moving to Liberty
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
in 1960 where he was appointed head of Metric Music, Liberty's song publishing arm. Aside from running Metric, Glasser also released 8 singles for the label, the pick being 'Handsome Guy', a 1962 recording produced by Snuff Garrett
Snuff Garrett
Snuff Garrett is a retired American record producer whose most famous work was during the 1960s and 1970s. His nickname is a play on Garrett's Snuff, a brand of snuff....
and written by PJ Proby under his real name, James Marcus Smith. The record was a top 10 hit for him that year in Australia. He also did session work for the label as a guitarist, in addition to producing a number of recordings for other acts including Vic Dana, The Fleetwoods and The Ventures.
From Liberty he moved to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
where he produced a number of recordings by The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
, including their Two Yanks In England album, as well as Freddy Cannon. After Warners he moved to Reprise
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
in the mid 60s where he produced a series of hits by The Vogues. By the 1970s he had accepted the position of managing MGM's country music division in Nashville and there he produced C.W. McCall's #1 record 'Convoy', a worldwide hit for the company.
Among artists who recorded his songs were Bobby Vee
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
, PJ Proby, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, Walter Brennan, Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
, Billy Fury
Billy Fury
Billy Fury, born Ronald William Wycherley , was an internationally successful English singer from the late-1950s to the mid-1960s, and remained an active songwriter until the 1980s. Rheumatic fever, which he first contracted as a child, damaged his heart and ultimately contributed to his death...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
- (I Will), Buddy Greco, The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
and Ruby Winters.
Among the artists whose recordings he produced were Vic Dana
Vic Dana
Vic Dana is an American dancer and singer.Discovered by Sammy Davis, Jr., Dana was an excellent dancer , and was encouraged by Davis to move to Los Angeles to further his career. With the decline of dancing as a form of entertainment Dana initiated a singing career. He is best known for his 1965...
, The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, and The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
, among many.
He was a general manager of Dolton Records
Dolton Records
Dolton Records was a record label based in Seattle that was originally known as Dolphin Records. It was owned by Bob Reisdorf and Bonnie Guitar. Success for the label came early with "Come Softly to Me" by The Fleetwoods, the first single to be released on that label...
, an A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
director for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, and started Richbare Music.
He died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on July 10, 2000.