Jack Ponti
Encyclopedia
Jack Ponti is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, manager, label executive, and consultant.
as vocalist, but despite promotion by other successful New Jersey musicians, such as Southside Johnny
and members of Bruce Springsteen
's E Street Band
, and a demo produced by Billy Squier
, did not obtain a recording contract and split up. Bon Jovi
went to form his own band, which in the following years gained international success and multi-million record sales, while Ponti found a job as songwriter and producer for other rock bands. The late music business legend Ahmet Ertegun
gave Ponti his first production job and the two grew close.
In the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote songs for Bon Jovi
, Alice Cooper
,Keel
, Trixter
, Nelson
, Kane Roberts
, Joe Lynn Turner
, Bonfire
and other artists. He also produced and wrote albums for hard rock
and glam metal
bands Babylon A.D., Baton Rouge
, Doro
and for his own band Surgin’, which he had created in 1985 at the insistence of his then managers. Surgin' disbanded after one record, though subsequent compilations have been released of early demos. Surgin' still has a strong following in the AOR
community.
During the last period of popularity of glam metal, he was deeply involved with American glam metal bands Skid Row and Nelson
. In 1991 he retired from the music business for a few years. During this time he built a gym, a martial arts school, and devoted his energies to martial arts and dogs, especially the rare breed Fila Brasileiro
.
He came back in 1996, approaching the music business as a talent manager
and record label owner. In 1998, he founded CazzyDog Management and became the manager of R&B
artist and Grammy Awards winner India.Arie
who was nominated for a record 7 Grammy awards as a debut artist, a record that is still held by her today. Other clients in the CazzyDog roster included: Boyz II Men
, Az Yet
, Mike E., Pru, and Scarface
. Amongst the writer/producers they managed were Carlos (Six July) Broady. N.O. Joe Johnson, Mary Brown, all of the writers under Teddy Riley, and a host of others.
In 2004 he founded both Bardic Records and the Platform Group. Both companies were designed to work within the ever expanding "indie" sector. Both ventures were dismantled after a reconfiguration.
He is currently the CEO
of Merovingian Music
, a non-genre record label founded in 2006, with strong partnerships within the industry and a roster of pop
, indie rock
, hip hop
and heavy metal
artists. Merovingian Music currently has joint ventures with both Capitol Records
and Jive Records
and has recently merged with C.E Music, a label owned by David Letterman
's Worldwide Pants
production company.
Career
Jack Ponti is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, manager, label executive, and consultant (with an estimated 100 million plus records sold world wide) who started his career in the music business playing guitar in the rock band The Rest in his native New Jersey in the late 70s. The Rest featured a young Jon Bon JoviJon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
as vocalist, but despite promotion by other successful New Jersey musicians, such as Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny is an American singer-songwriter, who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.-Early days:...
and members of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
, and a demo produced by Billy Squier
Billy Squier
William Haislip "Billy" Squier is an American rock musician. Squier had a string of arena rock hits in the 1980s. He is best known for the song "The Stroke" on his 1981 album release Don't Say No...
, did not obtain a recording contract and split up. Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
went to form his own band, which in the following years gained international success and multi-million record sales, while Ponti found a job as songwriter and producer for other rock bands. The late music business legend Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
gave Ponti his first production job and the two grew close.
In the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote songs for Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
,Keel
Keel (band)
Keel is an American heavy metal band founded in 1984 in Los Angeles, California. They were known for their rock anthem "The Right to Rock." The band was active until 1989, with a brief reunion in 1998. Keel reunited in 2008 and is currently touring for their 25th anniversary.-History:Keel was...
, Trixter
Trixter
Trixter is an American hard rock band from Paramus, New Jersey. The band achieved moderate success in the late 1980's and early 1990s but disbanded for several years as glam metal lost mainstream popularity...
, Nelson
Nelson (band)
NELSON is a American hard rock band founded by singer/songwriters Matthew and Gunnar Nelson . NELSON featuring the twin lead front men had a No. 1 hit in the United States with " Love and Affection" during the week of September 29, 1990...
, Kane Roberts
Kane Roberts
Kane Roberts,born Robert William Athas is a heavy metal guitarist best known for his tenure in Alice Cooper's band during the late 1980s...
, Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner , is an American rock singer, known for his works with Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Deep Purple. From the late 1990s, he continued to perform in a large number of solo albums and other studio projects...
, Bonfire
Bonfire (band)
Bonfire is a German heavy metal band, founded in Ingolstadt, Germany in 1972. Bonfire has a unique history. Currently there are two bands who have held the name. The original group started out as Cacumen, became Bonfire and ended in 2011 as Charade...
and other artists. He also produced and wrote albums for hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
bands Babylon A.D., Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge (band)
Baton Rouge were an American hard rock band, formed in 1986 in Mississippi. The band produced two albums and enjoyed limited success during the final part of the hair metal explosion in the early 1990s, before disbanding...
, Doro
Doro (musician)
Dorothee Pesch , popularly known as Doro Pesch or Doro, is a female rock vocalist, formerly of the German heavy metal band Warlock ....
and for his own band Surgin’, which he had created in 1985 at the insistence of his then managers. Surgin' disbanded after one record, though subsequent compilations have been released of early demos. Surgin' still has a strong following in the AOR
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
community.
During the last period of popularity of glam metal, he was deeply involved with American glam metal bands Skid Row and Nelson
Nelson (band)
NELSON is a American hard rock band founded by singer/songwriters Matthew and Gunnar Nelson . NELSON featuring the twin lead front men had a No. 1 hit in the United States with " Love and Affection" during the week of September 29, 1990...
. In 1991 he retired from the music business for a few years. During this time he built a gym, a martial arts school, and devoted his energies to martial arts and dogs, especially the rare breed Fila Brasileiro
Fila Brasileiro
The Fila Brasileiro is a large working breed of dog developed in Brazil.-Appearance and disqualifications:Official standard of the Fila Brasileiro, CAFIB.GENERAL APPEARANCE: A typical molosser dog...
.
He came back in 1996, approaching the music business as a talent manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
and record label owner. In 1998, he founded CazzyDog Management and became the manager of R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
artist and Grammy Awards winner India.Arie
India.Arie
India.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
who was nominated for a record 7 Grammy awards as a debut artist, a record that is still held by her today. Other clients in the CazzyDog roster included: Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
, Az Yet
Az Yet
Az Yet is an American R&B group from Philadelphia, best known for their hit "Last Night" and their cover of the Chicago song "Hard to Say I'm Sorry."-Formation:...
, Mike E., Pru, and Scarface
Scarface (rapper)
Brad Terrence Jordan , better known by his stage name Scarface, is an American rapper, and recording artist from Houston, Texas and a member of the Geto Boys. He is originally from South Park, Houston.-Life and career:...
. Amongst the writer/producers they managed were Carlos (Six July) Broady. N.O. Joe Johnson, Mary Brown, all of the writers under Teddy Riley, and a host of others.
In 2004 he founded both Bardic Records and the Platform Group. Both companies were designed to work within the ever expanding "indie" sector. Both ventures were dismantled after a reconfiguration.
He is currently the CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Merovingian Music
Merovingian Music
Merovingian Music also abbreviated as MRV or MRV Music, is a non-genre specific record label based out of Red Bank, New Jersey. The label was founded by industry veteran Jack Ponti who currently serves as CEO of the company...
, a non-genre record label founded in 2006, with strong partnerships within the industry and a roster of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
artists. Merovingian Music currently has joint ventures with both Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
and has recently merged with C.E Music, a label owned by David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
's Worldwide Pants
Worldwide Pants
Worldwide Pants Incorporated is an American television and film production company owned by comedian and talk show host David Letterman. Its ongoing productions are Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson...
production company.
Produced albums
- Surgin’ – When Midnight Comes (1985)
- Baton RougeBaton Rouge (band)Baton Rouge were an American hard rock band, formed in 1986 in Mississippi. The band produced two albums and enjoyed limited success during the final part of the hair metal explosion in the early 1990s, before disbanding...
– Shake Your Soul (1990) - Baton Rouge – Lights out on the Playground (1991)
- China Rain – Bed of Nails (1992)
- Lance Keltner – Lance Keltner (1992)
- DoroDoro (musician)Dorothee Pesch , popularly known as Doro Pesch or Doro, is a female rock vocalist, formerly of the German heavy metal band Warlock ....
– Angels Never DieAngels Never DieAngels Never Die is the fourth solo album of the German female hard rock singer Doro Pesch. The album was released in February 1993 and was produced by Jack Ponti and Vic Pepe. The two producers had worked with Alice Cooper on the hit single "Hey Stoopid" and had produced minor glam metal bands...
(1993) - Doro – Machine II MachineMachine II MachineMachine II Machine is the fifth album of the German female hard rock singer Doro Pesch. The album was released in March 1995 and mixed by Kevin Shirley and Greg Smith...
(1995) - Baton Rouge – Baton Rouge (1997)
- Angry Tears – Angry Tears (2000)
- Holyday Express – Greatest Hits (2000)
- Sinopoli – The Eyes Never Lie (2002)
- Surgin' – Tokyo Rose (2003)
- Surgin' – Electric Nights the Final Chapter (2003)
- Jack Ponti Presents vol. 1 (2003)
- KittieKittieKittie is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in London, Ontario in 1996. A quartet of women, the group rose to success in 1999 when the track "Brackish" from their debut album Spit became a hit single...
– Funeral for YesterdayFuneral for YesterdayFuneral for Yesterday is the fourth album released by the female heavy metal music group Kittie. The album was released on February 20, 2007 via the band's own label, X of Infamy Records, with distribution through EMI...
(2007) - OtepOtepOtep is an American heavy metal band formed in 2000 in Los Angeles, California by Otep Shamaya.-History:Otep originally was a four-piece nu metal band that began in Los Angeles, California in early 2000...
– Smash the Control MachineSmash the Control MachineSmash the Control Machine is the fourth studio album from Otep. It was released on August 18, 2009. A deluxe edition was released with a bonus DVD as well. The pre-release package also contained a T-shirt featuring the album cover and a poster of the cover. The album sold 10,400 copies in its first...
(2009) - Runner RunnerRunner RunnerRunner Runner is an American pop rock band founded in Huntington Beach, California in 2008. They were the first band signed to a joint venture between Capitol Records, Merovingian Music and C.E. Music, a subsidiary of David Letterman's Worldwide Pants, Inc...
– Runner RunnerRunner Runner (album)-Personnel:* Dave Darling – Producer* Ryan Ogren – Vocals, guitar* Peter Munters – Guitars, vocals, keyboards* Nick Bailey – Guitars, background vocals* Jon Berry – Bass, background vocals* James Ulrich – Drums* Jim Recor – Management for Clear Entertainment...
(2011)
Singles written or co-written
- Glen BurtnikGlen BurtnikGlen Burtnik is a singer, songwriter, entertainer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a former member of Styx.The spelling of his name has changed a few times over the years .Burtnik appeared in the Broadway production of Beatlemania as Paul McCartney,...
– "Follow You" from the album Heroes & Zeroes (1987) - BonfireBonfire (band)Bonfire is a German heavy metal band, founded in Ingolstadt, Germany in 1972. Bonfire has a unique history. Currently there are two bands who have held the name. The original group started out as Cacumen, became Bonfire and ended in 2011 as Charade...
– "Sweet Obsession" from the album FireworksFireworks (Bonfire album)Fireworks is the second album by the hard rock band Bonfire. It was released in 1987 on the label BMG International with two different covers, the worldwide one had a patterned similar to a decorated vault door while the North American version was simply four pictures of each band member in each...
(1987) - Bonfire – "Hard on Me" from the album Point BlankPoint Blank (Bonfire album)Point Blank is the third album by the hard rock band Bonfire. It was released in 1989 on the label BMG International. During the recording sessions of this album, Hans Ziller was fired from the band, but the album features 10 songs written by him as well as 3 that feature him playing...
(1989) - Babylon A.D. – "The Kid Goes Wild" from the album Babylon A.D.Babylon A.D. (album)Babylon A.D. is the debut album by the American heavy metal band of the same name, released in 1989.The song "The Kid Goes Wild" was used for the film RoboCop 2...
(1989) - Baton RougeBaton Rouge (band)Baton Rouge were an American hard rock band, formed in 1986 in Mississippi. The band produced two albums and enjoyed limited success during the final part of the hair metal explosion in the early 1990s, before disbanding...
- "The Price of Love" from the album Lights out on the Playground (1991) - Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
– "Hey StoopidHey Stoopid (song)"Hey Stoopid" is a popular single by American rock singer Alice Cooper that was the title track on the album Hey Stoopid. The song had success in the charts, reaching #78 in the US, #21 in the UK, #32 in Austria and a Swedish #5...
", "Love's a Loaded GunLove's a Loaded Gun"Love's a Loaded Gun" is a single by heavy metal singer Alice Cooper, taken from the 1991 album Hey Stoopid. It managed to peak at #38 in the UK charts and #31 on the mainstream rock tracks chart...
" from the album Hey StoopidHey StoopidHey Stoopid is the 19th studio album by heavy metal singer and shock rock-legend Alice Cooper. It was released on July 2, 1991 with guest appearances from Slash , Ozzy Osbourne, Vinnie Moore, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars .After Cooper's smash 1989 hit album Trash, Cooper...
(1991) - DoroDoro (musician)Dorothee Pesch , popularly known as Doro Pesch or Doro, is a female rock vocalist, formerly of the German heavy metal band Warlock ....
– "Enough for You", "Bad Blood" and "Last Day of My Life" from the album Angels Never DieAngels Never DieAngels Never Die is the fourth solo album of the German female hard rock singer Doro Pesch. The album was released in February 1993 and was produced by Jack Ponti and Vic Pepe. The two producers had worked with Alice Cooper on the hit single "Hey Stoopid" and had produced minor glam metal bands...
(1993) - Eric Gales BandEric GalesEric Gales is an American blues-rock guitarist, originally hailed as a child prodigy. Gales has recorded ten albums on major record labels, and has done session and tribute work...
– "Paralyzed" from the album Picture of a Thousand Faces (1993) - Doro – "Ceremony" and "In Freiheit Stirbt Mein Herz" from the album Machine II MachineMachine II MachineMachine II Machine is the fifth album of the German female hard rock singer Doro Pesch. The album was released in March 1995 and mixed by Kevin Shirley and Greg Smith...
(1995) - NelsonNelson (band)NELSON is a American hard rock band founded by singer/songwriters Matthew and Gunnar Nelson . NELSON featuring the twin lead front men had a No. 1 hit in the United States with " Love and Affection" during the week of September 29, 1990...
– "We Always Want What We Can't Get" from the album Imaginator (1997) - Melvin Taylor & The Slack BandMelvin TaylorMelvin Taylor is an American electric blues guitarist, based in Chicago, Illinois.-Career:Born in Mississippi, Taylor relocated to Chicago in 1962....
– "Bang That Bell" from the album Bang That Bell (2000)