Place – London
Time – 1970-80’S
Entrepreneur/Record Producer – Dave Miller
Dave Miller
Dave Miller was the founder of Holiday & Essex Records in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1951.
The labels had local popular success, being known mostly for its release of the early records by Bill Haley and The Comets.
Dave originally changed the name of the group from the Four Aces of Western Swing to Bill Haley and the Saddlemen then repeated a suggestion that the group change their name to the Comets after Halley’s Comet.
Dave Miller and the Colonel
There have been many things written about Dave Miller over the years, calling him a small time operator and also being compared to Colonel Tom Parker, the infamous manager of Elvis Presley.
David’s Birth name was David Leonart Kleiber, born in 1925 somewhere in Germany. Both he and the Colonel emigrated from Europe in the 1930’s, leaving their birth names behind when arriving in the USA.
Both had a tendency to be tough in business and make the most of each and every dollar that came their way.
After serving in the US military during the second World War, the story goes that Miller saved all his money whilst in the services, to make a start in the recording industry.
Dave once told me that his initial funding was by courtesy of the US government providing him with a GI loan.
I found out some years later this wasn’t exactly true.
The first crossover record
Miller signed Bill Haley to his Holiday Record label in 1951.
Recording the first record in the nascent genre, which was a cover of Jackie Brenston’s Rocket 88.
This was some three years before Sam Phillips was crowned the first man that recorded a rock ‘n’ roll crossover record, with a white artist covering a black artist’s recording.
Dave Miller – Bill Haley & Rock Around The Clock
Dave Miller was also renowned as the man that turned down Rock Around The Clock.
Dave always denied this accusation and I believe him.
An interview with Marshall Lytle the bass player with the Comets during that time also helps to confirm my belief.
KB: “Who chose the songs at Essex? Did the band have any input there?”
ML: “At Essex, Bill Haley chose most of the material, and if Dave Miller had a suggestion, it was just a suggestion, he never said do this or do that, but he would come up with some songs, Rocket 88 was one that Dave Miller came up with, but Bill chose Rock The Joint and all the others.”
It would appear that if Bill had wanted to record Rock Around The Clock with Miller he would have done so.
The Beginning
In 1947 in Philadelphia, Miller created the Palda Record Company.
Amongst the acts on the label were The Navy Shipmates, The Four Aces and The Blind Boys of Alabama, all enjoying low volume sales in the local area.
Dave never missed an opportunity to shift plastic; he would record anything that would sell, from children’s audio stories to local weddings ceremonies, even spoken pornographic records, all low but regular sellers.
These endeavours were curtailed when on one occasion the labels were mixed up and the pornographic recordings were sent to some very distressed wedding ceremony clientele. Presumably when the bride said “I do” no one knew exactly what she was referring to.
Stories of exaggeration and embellishments?
Dave had always told me stories about those early days, which I assumed were full of exaggeration and embellishment.
In 1979, after listening to Bill Haley’s versions of the same events, undoubtedly Miller, if anything, had under sold the stories.
Bill explained, “Miller was a wild man, do you know he invented payola?”
When he released a record nothing could stop him, he would go to any lengths to get the record played on the radio and into the shops.”
Dave told everyone his start in the industry was funded by a US Government loan.
I was also told by Bill that the finances were actually supplied by the Mafia, to record non-union bands.
There was a musicians strike at the time, so the radio stations and jukeboxes were crying out for new material on the Eastern Seaboard.
Bills relationship worsened with Dave, whilst he was under contract mainly due to Dave spending more and more time in Europe.
Haley also told me, “It was hard to get paid from Dave, he would always spend all the money before it came in.”
I did point out to Bill that Dave told me that there were no royalties payable, a flat fee of $25 was paid to Bill with the Saddlemen receiving $15 for each recording. (See Bill Haley Blogs)
In conversation
When I knew Dave Miller he was a stocky built, silver haired individual, with a voice befitting that of an American voiceover artist.
In conversation he was funny, witty, entertaining and worldly wise.
Dave was one of the three geniuses I have encountered throughout my life.
Jack Fishman and Dr. Shyam Singha were the other two. Though all three humble men would have disagreed with me.
The budget record era
I first met Dave at Pye whilst he was recording product for his Damil label, which he had initiated for the creation of the budget album.
Inexpensive recordings with economical packaging and low cost pressings, that supplied companies such as Pickwick and Golden Award, along with many others.
He had already set the standard in America with Somerset Records.
He refined that business model with the Europa label, based out of Hamburg Germany; In fact, you could say that Dave is accountable for more of the records in today’s charity shops and car boot markets than any other single person.
At this time budget albums were a fairly new concept in Europe.
Dave would book the studio to record various albums very quickly; we would record straight to stereo, such classics as Banjo Spectacular and All Time Great Film Themes, with a small orchestra featuring a piano lead.
Each album would be recorded, edited and copied in a day.
These albums then sent immediately to Dave’s licensees throughout the world.
Then the albums would be available in the shops within a week or so.
Dave once told me that his biggest and most lucrative seller in Europe was The Hammond Organ’s Greatest Hits, volume 1, 2, 3, etc.
One musician playing all the hit songs from the charts on a Hammond organ straight onto a stereo master.
The cost for this would be a session fee for the player, the arranger’s cost, the studio time plus tape.
Dave would always make sure he would own the publishing of at least one title on each album he recorded.
This title may have been an out of copyright work that he could claim the arrangement for or a bland instrumental sometimes made up on the spot in the studio.
Invitation To Party Cruise For Damont records
How to impress your girlfriend
It was one of the bland instrumental recordings that I asked Dave if he would let me make up a title for.
I explained I wanted to do this to impress my girlfriend Sue, and without hesitation he allowed me the opportunity.
I then asked Sue to make up an unusual title; a word or words that nobody else would really come up with.
I then asked her to write it down on a piece of paper so I had the correct spelling, she asked why, I explained it was going to be a surprise.
Sue wrote down the word Kalermarzoo.
I gave the piece of paper to Dave; he then added Susie’s word for the title of an instrumental on his very next album.
Within a week or so the album was released.
I took Susie to the record section in a Woolworth’s store, reminding her of the title she had made up a few weeks earlier.
Reaching for the latest Damil album out of the racks, Sue saw her made up word Kalermarzoo printed on the sleeve of this album, which was being sold in every Woolworth store across the country.
I was a hero, thankfully Sue never asked for a royalty.
Kenny & Sue 1970
An invitation to dinner
Dave would always have the civility of involving everybody in his conversation, unlike some other clients, he had a fantastic way of making everyone feel special, even the tape assistant.
One evening In 1970 at the end of the session, Dave invited me along with several other people to Biaggi’s restaurant, just off the Edgware Road in London.
I had never been in anything other than cafés, so I found the invitation slightly daunting, but I thought the offer was too good to refuse.
Not being confident with fine dining protocol, I deliberately walked into the restaurant last, which placed me at the end of the table next to Monty Presky, one of the directors of Pye records.
When the waiter arrived to take the order, he asked what starters everyone would like.
I had no idea what I should order, but it seemed amongst the group, the choice was mostly melon, which I had never had before, so that would do for me.
When the melon arrived it had been cut in half but still looked enormous.
Picking up my spoon I proceeded to launch into this new exploit.
The conversation was dancing around various subjects that I knew nothing about and if I had, I was too nervous to join in.
Having not spoken a word, Monty kindly tried to involve me in a fascinating discussion about Vienna and asking if I had ever been there?
“No” I replied, trying to concentrate on eating my melon as correctly as possible.
I was now beginning to wonder if this was a good idea to have attended this particular event.
After a while, looking around the table I could see that everyone had finished their starter and seemed to be waiting for me to finish.
I also noticed that those who had finished their melon had eaten them from the centre out. I had started from one side inwards, which caused it to lean entirely to one side.
In an effort to hastily finish and not keep people waiting, I thrust the spoon into the side of the melon but this time with great gusto, but unfortunately for me, it took off and rocketed down the table like a football on its way to a World Cup winning goal.
This resulted in knocking everyone’s wine glasses over and unsettling the crockery, eventually landing in someone’s lap.
I just wanted to die.
No one seemed too concerned, probably out of embarrassment for me.
The waiter however gave me a very stern look whilst he was replacing glasses and wiping up the spilled wine and generally putting the table back together.
I was thankful I had ordered steak for my main course, which I made sure, remained firmly on the plate and only travelled from the plate by way of the fork to my mouth.
Although I had a lot to learn about posh restaurants, Biaggi’s became a regular haunt after that evening.
The young decision makers
In 1980 I had an album I had just finished and Dave liked it very much, so I asked him on if, his next trip to the USA, he would try and place the product for me.
He told me that all of his old business associates had retired or moved into different areas of the industry but he would try.
On his return he explained that he couldn’t create any interest. It appeared that all the A&R staff were young kids, who couldn’t make any decisions for fear of losing their jobs.
At one meeting this young guy said to Dave, referring to the album
“Where’s it happening in Europe?”
Dave shot back with
“If this was happening in Europe you’d be coming to see me.”
He also told me a lovely story about the Director Billy Wilder.
Wilder had been directing films since 1934, and in his career had received twenty one nominations for an academy award, with films such as Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot and Witness For The Prosecution.
In 1979 Wilder was trying to raise funds for a new movie called Buddy Buddy.
Unfortunately all the decision makers were young guys looking for the next Star Wars type movie.
At one meeting Wilder attended, the young kid said to him,
“Sorry Mr Wilder ‘I’m not familiar with your work, can you tell me what success you’ve had?”
Wilder, simply replied
“You first.”
I was great friends and loved working with Dave Miller until he sadly passed away in 1985.
I still miss him to this day.
Dave Miller
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