Michael Berniker

The career of longtime Columbia Information staff producer Michael Berniker spans from Latin jazz to spoken word to classical music, but he remains best remembered for helming the very first three LPs by Broadway phenom Barbra Streisand. Created in Brooklyn, NY, on June 30, 1935, Berniker analyzed music and beliefs while going to Columbia University. Throughout a two-year U.S. Military stint in Un Paso, TX, he hosted an area radio program and also structured a jazz event. Upon departing the services in 1960 Berniker signed up for CBS Information’ in-house A&R training curriculum — furthermore to generating jazz classes for Charlie Rouse, Dave Bailey, and Johnny Coles, he was presented with the reins to some reissue marketing campaign spotlighting classic unique solid recordings of Broadway landmarks like Annie GET THE Weapon and Finian’s Rainbow, and his affinity for the stage and its own often temperamental skills offered him in great stead through the years to check out. When Streisand authorized to Columbia in 1962 within the wake of her star-making submit Broadway’s I COULD Get It for you personally Low cost, Berniker was set up to helm the classes, collaborating with arranger Peter Matz to put together an impeccable collection of theatre and cabaret requirements that captured the entire range of Streisand’s significant abilities — the causing The Barbra Streisand Record won a set of Grammy Honours in 1963. Berniker reunited with Streisand for THE NEXT Barbra Streisand Record and THE 3RD Album, and for a while in 1964 all three LPs made an appearance concurrently on Billboard’s TOP regardless of the outbreak of Beatlemania. Berniker stated nine Grammys altogether during the period of his profession. In 1966, he teamed with Eydie Gorme on her behalf Grammy-winning rendition of Mame’s “If He Walked into MY ENTIRE LIFE,” and also teamed with crooners Johnny Mathis and Perry Como. Berniker also created primary cast albums attracted from Broadway strikes including Barnum, Town of Angels, along with a revived Special Charity, and also offered as supervising manufacturer on 1966’s I Am the best, a spoken phrase effort offering prizefighting star Cassius Clay (aka Muhammad Ali). Berniker still left Columbia in 1968, portion as an professional at some rival labels, especially RCA, where he agreed upon pop serves including Hall & Oates and Juice Newton. Upon time for the Columbia flip in 1977, Berniker released the Columbia Jazz Masterpieces series, coordinating a thorough reissue advertising campaign spotlighting seminal periods by famous brands Louis Armstrong, Billie Vacation, and Duke Ellington. In 1979 he also extended into modern Latin jazz, earning another Grammy for his initiatives on Cuban fusion clothing Irakere’s self-titled debut. While back-catalog initiatives captured a lot of Berniker’s interest within the years to check out, especially as Compact disc reissues surfaced as a substantial way to obtain Columbia’s income, he capped off his Broadway creation profession using a Grammy for his focus on 1991’s The Will Rogers Follies primary cast record. Berniker passed away July 25, 2008, in Great Barrington, MA, carrying out a long struggle with kidney disease — he was 73.