Jack Daugherty (musician)

Jack Daugherty (August 13, 1930 – February 2, 1991) was an American musician, trumpeter and producer who is best known for being the music producer of the band the Carpenters.

Jack Daugherty
Born(1930-08-13)August 13, 1930
DiedFebruary 2, 1991(1991-02-02) (aged 60)
Carmel, California, United States
GenresPop music, soft rock
Occupation(s)Musician, music producer
InstrumentsTrumpet, piano
LabelsA&M Records
Associated actsThe Carpenters, Woody Herman

Life and career

For most of his early professional career, Daugherty had worked as a trumpeter in Woody Herman's band. By the 1960s, he had all but retired from the music business, working in public relations at North American Aviation, an aircraft company with a location operating in the Los Angeles area. He went on to produce three albums: Jack Daugherty and the Class of Nineteen Hundred and Seventy One (referred to by Sounds as "a supersession of the finest studio musicians in Hollywood"[1]), on A&M Records, Carmel by the Sea, on the Monterey Label, and Romance, on Columbia Records, Japan, as his last known project.

The Carpenters

Though no longer actively involved in music, Daugherty still kept an open network with other performers throughout the years. One was John Pisano, guitarist of Herb Alpert's band The Tijuana Brass, and still a part of the A&M Records roster. Daugherty is credited with getting a demo tape of Karen and Richard Carpenter's work to Herb Alpert through Pisano.

He produced the Carpenters from 1969 with the release of Offering and continued until 1972, with the release of A Song for You. These early recordings carry the misleading credits "Produced by Jack Daugherty" or "Produced by Jack Daugherty Productions", but in reality, it was Richard who produced the records and did the arrangements and all Daugherty's contributions were limited to were booking musicians, studio time and finding potential songs, although he did offer production advice. Karen and Richard viewed him as an A&R man, not a sound architect, and furthermore, Richard was enraged when a Cashbox magazine review praised Daugherty's production abilities. According to Roger Nichols, Richard felt that he was producing the records and Daugherty put his name on them.[2][3][4][5]

Dismissal and lawsuit against A&M

In 1972, Daugherty had his own secretary at A&M and was paid a $25,000 salary (US$152,804 in 2019 dollars[6]) in addition to royalties from the Carpenters' records, but after he was fired from A&M, Daugherty sued Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss for wrongful termination and he claimed that his termination undermined his credibility in the music industry. He lost the 9-year lawsuit after the courts ruled in favor of both A&M and the Carpenters, but the defense cost the record label $350,000 (US$984,279 in 2019 dollars[6]) and $400,000 (US$1,124,890 in 2019 dollars[6]).[2][7]

Final years

Despite the damaged relationship, Daugherty later set aside his differences with the band and attended the funeral of Karen Carpenter in 1983. He died on February 2, 1991 of complications during coronary bypass surgery.

Controversy over role in Carpenters' recordings

Daugherty's precise role in the Carpenters' recordings has been subjected to some controversy. When Richard was asked at a UK press conference what role Daugherty played in the duo's sound, he responded, "Nothing. That's why he's no longer with us. We produced all these singles. It's a long story, but Jack had nothing to do with anything. He was responsible for getting Herb Alpert to hear our tape, which was very nice, but he wasn't our producer. You'll notice he hasn't had one record on any chart since he left us."[2][8]

However, Daugherty's son Michael has accused Richard of trivializing his father's role and in a statement to the Los Angeles Times in 1994, he said that his father was important to the duo's sound.[9]

Bibliography
  • Coleman, Ray. The Carpenters: The Untold Story. HarperCollins, New York, 1994. ISBN 978-0-06-018345-5

References
  1. "Brass is Back". Sounds. Spotlight Publications. 28 August 1971. p. 3.
  2. Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters (1997 TV Movie)
  3. Randy Schmidt (2010-05-17). Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter. p. 292. ISBN 9781569766941. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  5. "Insights and Sounds: Carpenters Naked Truth". Insightsandsounds.blogspot.com.au. 2014-01-27. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  6. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  7. Schmidt 2010, p. 91-92.
  8. Schmidt 2010, p. 91.
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