Lew Bedell
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Born Name:
Lewis Joseph Bedinsky
Born Date: March 21, 1919
Born Place: El Paso, Texas
Died Date: July 6, 2000
Died Place: Los Angeles, California
Occupations: Record label owner, comic, entertainer
Brief Biography: Lewis Joseph Bedell (1919–2000) was a prominent American music executive and comedian best known for founding the influential Los Angeles record labels Era Records and Doré Records. Born Lewis Joseph Bedinsky in El Paso, Texas, he eventually changed his surname and built a career that bridged the worlds of comedy and rock and roll.
Early Career and Comedy:
Before his success in the music industry, Bedell was a professional entertainer:
Comedy Duo: In 1946, he formed a comedy duo with college friend Doug Mattson, performing a "pantomime" act in clubs across San Francisco, Las Vegas, and New York.
Television: He hosted his own short-lived variety program, The Lew Bedell Show, on WOR-TV in New York during the early 1950s and appeared as a solo comedian on KTLA in Los Angeles.
Era and Doré Records:
Bedell transitioned into the music business in 1955, eventually managing two of the most successful independent labels of the era:
Era Records: Co-founded with his cousin Herb Newman, the label produced massive hits like Gogi Grant's "The Wayward Wind".
Doré Records: Founded in 1958 and named after his son, Doré. The label’s first major success was "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by The Teddy Bears, which featured a young Phil Spector.
Billy Joe & The Checkmates: Bedell famously used the pseudonym "Billy Joe Hunter" to front this studio group, reaching the Top 10 in 1962 with the xylophone-heavy hit "Percolator (Twist)".
Born Date: March 21, 1919
Born Place: El Paso, Texas
Died Date: July 6, 2000
Died Place: Los Angeles, California
Occupations: Record label owner, comic, entertainer
Brief Biography: Lewis Joseph Bedell (1919–2000) was a prominent American music executive and comedian best known for founding the influential Los Angeles record labels Era Records and Doré Records. Born Lewis Joseph Bedinsky in El Paso, Texas, he eventually changed his surname and built a career that bridged the worlds of comedy and rock and roll.
Early Career and Comedy:
Before his success in the music industry, Bedell was a professional entertainer:
Comedy Duo: In 1946, he formed a comedy duo with college friend Doug Mattson, performing a "pantomime" act in clubs across San Francisco, Las Vegas, and New York.
Television: He hosted his own short-lived variety program, The Lew Bedell Show, on WOR-TV in New York during the early 1950s and appeared as a solo comedian on KTLA in Los Angeles.
Era and Doré Records:
Bedell transitioned into the music business in 1955, eventually managing two of the most successful independent labels of the era:
Era Records: Co-founded with his cousin Herb Newman, the label produced massive hits like Gogi Grant's "The Wayward Wind".
Doré Records: Founded in 1958 and named after his son, Doré. The label’s first major success was "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by The Teddy Bears, which featured a young Phil Spector.
Billy Joe & The Checkmates: Bedell famously used the pseudonym "Billy Joe Hunter" to front this studio group, reaching the Top 10 in 1962 with the xylophone-heavy hit "Percolator (Twist)".