Russ Regan

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{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Russ Regan

| image =

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| background = non_performing_personnel

| birth_name = Harold Rustigian

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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|10|15}}

| birth_place = Sanger, California, U.S.

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| death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|05|27|1928|10|15}}

| death_place = Palm Springs, California, U.S.

| genre =

| occupation = Record executive

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| label = UNI, 20th Century, Motown

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Russ Regan (born Harold Rustigian; October 15, 1928 in Sanger, California{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iYneCQAAQBAJ&dq=Russ+Regan+June+15%2C+1929&pg=PA117|title=Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961–1963|first=James B.|last=Murphy|date=8 June 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476618531|accessdate=13 October 2018|via=Google Books}} – May 27, 2018 in Palm Springs, California){{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/music/news/russ-regan-music-executive-who-signed-elton-john-and-neil-diamond-dead-1202823708/|title=Russ Regan, Music Executive Who Signed Elton John and Neil Diamond, Dies at 89|date=29 May 2018|website=Variety.com|accessdate=13 October 2018}} was an American record executive who was President of both UNI Records and 20th Century Records{{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=621}} and was vice-president of A&R at Motown.{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Billboard-IDX/IDX/80s/1987/Billboard-1987-03-07-OCR-Page-0026.pdf#search=%22georgio%20allentini%22|format=PDF|title=Georgio Groomed For Stardom |website=Americanradiohistory.com|accessdate=13 October 2018}} Regan is the rare executive to have seen No. 1 hits in four successive decades.

Career

He started his career in the 1950s as a composer and record producer. His first notable hit was a 1959 Christmas novelty song, inspired by "The Chipmunk Song", titled "The Happy Reindeer" credited to Dancer, Prancer and Nervous (No. 34, Pop) issued by Capitol Records.{{cite web

|url = http://bsnpubs.com/mca/uni/uni.html

|title = Universal City Records [UNI] Album Discography

|first1 = Dave

|last1 = Edwards

|first2 = Patrice

|last2 = Eyries

|first3 = Mike

|last3 = Callahan

|date = April 24, 2007

|work = Discographies

|publisher = Both Sides Now Publications

|accessdate = July 2, 2011

|quote =

}} In the early 1960s, Regan recorded "Joan of Love", backed with "Adults Only", which was released under the name Russ Regan.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} He also recorded "Calling All Cars" under the name Davy Summers for Warner Brothers with producer Sonny Bono.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} In the mid-1960s, he was drafted in to help form a musical direction for Warner Brothers' fledgling pop/soul music subsidiary, Loma Records.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

Regan started in record promotion with Motown in the early years of the company.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} His first project there was the company's first Billboard Hot 100 number one record, "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes in 1961.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} He would go on to promote songs by The Supremes, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Marvin Gaye.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} He suggested the name of The Beach Boys when a Los Angeles group called Carl & The Passions had just recorded a song called "Surfin'". He also helped Frank Sinatra record his No. 4 hit, "That's Life" in 1966.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} He struck a deal with Jimmy Miller Productions when Miller left The Rolling Stones, which resulted in albums from B.B. King, Henry Gross, Bobby Whitlock, and others.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} Regan also signed Ambrosia and Harriet Schock to 20th Century Records.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

Russ Regan played a major role in the careers of a number of recording artists, as he headed up labels such as Uni, 20th Century and Phonogram Records. Dozens of recording artists, including Elton John, Neil Diamond, Barry White, Olivia Newton-John and The Beach Boys had Regan to thank for opening the doors for their success.{{cite magazine

| last1 = Freedland

| first1 = Nat

| date = August 31, 1974

| title = Sometimes Nice Guys Come In First: The Russ Regan Story

| magazine = Billboard

| volume = 86

| issue = 35

| pages =

| location =

| publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.

| issn = 0006-2510

| accessdate = July 2, 2011

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PQkEAAAAMBAJ&dq=dancer+prancer+and+nervous+regan&pg=PT14

| quote =

}} One of his most surprising successes while at UNI was South African trumpeter Hugh Masakela's "Grazing In The Grass" in 1968, which sold over a million and reached the top spot in the Billboard pop chart.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

While President of 20th Century Records, Regan was inspired from a dream to create the movie All This and World War II, which saw Fox News footage from WWII backed with various artists singing Beatles songs.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} The movie was never released on video, and it remains in the vaults of 20th Century Fox.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} Regan also supervised the soundtracks for the movies Endless Love, Breakin', The Karate Kid, All The Right Moves, Love At First Bite, This Is Spinal Tap, and A Chorus Line.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} Regan was also the Music Supervisor for four Academy Award-winning songs from the films The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Flashdance, and Chariots of Fire.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}