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Walter Yetnikoff (born August 11, 1933) is an American music industry executive who was the president of CBS Records International from 1971 to 1975 and then president and CEO of CBS Records from 1975 to 1990 and author of The New York Times acclaimed Howling at the Moon. During his career at CBS, he guided the careers of Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Earth, Wind & Fire, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Gloria Estefan, and a host of other well-known artists.〔() The New York Times. 1984-01-22. The King of Records of CBS.〕 After graduating from Columbia Law School where he was an editor of the Columbia Law Review, he served in the U.S. Army from 1956 - 1958. He then was hired by the law firm Rosenman, Colin, Kaye, Petschek and Freund which represented William S. Paley and CBS. In 1962, Yetnikoff joined CBS Records as an attorney. After serving as general counsel of the CBS Records law department, he went on to head CBS Records International which grew exponentially under his leadership. In 1975, William Paley made him President and CEO of CBS Records. During his tenure he attracted stars like James Taylor and ex-Beatle Paul McCartney away from, respectively, Warner Bros. Records and EMI, and went on to “preside over the most profitable and prestigious stable of artists of all time.”〔() The Guardian. Vodka for breakfast, secretary for lunch, signed the Stones at tea. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.〕〔() The New Yorker. Blockbuster. Retrieved on 2014-04-12〕 With Yetnikoff at the helm of CBS Records, Michael Jackson’s ''Thriller'' sold over 40 million copies, Earth, Wind & Fire's ''I Am'' and Springsteen’s ''Born in the U.S.A.'' each sold over 20 million and Billy Joel’s ''The Stranger'' sold in excess of 13 million. Yetnikoff also helped launched the careers of Lauper (on Portrait Records, which CBS owned), Yankovic (on Scotti Brothers Records, which CBS distributed), and Estefan. Yetnikoff was known for being a strong artist advocate. For example, Billy Joel speaks of how Yetnikoff bought back Joel’s publishing rights and gave them to him as a birthday present. Yetnikoff notes in the documentary film The Last Play at Shea that he had to threaten Artie Ripp to close the deal.〔(''The Last Play at Shea'' (2010) ). October 28, 2010. ''New York Times''.〕 At CBS, Yetnikoff was the chief architect of the sale of CBS Records to Sony to create Sony Music Entertainment in January 1988. He, his wife, Lynda, and their dog, Alexandra, currently reside in New York City and upstate New York. ==Personal== Yetnikoff was born in Brooklyn to Bella and Max Yetnikoff. He attended P.S. 182., P.S. 149, Brooklyn Technical High School, and went on to graduate magna cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1953, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He went on to Columbia Law School attaining a full scholarship after his first year. In the U.S. Army Yetnikoff served in Germany at the height of the Cold War.〔Ritz, David. ''Howling At The Moon''. 2004, Abacus Press. ISBN 0-349-11797-7.〕 After completing his tour of duty, he went on to join Rosenman, Colin, Kaye, Petschek and Freund.〔Ritz, David. ''Howling At The Moon''. 2004, Abacus Press. ISBN 0-349-11797-7.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Walter Yetnikoff」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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