31 Facts About Artie Ripp

Artie Ripp began his career as a singer, initially informally harmonizing rock and roll songs with friends from high school.

In 1957, Artie Ripp formed an official singing group with neighborhood friends; the group was signed by ABC-Paramount Records as backup singers for ABC solo artists.

Artie Ripp rejoined with some of his informal singing partners to form "The Four Temptations".

Artie Ripp shifted from performing to being behind-the-scenes in the music business.

In 1958, Artie Ripp targeted George Goldner to be a potential mentor.

Artie Ripp worked with songwriter and producer Richard Barrett within Goldner's organization, where Artie Ripp got a "street education in the record business equal to none".

Artie Ripp learned how Goldner worked a studio, structured a record contract, and got records played on the radio.

Artie Ripp's Temptations recorded for Goldner's Goldisc Records; its three singles were released in 1960 and 1961.

Artie Ripp quickly rose in the music publishing, recording, and distribution business.

In 1963, Artie Ripp produced "Just One Look" for Doris Troy.

Also under contract with Award during Artie Ripp's tenure were Jimmy Jones and The Hollywood Flames, both of whom were on the Vee-Jay record label.

In 1964, Artie Ripp joined Hy Mizrahi and Phil Steinberg in Kama Sutra, initially an independent production company based in New York.

Artie Ripp's work included an association and collaboration with the songwriting-and-production team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who had co-founded the Red Bird Records label with Goldner in 1964.

In 1964, Red Bird released "Remember ", which became a hit for the girl group The Shangri-Las; Artie Ripp is credited with having "discovered" the group and shares a producer credit with Jeff Barry on the song.

The west coast office was ultimately headed by Bob Krasnow; Artie Ripp shifted to operate out of California in 1967.

The label's first single, produced by Artie Ripp, was The Vacels' "You're My Baby ", which peaked at 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on August 21,1965.

Artie Ripp negotiated a deal with the production team that handled The Lovin' Spoonful; it is said that the band carried the label through its first year.

Artie Ripp co-produced Bobby Bloom's single, "Love, Don't Let Me Down" which was released on Kama Sutra KA 223 in March 1967.

Artie Ripp produced Joel's first solo album Cold Spring Harbor, and Paramount distributed it.

The relationship between Joel and Artie Ripp deteriorated, and in 1972, Joel jumped ship to Columbia Records.

In exchange for releasing Joel from his contract with Family, Artie Ripp agreed to receive about four percent - then 28 cents - of the retail price of each sale of Joel's first ten albums released with Columbia; Lang agreed to receive about two percent.

Artie Ripp retained publishing rights until Walter Yetnikoff, head of Columbia in the 1970s and 1980s, bought them and gave them to Joel as a birthday gift in 1978.

In 1971, Artie Ripp founded Fidelity Recording, a Studio City, California recording studio.

The studio is where Ripp and Woodstock-planner Artie Kornfeld re-mixed Survivor's Premonition album in 1981, although the group's founding member Jim Peterik states that he and others did a final mix.

In 2002, Artie Ripp sold the studio to Tom Weir, who renamed it Studio City Sound and went on to win a 2004 Grammy Award for mixing the year's Best Reggae Album, True Love.

Artie Ripp has been the principal of Artie Ripp Entertainment Group, Inc since 1977.

Artie Ripp has had a career in other media outlets as a film actor, film producer, and consultant.

Artie Ripp played "Rotweiler" in the 1987 movie "Number One With a Bullet," starring Valerie Bertinelli.

Artie Ripp was married to Phyllis Artie Ripp, who died in 1993.

In March 2022, it was announced that Adam Artie Ripp would be working with a film studio to write and direct a biopic about Billy Joel's early career.

The elder Artie Ripp is one of the producers of the film.