12 Step Program, part two, chapter thirty-one,
Whatever happened to Al Berk?
He was an apostle when he started; a guru by the time he retired.
Al Berk was a lawyer when one of his clients, Abe Stern, owner of the Barb label, more or less pushed him into personal management.
But I know nothing about the music business, Al protested.
That’s alright, said Abe, I’ll teach you.
With Abe as a patient guide, Al found his way.
Abe needed representation for a new signing, Nora Washington, and gave her to him.
He made mistakes. He quickly learned that the music business was greedy but, like any greed driven industry, it responded to success. Nora’s career duly suffered while Al struggled to make her famous. He had two things working against him: His lack of credibility and Barb’s lack of money.
Nora quit the world of pop in disgust. She disliked the superficiality she encountered on all fronts.
Al watched her go. That young woman has conviction as well as talent, he thought with admiration tainted by disappointment.
Abe wouldn’t let him give up. He could see that Al was a quick learner and, in his way, also greedy.
Abe matched Al to somebody else who had ambition, Bob Jansen.
From then on, personal management became easier. For one thing, Bob had determination; for another, Bob’s 12 Step Program appeared to be a hit. Once closed doors opened. For Jansen’s Hi-Steppers there were lucrative tours, TV appearances, a busy schedule of interviews and photo shoots. And money.
Even more for Al Berk. Al now was the guide, taking on several acts that needed a manager and were willing to give him 15% for his advice and direction. He was getting rich and for that Al swore loyalty to Bob Jansen.
He stood by Bob even as The Hi-Steppers faltered while his own star rose.
If Bob hadn’t fallen off the edge of the world, Al still would be his manager. Just as a search for Bob died down, a letter with no return address was sent to Al, instructing him to forward Bob Jansen’s royalties to his mother, still alive, who managed Henry’s estate. Excitedly he offered the letter to the police as proof that Bob might still be alive. The police didn’t seem interested. As far as they were concerned, Bob was dead. Al dutifully sent a cheque each year to the Jansen estate.He felt he owed Bob .
The Hi-Steppers became the blueprint of his management style. Mainly, he earned a reputation for being a fierce negotiator who cared about his acts..
Al was an enabler. Bob needed a label; Al found a label. The Hi-Steppers needed to tour; Al worked with an agent to set up a tour. He was the go-between band and label. Bob’s spokesman.
Occasionally, there would be insight. The Granchesters lacked credibility. Al urged Ray Bedouin to write a song that was more personal. The result was Who Am I, Ray and the band’s biggest hit.
Al was just as confused as everybody else when Bob vanished. He had grown used to Bob’s dramatic, sweeping changes. He’ll get back in touch when he’s ready, Al assured himself. He never did.
There was no contact. Nothing. Al never stopped wondering what happened, but his other acts demanded his time and, as ever, the business kept changing.
He had learned to adapt. Career development a thing of the past? Al made his acts become more self-reliant.
Decisions determining a band’s fate were made at the corporate level, money meaning more than music. Instant remuneration. Al worked closer with the labels to get what he wanted.
When technology turned the record industry topsy turvy and the public’s taste altered radically, Al encouraged his acts to tour often. To release singles or EPs every few months, rather than spend a year or two making an album that the public wasn’t buying anyway. Make videos, post blogs. Always be present in the public eye or be instantly forgotten.
Many of his acts were able to survive until retirement beckoned. Al shifted his focus to Korean, Chinese and Japanese pop. He thrived until he decided it was time for him to retire, too.
He often was recruited to be a keynote speaker at music trade fairs or to be a panelist at seminars. He’d be asked about management, marketing or promotion.
Occasionally, Al provided a little personal history to illustrate the vast difference between then and now.
With no family to look after or look after him, Al Berk remained sharp and alert from the sidelines
It always bugged him, though, that he didn’t know what became of Bob Jansen.
