Lou Adler | |
|---|---|
 Adler at the ceremony forCarole King receiving a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame, December 2012 | |
| Born | Lester Louis Adler (1933-12-13)December 13, 1933 (age 92) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupations | Record producer, film producer |
| Spouses | |
| Partner | Britt Ekland (1972–1974) |
| Children | 8, includingCisco Adler |
Lester Louis Adler (born December 13, 1933) is an American record and film producer and the co-owner of theRoxy Theatre inWest Hollywood, California.[1] He has produced and developed a number of high-profile musical artists includingthe Grass Roots,Jan and Dean,the Mamas & the Papas, andCarole King. King's albumTapestry, produced by Adler, won the 1972Grammy Award for Album of the Year and has been called one of the greatest pop albums of all time.[2][3][4][5]
Adler is an executive producer ofThe Rocky Horror Picture Show[6][7] and discovered and produced comedy albums and films forCheech & Chong.[8] In 2006, he was awarded a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in music. He was inducted into theRock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 as the recipient, alongsideQuincy Jones, of theAhmet Ertegun Award.[9]
Adler was born to aJewish family, the son of Manny and Josephine (Alpert) Adler,[10] inChicago, in 1933, and grew up in theBoyle Heights section ofLos Angeles.
Adler's career in music began as co-manager, alongsideHerb Alpert, ofJan and Dean. Adler and Alpert transitioned from managing into songwriting, composing the songs "River Rock" in 1958 for Bob "Froggy" Landers, and the Cough Drops and "Wonderful World" withSam Cooke.[11][12]
In 1964, Adler foundedDunhill Records.[citation needed] He was president and the chief record producer of the label from 1964 to 1967. During that time, Adler signedthe Mamas & the Papas to Dunhill, producing six top-five hits for the group including "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday". Dunhill also reached No. 1 on the pop chart withBarry McGuire's single "Eve of Destruction".[8] Through additional efforts by co-producers and songwriting duoP.F. Sloan andSteve Barri, the label reached No. 8 on the pop chart withthe Grass Roots single "Let's Live for Today".[13]
Capitalizing on Dunhill's success, Adler sold the label toABC in 1967 and foundedOde Records, to which he signedCarole King,Spirit,Cheech & Chong,Scott McKenzie,Peggy Lipton, and others.[14] Adler produced all of King's albums on Ode, which includes four gold, a platinum, and a diamond album, as certified by theRIAA. King's second album for Ode,Tapestry, sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and is considered one of the greatest albums of all time.[2][3][4][5] Adler's work onTapestry garnered him twoGrammy Awards in 1972:Record of the Year (for producing "It's Too Late") andAlbum of the Year.
In addition to working with his label's artists, Adler produced a number of live albums forJohnny Rivers. In June 1967, Adler helped to produce theMonterey International Pop Festival,[15] as well as the film version,Monterey Pop, which he co-produced withJohn Phillips from theMamas & the Papas.[8]
AfterMonterey Pop, Adler and Phillips teamed up again to produce the 1970Robert Altman filmBrewster McCloud.[16] In 1975, Adler served as executive producer of the cult classicThe Rocky Horror Picture Show.[8] After seeingThe Rocky Horror Show at a theater inLondon, Adler bought the American rights to the show, presented it live in Los Angeles, and executive-produced the film version (adding "Picture" to the title). The movie became the longest-running theatrical film in history.[6][7]
In 1978, Adler directed the movieUp in Smoke, starringCheech & Chong.[8] The movie remains a cult hit, and in 2000 Adler andCheech Marin recorded a commentary track for the DVD release. His 1981 film,Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains,[8] did not make a large impact upon release but has enjoyed a long life on cable TV broadcasts. Also in 1981, Adler executive produced the follow-up toThe Rocky Horror Picture Show,Shock Treatment.
Adler married actress and singerShelley Fabares in 1964[17] and produced several of her songs. They separated in 1966 and formally divorced in 1980. In 1973, he fathered his first son, Nic Adler, with actressBritt Ekland. In 1978, he fathered another son,Cisco Adler, with then-girlfriend Phyllis Somer.[10] In the 1980s, his son Sonny was born from a brief relationship with Danish model Winnie Hollman.[18] In 2024, it was revealed that Hollman’s daughter Honey, who is two years older than Sonny, is also Adler's biological child.[19] Before that, Honey was assumed to have been the daughter of Jack Nicholson, who Hollman was also seeing at the time.
Adler is married to former actressPage Hannah. They have four children.[20] He has often sat courtside next toDyan Cannon andJack Nicholson atLos Angeles Lakers home games.[21] He owns theRoxy Theatre with his son Nic, who operates the historic music venue on theSunset Strip inWest Hollywood, California.[22][23]Peter Fonda based his character Terry Valentine inThe Limey on Adler.[24]
In 1976, Adler and his administrative assistant werekidnapped from theirMalibu home. One of the perpetrators pulled a gun on Adler's assistant and gained entry. The two men were held for eight hours and released after $25,000 inransom money was paid. Three suspects were arrested and sheriff's deputies later recovered $14,900 of the ransom.[25] Two suspects were convicted and one was sentenced to life in prison.[26]
Here is a list of albums produced by Lou Adler:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
L
M
O
P
R
S
T
V
W
The following is a list of films produced or directed by Lou Adler:
He celebrated his bar mitzvah in the Breed Street Shul
