A great talent we saw countless times on Sullivan, Hootenanny and so many more. One could put forward that Theodore was the most important figure in Elektra's first years, insuring Elektra's success as a groundbreaking and brilliant record label.
Theo & Judy Collins on Hootenanny 1963
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joHwLh-DIlA
A tribute from Jac....
To my WMG friends,
On Tuesday we lost a musical treasure, an artist who played a seminal role in the history of Elektra Records – the great folksinger, actor, and activist Theodore Bikel.
We first met in 1955 at a folk music gathering in a Greenwich Village apartment, typically decorated with bullfight posters, wax-laden Chianti bottles and sling chairs. The musicians were passing the guitar, and when it came to Theo, he blew the room away with his voice and command. Theo’s specialty was Israeli, Yiddish, and Russian folk song, and I was immediately convinced there was an audience for this underserved repertoire. A week later, Theo became an Elektra recording artist.
By 1958, eight years after I launched Elektra, our little company was entering positive cash flow but still $90,000 in debt – not to the banks, but to our suppliers. That same year, Theo recorded two albums (Sings Jewish Folk Songs and Songs of a Russian Gypsy) which became our biggest-sellers to date. In three months, we were out of debt! Theo’s success liberated the company and we were able to build rapidly on his foundation. Theo recorded some 15 albums for us over ten years, and became one of the biggest folk artists of his time, selling out major halls across America and Europe.
Theo’s albums have never stopped selling. At his 90th birthday in 2014, Rhino’s Mark Pinkus promised Theo that all his albums would remain in print, and they are.
Theo was an energetic supporter of his fellow Elektra artists, and I remember well his introducing a young Judy Collins to a packed house at New York’s Town Hall. He was an acclaimed and accomplished stage and screen actor – originating the role of Baron von Trapp in The Sound of Music on Broadway; touring for years as Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof; and in countless film and TV roles. Theo was twice elected president of Actors’ Equity and was a co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival. The word “versatility" barely does justice to his many accomplishments.
Theo was a brilliant storyteller, comfortable with Russian, Yiddish, Hebrew, German, and of course, his exceptional English. He was one of most compelling and intelligent people I have ever known.
Theo was proudly Jewish, with deeply rooted beliefs, and a fierce fighter for the causes that inspired his sense of fairness and humanity. And in these 60 years, I never heard him utter a mean or venal word about anyone.
Jac Holzman, founder of Elektra and Nonesuch Records (1950—1973)
Here are links to obituaries of Theo. I hope you will take a moment to read them and learn more about this amazing man who played such a significant role in our company’s history.
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/theod ... 201544826/
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/22/theat ... at-91.html
