POSSIBLE SIMON COWELL REPLACEMENT JOEL DIAMOND SHINES, AS HE UNVEILS HIS MASTERPIECE, “UNITED WE STAND!”
May 25, 2010
While I was doing an interview with producer/ manager Joel Diamond, who’s under consideration to replace Simon Cowell on “American Idol, he played me a track he was working on. Although I’ve been known to leap on desks and dance around offices when I got excited about something, I’ve never experienced what happened to me next.
By the time the first chorus played of Joel’s brilliant remake of “UNITED WE STAND 2010” featuring Benny Mardones and Teresa James, tears were running down my cheek and I was a bit embarrassed. I never experienced such an emotional reaction before, publicly or privately and knew once again, I was witness to an extraordinary piece of musical history.
Only twice in my career have I heard a track one time and predicted it would become record of the year, the first was a test pressing of “Jesus Christ Superstar” that my friend MCA publisher (at the time) Don Williams played for me, which he, Allan Rinde and I helped get to the top of the charts.
The second record was among the songs I gave Olivia Newton –John to record, “I Honestly Love You”, which MCA didn’t even want to put out.
When I asked Joel what his plans for “UNITED WE STAND 2010” were, he said he wanted to finish it up and debut it in a year and a half at the 10th anniversary of 9/11 tragedy. I tried to control myself but I slipped and said, “Are you out of your f#@kin’ mind! The record is perfect and should be out right now! We all need to be inspired RIGHT NOW!!
I’m proud to say that he’s taken my suggestion and has rush released “UNITED WE STAND 2010”by the Joel Diamond Experience, featuring Benny Mardones and Teresa James.
Joel has just made a video, directed by Wedigo Watson, that has just been put up on YouTube.
Copyright 2010 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
For Joel Diamond http://joeldiamond.com
FOR THE LATEST UPDATE ON JOEL DIAMOND REPLACING SIMON COWELL AND OVER 400 COMMENTS FROM SOME OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS CLICK ONTO https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/whos-going-to-replace-simon-cowell-ron-fair-or-joel-diamond/
BACK TO ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB https://artiewayne.wordpress.com
EXCLUSIVE! JOEL DIAMOND ON “AMERICAN IDOL”!
April 23, 2010
Over the last few days we got hundreds and hundreds of e-mails about the possibility of independent music producer Joel Diamond replacing Simon Cowell on “American Idol”. Even Cindy Adams wrote about it in the New York Post this morning!
Over the years Grammy Award Winning Joel Diamond, as a producer/ songwriter has had 36 gold and platinum records with diverse artists like Englebert Humperdink, Gloria Gaynor, Ray J, and producing and managing The 5 Browns who have literally dominated Billboard Magazine’s Classical Charts for 3 years running with their 3 consecutive #1 CD’s, at one point holding down both the #1 & #2 positions in Billboard.
We caught up with the man himself as he was about to leave for the studio. to put the final touches on a new recording that he is producing with Athene Noelle and breaking new ground by combining Opera & Dance.
Artie – “Joel…you must really be excited about all the attention you’re getting.”
Joel – “I’m beyond flattered by all the generous and warm responses from many of my friends in the business and somewhat in disbelief that my name is even mentioned in the ‘mix’.”
Artie – “So you’re a fan of the show?”
Joel – “How can you not be? It’s the first time the public really has an opportunity to see what it takes and how much work, time, and effort goes into becoming a real star! I’m impressed with the way “American Idol” promotes their artists and how they act as a conduit for getting their music to the public; in fact, American Idol could become the new business model for the entire (and ailing) music industry. They make the contestant’s TV performances available the day after the show on I-Tunes as digital downloads. Artie, do you remember on MOTOWN night when Berry Gordy gave permission for each of the contestants to record their voices on the original Motown hit track? The only cost was the re-record of the lead vocal and mix…for me, it’s not unlike the music industry’s ‘green’ contribution of recycling hit records which will in turn provide a new revenue stream for the product that record company already owns.”
Artie – “Who do you think should win “American Idol” this season?”
Joel – I think it’ll come down to whoever picks the best song and has the best performance from now until the finale.
Artie – “Which of the contestants would you personally like to produce?
Joel – “All of them”
Artie – “What do you mean?
Joel – “I thought of a great idea and the perfect song for “all of them” to perform together with each finalist taking a line or two in the verses, and all of them singing the chorus. It’s a remake of the Righteous Brothers “Rock and Roll Heaven” (coupled with a heart warming and memorable video) with a brilliant updated lyric by one of the writers, Alan O’Day. Imagine Casey starting off …”I just heard the news today…another rocker passed away followed by Crystal, and so on and so forth. Talking about impact and out of the box!”
Artie – “What is the most exciting thing about even being considered as an “American Idol Judge?
Joel – “In addition to changing the lives of some very talented kids, it is also the unselfish ingredient that ‘American Idol Gives Back”, the show’s charitable arm, utilizing their gargantuan presence to raise money to save over a million lives already in Africa! Who would have ever thought that a mosquito net, which costs only ten dollars, can protect one or more children from getting malaria?”
Joel continues, “Artie, you’re gonna’ have to excuse me- I need to run off to the studio.”
Artie – “Thank you for taking a few minutes with us. This is Artie Wayne on The Web, and that was Joel Diamond on “American Idol”.
Copyright 2010 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
To Reach “AMERICAN IDOL GIVES BACK” http://www.americanidol.com/idolgivesback/
For Joel Diamond http://www.joeldiamond.com/Bio/index.html
BACK TO ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB https://artiewayne.wordpress.com
There has been much discussion about who should replace Simon Cowell on “American Idol” when his contract expires. The two names that keep coming up are Ron Fair (CEO of Geffen Records ) and indie producer Joel Diamond. My pals from the past have sold millions of units, have an excellent ear for a song, and aren’t afraid to express their opinions.
I first met Ron Fair when he was a second engineer at radio spot maker Joe Klein’s LA recording studio in the mid-seventies. He knew the board and he was fast. I was doing some piano voice demos In between takes he showed me he was a musician and a writer, who was relentless in learning how to become a producer. We were always talking about records and music that we’d hear on the radio…and figure out how they did this or how they did that. But most of all we’d talk about the importance of the song
I’m not surprised that he rose to the top of the business with his discovery and development of some of the biggest stars in the business, which include Christina Aguilera, The Black Eyed Peas, and Keisha Cole, pioneering as well as financing a larger than life video presence for each of these iconic artists
I asked my friend Producer/ manager Barry Oslander who’s worked with both Ron Fair and Joel Diamond which one should replace Simon Cowell , and he responded, “When I was heading up RCA West Coast A&R as VP I was looking to expand the A&R Department by two. I called a number of people to come into my office for a chance at the job. All had to have some experience in music publishing since I felt songs make act, acts do not make songs… One of the 8 was Ron Fair, whom I knew from working with him a year before when I was at a music publishing company. I asked each of the 8 to please go find 10 songs which he or she thought could be a charted records/singles. Giving them all a week to ten days. Ron came back to the second meeting with the best and the most songs which won him the job. “
Oslander ponders for a moment then continues, “When Joel Diamond and I worked together at April-Blackwood music, (Columbia Records publishing Company). Our very first week there, we spent hours going over thousands of songs which the company owned to find the songs which we both thought could be hits. It turned out that Joel and I agreed, 99 per cent of the time, and found many under exploited songs in the catalog that eventually charted all over the world!”
I told Barry that I worked with Joel briefly when I was General Professional Manager of Warner Brothers Music and Joel was in our New York office. I was impressed when he went over to April-Blackwood and signed Laura Nyro to a million dollar songwriting contract, and was a bit jealous when he took my former producer, Ron Haffkine and his new group, Dr. Hook to Columbia Records, where they had an incredible run of #1 hits including “Sylvia’s Mother”, and “Cover Of The Rolling Stone”.
Over the years Grammy Award Winning Joel Diamond, as a producer/ songwriter has had 36 gold and platinum records with diverse artists like Englebert Humperdink, Gloria Gaynor, Ray J, and producing and managing The 5 Browns who have literally dominated Billboard Magazine’s Classical Charts for 3 years running with their 3 consecutive #1 CD’s, at one point holding down both the #1 & #2 positions in Billboard.
Both Ron Fair and Joel Diamond have the qualifications to judge on “American Idol”, but which one has “The It Factor” (ironically the title of Cowell’s new show) that will propel them to reality TV stardom?
WHO WILL REPLACE SIMON COWELL…RON FAIR OR JOEL DIAMOND?
Copyright 2010 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
Special thanks to Barry Oslander for his help on this article.
To reach Joel Diamond http://joeldiamond.com
For Ron Fair http://geffenrecords.com
BACK TO ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB https://artiewayne.wordpress.com
Artie Wayne On The Web 