The August 26th, 1968 issue of “Records, Promotion, Music” (RPM) Magazine, page-4 declared “September is Creed Taylor month in Canada”. The campaign was announced by Quality’s National Promotion Manager, Ed Lawson.
The campaign and messaging must have worked to spread the music and work of Creed, because come September, a similar campaign was announced for October 1968 to be “Creed Taylor Month” in the US. It was covered in Billboard Magazine, and Cash Box and since the copy was so similar, I assume originated from an A&M Press Release.
Record World, October 2nd 1968 page-4 and finished on page-45. It’s quite a tribute and way to introduce Taylor, both in the magazine, and here, you can read the full text below, followed by scans of the magazine pages. The photograph accompanying the article and published RPM is possibly one of the most used of Creed. In 1968, he would have been 39.(1)
“A massive national campaign utilizing all media has been set by A&M Records for its Creed Taylor Month promotion, Oct 15 through Nov. 15, reports Bill Mulhern, A&M’s Director East Coast Operations, and John Rosica, Director of Creed Taylor product.
Taylor, who joined the label on June 1, 1967, is acknowledged to be one of the top producers on the jazz scene, and the man largely responsible for the fusion of jazz with pop on such best-selling albums as Wes Montgomery’s “A Day In The Life,” Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd’s “Jazz Samba” and Ray Charles’ “Genius Plus Soul Equals Jazz.”
Of Creed, A&M noted jazz musician Nat Adderley has said, “He has been the most powerful voice in erasing the lines of demarcation that separate the forms of music today. In Creed’s mind there are no lines. He’s just there with suggestions, creating that meeting ground in the middle for artist and producer.”
Taylor currently heads CTI (Creed Taylor, Inc.), a record production firm whose contract with the A&M label resulted in in three new A&M albums at the top of the charts. The records: Montgomery’s “A Day in the Life,” Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “WAVE”. Herbie Mann’s “Glory of Love.”
Creed’s current activities with CTI bring all his unique talents into play. A conscious craftsman, Taylor has said “I’m not in a hurry to rush out product. I’d rather work on an album until I’m satisfied that it’s the best it can be-from every angle. CTI’s contract with Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert is ideal, because they feel the same way about their product.”
Creed Taylor holds the honour of being the first producer to win the American Music Industry’s Grammy Award as “Producer of the Year” for both album and single. He was the first producer to be so honored. The album and single were, respectively, “Getz/Gilberto,” included the hit single, “The Girl from Ipanema.” “Girl” started the national Bossa Nova syndrome.
While Taylor was Director of Album Product at ABC Records, he founded the jazz label Impulse. The first album on the new label was Ray Charles’ “Genius Plus Soul” which included his big instrumental hit, One Mint Julep,” A later Impulse smash release was Gil Evans’ “Out Of The Cool.”
Taylor moved to Verve Records in 1961, and continued making records that fused jazz and pop. It was Creed who was responsible for bringing to the fore organist Jimmy Smith and guitarist Wes Montgomery on the Verve label. Kai Winding’s single smash, “More,” from the film “Mondo Cane,” was also produced by Taylor for the label.
In 1962 Taylor presided over a session with guitarist Charlie Byrd and tenor saxist Stan Getz. The result of this get-together was the “Jazz Samba LP with its big hit, “Desafinado.” Taylor is currently producing the following artists for A&M: Artie Butler, Paul Desmond, Nat Adderley, Richard Barbary, Tamiko Jones, J. J. Johnson & Kai Winding, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Herbie Mann(2), Wes Montgomery, Tamba 4, Willie Bobo, Quincy Jones, Marcos Valle(3), Eumir Dedodato and the Soul Flutes.”
Record World 
Record World 
Cash Box Magazine 
RPM Cover – Canada 
RPM 
Billboard Magazine
Footnotes
- Certain image licensing companies claim this picture as copyright circa 1970. I’d love to find an original press picture to go with the others I have, it would also likely give the correct year. However, since it was printed in 1968, it can’t be 1970. Also, the picture would likely have been taken by a photographer on a “work for pay” basis and dozens sent out and thus fall under “fair use”. If you know any more about the date, origins, photographer etc. please send them along.
- At the time of publication, Herbie Mann’s “Glory of Love” A&M CTI Album had already been released, as had the Soul Flutes album. It is interesting to speculate then if there was a second A&M CTI album by Herbie Mann?
- Brazilian singer, songwriter and record producer Marcos Valle was heralded by Warner Brothers in 1967 as the “New Rage of Brazil – First came Gilberto, then Jobim and now Marcos Valle!”. Valle had a 1968 album on Impulse called “Samba 68!” which was produced by Deodato, it seems to have been preceded and followed by album released on the Odeon label. There are lots of credits for Valle around that time on albums produced by Taylor, including Wanderly and Astrud Gilberto, but the only credit I have Valle on a A&M CTI/CTI is a writing credit “The Guitar By Moonlight (Viola Enluarada)” track on the final, unreleased Tamba 4 album “California Soul”, that went unreleased until it finally saw the light of day as a release at Record Store Day 2019. Anyone know anything else about Valle/Taylor working together?