Mercury Records Co-Founder Adams Dies

Berle Adams, co-founder of Mercury Records and longtime talent agent and VP at MCA, died Aug. 25 in Los Angeles following a long illness.

Adams, 92, began booking swing bands while in high school and became an agent at General Artists Corp. repping acts including Louis Jordan, Coleman Hawkins and Fats Waller, according to Variety.

He left to form his own agency, and later established publishing companies Champagne Music and Preview Music. In 1945 he formed Mercury Records with partners Irving Green, Ray Greenberg and Art Talmadge.

He was hired in 1950 by Lew Wasserman to work at MCA, where he remained for 20 years and served as a VP, according to Variety. In the ’60s he repped talent including Jack Benny, Rosemary Clooney, Alfred Hitchcok and Dinah Shore.

He also established MCA’s Uni Records division, which signed The Who, Neil Diamond and Elton John.

Adams was also heavily involved as a TV sales agent, packaging new TV programs including “This Is Your Life” and “Queen For A Day.”

He left MCA in 1971 and two years later formed William Morris Agency’s sports division. Adams also formed BAC Inc. to represent TV producers for international distribution, and for 24 years was the sole distributor for the Emmys to more than 100 countries, Variety reported.