Universal Attractions Agency 75 Years Of Entertainment History
by Jon Stebbins.
This is the amazing inside story of one of the entertainment industry’s most durable, lasting and historically unique entities. Universal Attractions Agency, the legendary New York City booking agency has operated in the tough, challenging, and constantly evolving trenches of show business since 1945, and is still going strong today. UAA’s seven plus decade survival in a brutal business that typically eats it’s young and discards it’s old, is a story of constant challenges and creative solutions. Founded by the late great Ben Bart and transitioned to his son Jack’s ownership in the 1960’s, and eventually to it’s current owners Jeff Allen and Jeff Epstein, UAA has booked the absolute best and most influential music artists in the R&B, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Metal, Rap, and Hip Hop realms beginning in the last days of WWII and thriving right to the present.
Universal Attractions Agency has been a vibrant cultural conduit connecting the public to music’s all-time greatest artists and performers from James Brown, Dinah Washington, Etta James, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jackie Wilson, and Otis Redding to the Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac and Chaka Khan, to Grandmaster Flash, MC Hammer, Salt N Pepa, and En Vogue to today’s current crop of R&B and Pop artists. UAA’s history is an incredible story that reflects social impact and societal challenges, from amazing moments at New York City’s Apollo Theater, Savoy Ballroom, and Café Society to gritty one-nighters on the chitlin circuit, to glamorous sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden and the London Palladium. Along the way there was the terror of mob shakedowns, there was the joy of pure talent, and there was the triumph of business savvy. It’s a history layered with guitars, guns, drugs, cash, ego trips, crusty agents, talent poachers and constant wheeling and dealing. Most importantly it’s the story of many of music history’s most exciting artists, singers and musicians and a window into the inner workings of how that unique talent commands the spotlight and is joined with adoring audiences.
The Beginning Of A Universal Venture
In late spring 1945 Benjamin Robert Bart, a respected 39 year-old talent scout, booking agent and former club owner, initiated the first steps of a seventy-five year saga that has featured a sparkling galaxy of stars that includes some of the greatest legends in entertainment history. That spring the world was only just emerging from a horrific war that had threatened the deepest and most fundamental tenets of humanity. With millions dead, cities destroyed and families devastated by loss, there would result a growing need for healing, and the soothing elements of song, and the joy of live entertainment, would be among mankind’s most cherished antidotes to the poison of war.
In the U.S. that May, the Columbia Records single “Sentimental Journey” by Les Brown’s Orchestra, with it’s slightly bluesy vocal by 23-year-old singer Doris Day, was the song of the moment. Jazz and Rhythm music with its geniture rooted in the African American culture had significantly permeated the mainstream with the hugely popular Big Band and Swing genres. The typical popular music of the time was still mostly dominated by white commercial acts. From Bing Crosby to Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore to the Andrews Sisters, and Benny Goodman to Glen Miller there was a Jazz based foundation and flavoring and by extension a black influence in nearly all of the most popular American music acts of the time. But by comparison few black performers had dented the consciousness of white America and were virtually segregated within their own musical universe. There were meaningful exceptions to that trend due to giants like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, and the Mills Brothers whose mass popularity defied racial division and societal convention.
Among the most commercially successful black pop acts were the Ink Spots, a New York based Jazz flavored vocal group known for their deft harmonies and a playful performance style that presaged Rhythm and Blues and Doo Wop. From the late 1930’s, and for the next decade, the Ink Spots blew away commercial racial barriers and were widely accepted by consumers in both the white and black communities. Ben Bart who was thriving as the top one-night booker and treasurer at New York’s Moe Gale Agency was directly involved in the winning formula that maximized the Ink Spots box office appeal. Moe, and his brother Tim, ran what was at the time one of the industry’s most powerful booking and management operations. The Gale’s managed the Ink Spots as they strung together more than twenty Billboard Top Ten hits and became the ultimate template of what a successful black act could achieve in a show business terrain littered with racist challenges. Ben Bart was also witness to a distressing and complicated legal battle that had emerged between the Gale Agency and its undisputed top-earning act.
Ben Bart, of Polish/Jewish heritage, had long established an innate comfort interacting with black folk having grown up in the southern community of Knoxville, Tennessee where he became a fan of Jazz and Blues music during his formative years. He drove west to Memphis on occasion to enjoy the burgeoning club scene, and it was there that he first crossed paths with saxophonist and bandleader Jimmie Lunceford who would become one of Bart’s close friends and first clients as a booking agent. Lunceford introduced Bart to another up and coming bandleader named Tiny Bradshaw. Bart road-managed Bradshaw on his first tour of the South, deftly maintaining solidarity with both Bradshaw and his band at a time when racial segregation was the law. Soon after this Bart was heralded in the press for undertaking a 10,000-mile road trip through the south to specifically scout talent and evaluate venues “for the purpose of getting first-hand information about the dance situation in towns throughout the country.” For his tenacity on the road Bart was coined “The Traveler” by saxophonist Arnett Cobb and for a time the nickname stuck. By the end of the 1930’s Bart had already had the experience of running his own nightclub in Brooklyn, NY named Baloney Ben’s, a venue that routinely featured black performers including Lunceford and his band. Going forward Bart gained a reputation as a formidable presence not the least bit intimidated by the dangers of New York City street life. Legendary singer Etta James described Bart as “an older white guy who, with a big 45 on his hip, would stomp through Harlem like he wasn’t scared of anybody. Ben was a legend among agents and managers, Jewish to the bone.”
In 1945 while making a name for himself at New York’s bustling Gale Agency, Bart sensed the infinite potential of American black entertainers as a barely tapped commercial powerhouse. He witnessed this first hand as the Ink Spots
had run off a string of hit singles, at times in tandem with the incredible Jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald who was also a Gale Agency asset. The group was also reaping the exposure and income of numerous film appearances. At their peak the Ink Spots were generating up to a half-million dollars a year in gross income (over 7 million dollars in today’s money). But the Ink Spots situation was simultaneously bogged down in a tangle of lawsuits as the group changed personnel and fought for more artistic control over their recordings, as well as a bigger piece of the income pie, while the Gale Agency resisted. One day, while all of this was happening, Bart’s ten-year old son Jack was visiting his father at the Gale Agency and while fiddling with a door handle promptly locked Tim Gale in his office and then left the building with his dad. Perhaps it was a sign of things to come.
At this point Ben Bart decided to risk everything and create his own business venture. He joined with fellow Gale employee Harry Lenetska and formed a record label named Hub Records. The pair then abruptly left Gale, boldly finding the confidence to start their own booking agency. On his way out the door Ben Bart somehow managed to snag Gale’s biggest act, the Ink Spots, to initiate his roster of artists. It seems the arrangement was that Gale would still manage the Ink Spots due to a contractual obligation, but Bart and Lenetska would now book them at a higher rate than Gale had been paying. Author and historian Marv Goldberg relates, “The truth is so convoluted with anything having to do with the legality of the Ink Spots that no one will ever be able to unravel it. Since Bill Kenny (the Ink Spots leader) and Moe Gale were at each other’s throats, and a judge ruled that Gale worked for the Ink Spots, not the other way around, it probably wouldn’t have been hard for Bart to lure them away.” By the time Time Gale finally got out of his locked office Ben Bart was off and running.
On May 15th 1945 Universal Attractions Agency was born. Ben Bart and Harry Lenetska secured an office in the 38-story Frederick F. French building on the northeast of corner of Fifth Avenue and 45th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Legend has it that the agency’s name came about on the spur of the moment when Bart noticed the word “Universal” engraved in the office entry way flooring. Apparently a New York satellite of Universal Studios had occupied the same office space in years past, and when they vacated, the floor tile featuring “Universal” remained unchanged. Bart’s sense upon seeing the floor was that there was no need to alter anything, and suggested that “Universal Attractions” would be a great name for his new agency. Lenetska agreed and the die was cast.
As Universal Attractions Agency took it’s first steps as a business, they shared their office space with Bart’s brother-in-law, a local attorney named Jack Pearl, mainly to keep costs down. Pearl was known as a hardcore litigator and he proved a handy ally during Universal Attractions formative period. The earliest UAA talent roster was fairly sparse but included major talent including the Ink Spots, Jimmie Lunceford, bandleader Jay McShann, pianist Bill Doggett, 
singer Wynonie Harris, trumpeter Cootie Williams who had recently left Duke Ellington’s Orchestra to form his own band, and legendary vocalist Dinah Washington. UAA also booked several big names in non-exclusive arrangements including the great Ella Fitzgerald. Simultaneously Bart and Lenetska promoted, booked and managed their Hub Record Label artists, which seemed to be a more obscure collection of musicians and singers. They included a string of talented but decidedly non-household names such as Tab Smith & His Orchestra, Ace Harris & His Orchestra, The Don Byas Quartet, The Sunset Jubilee Singers, Celestine Stewart and the Charmers, The Evangelist Singers, Little Sam & His Orchestra, Manhattan Paul & His Orchestra, Marva Louis, The Coleridge Davis Orchestra, The Galli Sisters, and Oran “Hot Lips” Page & His Orchestra.
Flying High With The Ravens
By far the most significant and successful artists on Hub Records were the influential vocal group the Ravens. Besides releasing their recordings on Hub and booking them through Universal Attractions, Ben Bart would also personally manage the Ravens for many years. According to historian Marv Goldberg, “The Ravens hooked up with Bart, through the efforts of their vocal coach, Joe Thomas, who’d been a sax player with Jelly Roll Morton. To Bart, the Ravens must have seemed like the anti-Ink Spots. Instead of having a lead singer with an impossibly high voice, the Ravens had a lead singer (Jimmy “Ricky” Ricks) with an impossibly low one.” Ricks deep rich notes would influence an entire generation of bass singers in the Rhythm & Blues and Doo Wop trends to come. The Ravens also inspired another future trend, vocal groups who named themselves after birds, as would the Orioles, Crows, Larks, Robins, Swallows, Flamingos, Penguins, and others in the years ahead.
The Ravens launched their recording career in June 1946, recording six songs for Hub including “Honey”, “Bye Bye Baby Blues”, “Lullaby,” “Once And For All”, “Out Of A Dream” and the classic “My Sugar Is So Refined,” According to Marv Goldberg, “Public reaction to the Hub songs was overwhelming, however record sales were poor. That is, they were big jukebox hits, but never really sold in stores…(because) the label had poor distribution.” Live performances, however, would prove to be lucrative and gave the Ravens a chance to show off their impressive vocal blend and solid showmanship. Bart wasted no time finding venues willing to put them on stage. Their first 1946 booking was at Harlem’s Baby Grand nightclub followed by dates at the Baron (at 132nd and Lenox Avenue) and Club 845 (in the Bronx). These early appearances in front of heavily drinking audiences could get more than a little wild at times. According to the press at one of these early shows the Ravens were shouted a request from a loud voice in the crowd, but when they broke into a different tune the shouting man took offense and started firing his gun into the ceiling. The audience scattered but according to several witnesses the Ravens never broke harmony, and just kept singing beautifully. The smoke cleared, the crowd re-gathered, the shooter was eighty-sixed, and the show went on.
Universal Attractions Agency continued to gain strength throughout its first year of operation. Ben Bart had a particular knack for keeping his artists busy with bookings, and was masterful at making sure that his talent got paid. In a business ripe with club owners and 
theater managers who routinely undercounted admissions to their advantage, Bart had no tolerance for this type of chicanery. “He was never going to let anyone think he was weak,” recalled UAA veteran Dick Alen. “His experience in the field, on the road, dealing with club managers and regional promoters, all that made him a tough guy to fool, and he didn’t take cheaters lightly.” Bart took his cut, “usually out of the guarantee,” adds Alen, “but he was adamant that his people got their money now. No waiting around, no faking the numbers.” This reputation spread and gave Universal Attractions a significant pool of talent eager to join their roster. By the end of their first year they’d signed numerous notable artists including Big Joe Turner, T-Bone Walker, Johnny Otis and Mabel Scott. In the November 16, 1946 issue of Billboard magazine Universal Attractions Agency placed an advertisement celebrating their “1st Birthday”, highlighting their top artists, each one named on a wrapped present.
With Ben Bart’s guidance the Ravens gained prized exposure on live radio broadcasts including multiple appearances on Arthur Godfrey’s popular CBS radio show. Ben Bart persistently nudged them along hoping their records would start selling better in the stores. He either concocted or approved enough press grabbing antics to gain a reputation as a semi-genius promoter who at times seemed to teeter on the edge of crazy. One of Bart’s publicity stunts in the summer of 1947 landed the Ravens in a bit of trouble with the law. As a nod to the “Flying Saucer” curiosity that began to creep into the popular consciousness that year, the Ravens were seen sailing copies of their single “Ol Man River” off the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River. The police were called and it took some pleading from A&R man Herb Abramson and Ben Bart to keep the group from being arrested. As a sort of thank you the Ravens sang for the cops and all was forgiven. In the end the publicity may have helped as the “Ol Man River” single reached the Billboard R&B top ten. By this time the Ravens were recording for National Records as Ben Bart’s Hub Records label was winding down its operations after a somewhat less than stellar two-year run.
In June 1947 tragic news reached Ben Bart. His close friend and original Universal Attractions stalwart Jimmie Lunceford had suddenly died just prior to a performance in Seaside, Oregon. It was announced that Lunceford, who was only 45 years of age, had succumbed to 
a sudden heart attack while signing autographs for his fans at a nearby record store. Rumors swirled among fellow musicians and in the black community that a restaurant owner who was unhappy at having to serve a “negro” had poisoned Lunceford. No confirmation of that rumor was ever found. Bart attended Lunceford’s memorial and burial at the Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, calling him, “One of the best people in our business, a talented friend and a true gentleman.” In early 1948 it was announced that Ben Bart had bought out his Universal Attractions partner Harry Lenetska. After leaving UAA Lenetska moved to Los Angeles and turned his attention to managing Gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. By this time the Ink Spots had also left Universal and returned to the Gale Agency despite an ongoing lawsuit between the two. They would return to Universal again several years down the line. Bart had no issue with the Ink Spots temporarily jumping ship as his own group the Ravens continued to rise in popularity.
By March 1948 the Ravens were voted the top vocal group in America in a poll conducted by IBM and the Pittsburgh Courier in which the Ink Spots placed second, and the Mills Brothers came in third. Bart took advantage of the situation and profitably sold a number of Hub’s Ravens masters to King Records. At the same time King’s founder and president Syd Nathan was also using the legal representation of Bart’s attorney and brother-in-law Jack Pearl. Ben Bart would cultivate an even deeper affiliation with Nathan and his King label in future years when James Brown became the label’s top seller for decades. In the meantime Bart decided running a record label was not for him, he shut down his Hub label and turned his focus to Universal Attractions, booking and management. He also partnered with the Ravens to purchase the contract of, and manage, a lightweight boxer named William “Woody” Wilson who had some brief success around the New York boxing scene but disappeared by 1949.
In spring 1949 three of Universal Attractions top acts, Dinah Washington, Cootie Williams known as “The Growl Trumpet King”, and the 
Ravens joined in a month-long tour. Hitting nightclubs in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Raleigh, Charleston, and Atlanta, the tour was nicknamed “The Steam Roller Unit.” Dinah Washington and the Ravens were featured on the cover of Billboard magazine that April, which promoted the itinerary of their upcoming Universal Attractions tour including bookings at New York’s legendary Apollo Theater, the Armory in Indianapolis, the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, the City Auditorium in Kansas City, the State Theater in Cincinnati, the Paradise Theater in Detroit, the Regal Theater in Chicago, plus dates in Toledo, Youngstown and Akron. UAA’s roster was gaining strength by adding exciting Rhythm & Blues singers like Ruth Brown, Little Esther Phillips, Jimmy Witherspoon, Herb Lance and “Rockin’” Roy Brown, while also maintaining a roster of veteran Jazz and Jump-Blues bandleaders like Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Arnett Cobb, Earl Bostic, Tiny Bradshaw, and Johnny Otis.
In the five years since leaving the Gale Agency and establishing his Universal Attractions Agency, Ben Bart proved he knew what he was doing, in both the booking and management fields. “My father had a knack for recognizing talent, and matching it with his own business acumen,” recalls Bart’s son Jack. “He loved all kinds of music but he was particularly interested in what used to be known as race music, which was just an outdated way of describing music performed by black people.” By 1950 Billboard magazine had already changed the name of its African-American Bestseller list from “Race Records” to “Rhythm and Blues Records”. While the up-tempo Blues hybrid style inevitably morphed toward Rock and Roll, simultaneously Swing music somewhat receded within the Black popular culture.
Bart negotiated a deal with Columbia Records in September 1950, which would bring four of the acts that he currently managed to them. The Ravens, singers Wini Brown and Herb Lance, and bandleader Arnett Cobb were signed to Columbia for one year, with two oneyear options. The Ravens commanded a $15,000 guarantee from Columbia, which at the time was a fairly healthy sum. Interestingly it was one of the most anti Rock and Roll industry figures, Mitch Miller, who would handle A&R for these four new Columbia signees, all of whom would have some influence on that coming trend. That same month, the Ravens appeared with Ruth Brown at the Howard Theater in Washington D.C, and with Dinah Washington, Eddie Vinson, and Arnett Cobb at the Earle Theater in Philadelphia, and with Calvin Boze and Jazz star Anita O’Day at the Apollo. Ruth Brown was now one of Universal Attractions rising stars, gaining the nickname “Miss Rhythm” and riding the wave of her huge hit “Teardrops From My Eyes” in late 1950. That October she finished up a hugely successful string of dates at Café Society in New York. As was his routine Ben Bart, sensing her growing popularity, kept Brown busy by lining up a three-month tour of one-nighters from Florida to New England on which she’d be backed by the Willis Jackson band. Ruth Brown proved to be an entertainment powerhouse in the years ahead scoring over twenty Billboard Top-Ten hits and was perennially ranked among America’s favorite Rhythm and Blues stars.
By the late 1940’s Universal Attractions Agency had relocated to 347 Madison Avenue for a time, again sharing their office with Jack Pearl. By 1951 UAA had moved yet again to 2 Park Avenue as Bart found he needed more space for his growing agency. His top agent at the time was Dick Boone who was highly paid for the era and also given a profit sharing arrangement. Boone would remain with UAA for many years. There would be more office moves in the years ahead as UAA evolved with more agents in their employ, and a roster of artists that seemed to grow larger every year. “There were at least a half-dozen different office locations through the years,” recalled Jack Bart. “In New York renting offices can be an art within itself and my father knew the ropes and did what he needed to do to survive and thrive.” It was nearly the same thing with the agency’s artists in that it could be a bit of a revolving door, as trends changed so did the roster of talent available for booking. Bart’s top act the Ravens commanded up to $2000 dollars per performance in 1951, which would equal about $20,000 in today’s money. But there were a number of his acts that barely broke even. Management was an even bigger and more permanent commitment. Down the line Ben Bart would realize that managing just one hugely successful client was a much more efficient business model than managing a dozen moderately successful acts.
During the summer of 1951 Ben Bart organized a benefit concert at the Savoy Ballroom in New York for bandleader and UAA artist Arnett Cobb. He had been in and out of hospitals for years due to a severe back injury that needed multiple operations. Bart kept Cobb working when he was able, but the popular musician who had once been called “The Wild Man of Tenor Sax” couldn’t handle more than a modest booking schedule due to his constant pain. Things got worse that summer when Cobb seriously reinjured his back in an automobile accident, which put him in the hospital again for a long-term rehab. Trying to help Cobb with his mounting hospital bills Bart put together an all-star lineup at the Savoy that featured The Ravens, Sammy Davis, Jr., The Cadillacs, Illinois Jacquet, Lionel Hampton, Cootie Williams, Dinah Shore, Ruth Brown and others. The show successfully raised enough money to help offset a significant amount of the debt that Cobb was on the hook for.
In October of 1951, after being with Columbia Records for exactly a year, Ben Bart’s Ravens and Wini Brown walked away from Columbia and signed with Mercury Records. Mercury’s first Ravens release had them paired with Dinah Washington singing the tune “Hey Good
Lookin’”. The tune featured spoken banter between Dinah and Jimmy “Ricky” Ricks, in which Dinah asks, “Who’s booking all your dates?” Ricks replies, “Universal!” The Ravens would remain a top UAA artist for another year or two, but incrementally their popularity began to wane. As music trends evolved, and personnel changes diffused what had once been a unique harmonic chemistry, the Ravens would disband within a few years. Bart continued to liquidate his Hub Records holdings having sold the bulk of his Ravens masters by now, he found another commodity in sax player Tab Smith. In late 1951 Billboard magazine announced Bart had “sold 28 masters he owned featuring alto saxist Tab Smith in two units to King and Mercury Records.” Smith was in demand due to his recent single “Because Of You” which had reached number one on the Rhythm and Blues charts.
Dinah Washington, without a doubt one of Universal Attractions all-time greatest stars, was continually rising in popularity giving Ben Bart one of his most potent draws for bookings. Between 1948 and 1955 Washington had an incredible twenty-seven Billboard R&B Top Ten hits. Universal Attractions had bolstered her career with a solid 
booking schedule that made Washington one of the wealthiest African American female artists of her time. She had been with Ben Bart for nearly ten years when in early 1955 their professional relationship suddenly broke down. Washington had started regularly seeing a fortune-teller in Chicago, and was taking her advice regarding the stormy romantic life she was immersed in. The medium then began to counsel Washington on her business matters and suggested that Bart had been unfair in his dealings with her. Despite no real evidence of this, Washington became paranoid, and was told by Bobby Shad of Mercury Records that Bart had a conflict of interest by both managing and booking her. In a brutal f-bomb laced face-to-face Washington accused Bart of cheating her, while Bart insisted he had always done right by her while emphasizing that he and UAA were a big part of the major success she was now enjoying. But Washington had already decided to not renew her management contract with Ben Bart, nor what had long been an exclusive booking arrangement with Universal. She instead signed with Joe Glaser and Associated Booking Corporation after being promised a more lucrative deal. Upon hearing this Bart was reportedly tearful, losing an artist that had grown with UAA from it’s earliest days. By 1959 Washington had conquered the U.S. Pop charts with her classic Mercury Records recording of “What A Difference A Day Makes” which reached a lofty #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “She was able to get inside any song,” recalls Joe Zawinul, her early pianist who went on to found the jazz/rock band Weather Report. “She cried almost every night when she was singing. She got totally wet from crying and she had the audience crying with her.” Washington was a talented but tragic figure who suffered from alcohol and drug addictions, was married seven times, and died of an overdose before reaching the age of 40.
Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay
By the mid 1950’s the world was primed for a coming tidal wave that would permanently alter the music industry. Looking back it seems inevitable with all of the trends from the previous two decades cross-pollinating, intertwining, and morphing into what would eventually be a huge stylistic tent called Rock and Roll. The Rock cocktail begins with Blues, Gospel, Rhythm and Blues, and street corner harmony, which would be coined Doo Wop, all of which have been influenced along the way by Jazz, Swing and Jump-Blues. No less important was the Country influence that eventually spawned Honky-Tonk and Rockabilly. Adding spice to the recipe was that funky New Orleans 
seasoning and the potent Cajun and Tex-Mex regional sounds. The melting pot of textures, feels, points of view, and perspectives that gave Rock and Roll such a distinct directness and rhythmic fluidity within its architecture is primarily African American at the foundation. Not to say that there aren’t other cultures contributing in an important way to the overall universe of Rock. But while Ben Bart ran things, the Universal Attractions artist roster maintained a nearly unanimous African American body. In Bart’s mind the reason was purely due to the massive wealth of authentic talent pouring out of the black community. He saw the terrain as a literal goldmine of African American brilliance. There were exceptions like Johnny Otis who was of Greek heritage but styled himself solidly in the Rhythm and Blues vein, never seeming anything other than a coincidentally lightskinned brother. But as Otis, and dozens of others evolved musically toward Rock, a cultural revolution that would eventually permeate every societal enclave was only just beginning to surface.
1954 to 1956 was the twenty-four month period that Rock and Roll exploded. It was a multi-cultural eruption of excitement and fun that spread through the United States like a gas-lit five-alarm fire, and if you weren’t a part of it you were suddenly part of the past. White acts like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley were without question more than a big part of that massive cultural detonation. But the true architects and icons of Rock and Roll were African American performers like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley, all three of whom became Universal Attractions artists, and all of who would find their biggest concert audiences while affiliated with UAA. Ben Bart may not be in any Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, or ever mentioned in the same breath as Alan Freed who legendarily commoditized the term “Rock and Roll” or Sam Phillips who madly unleashed Elvis Presley on the world. But Bart, by intention or not, had an influence on the foundation of Rock by promoting a distinct crop of the genres pioneers. He did it early and he did it often.
Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Rockin’ Roy Brown, Johnny Otis, Little Willie John, The Penguins, Etta James, Otis Williams and the Charms, Wynonie Harris, Big Mama Thornton are all names historically associated as pre-Rock, or Neo-Rock influences. All were Universal Attractions artists either before Rock was a thing, or while Rock was being birthed. Joe Turner in particular is notable in that he clearly helped pave the way for the Rock trend by being the first to record the song “Shake, Rattle and Roll” which in turn gave Bill Haley and the Comets a massive Rock and Roll hit with their lyrically cleaned up version, and also provided Elvis Presley with one of his beloved early rockers. Songwriter Doc Pomus was quoted as saying about Joe Turner, “Rock and Roll would never have happened without him.” Like Turner, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton was first to record another Rock and Roll classic, her rendition of “Hound Dog” released in 1952 was a huge R&B hit, selling over two million copies. But it would be Elvis Presley’s 1956 cover that crossed over to white audiences giving the song it’s forever status as one of Rock’s all-time greats. Ruth Brown too tossed out a string of 50’s proto-Rock sides including the appropriately titled “This Little Girl’s Gone Rockin’”. Hank Ballard was without a doubt another important ingredient in the chemical cocktail that fed Rock and Roll with his early records like the 1954 crossover classic, “Work With Me Annie”, and by writing and recording “The Twist” which on it’s own became a massive Rock sub-trend of which there are few that were ever as big.
And there was Johnny Otis, often noted for having discovered a slew of early Rock giants, he was a bandleader, singer, musician, composer, arranger, disc-jockey, record producer, TV host, author and minister, and was one of Universal Attractions very first signees. His classic recording of “Willie And The Hand Jive” gave him a Rock evergreen, but his uncanny ability as a talent scout may have made his most lasting impact on Rock. Among Otis’ most
notable discoveries was singer Little Willie John, another legendary UAA artist, who had the distinction of having written and recorded “Leave My Kitten Alone” which was later covered by the Beatles, recording the hit “Talk To Me” which was later covered by the Beach Boys, and most importantly recording the #1 R&B hit “Fever” which became one of popular music’s most covered songs of all, including versions by Peggy Lee, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Beyonce’ and dozens upon dozens of others.
Among Universal Attraction’s most influential early artists was Rhythm and Blues singer Roy Brown. He is best remembered for writing and recording the classic “Good Rockin’ Tonight” for De Luxe Records in 1948, which historians have counted among the very first Rock and Roll songs. It later became a Rockabilly standard when Elvis Presley recorded his stripped down arrangement in 1954 for Sun Records. Author Richard K. Yu describes Brown as an “important performer that reached musical prominence in blues and became a force in engendering more common cultural elements between blacks and whites.” Brown, considered by many to be one of the
architects of Rock and Roll, lived a life that was littered with controversy. For years he barnstormed the chitlin’ circuit for Universal Attractions becoming a top draw with his raucous Blues shouting and high-octane arrangements. His songs honestly revealed a hard and fast lifestyle filled with boozing, gambling, womanizing and gunplay. Rockin’ Roy became one of Universal Attractions top earners in the early ‘50’s, and as the cash piled up fast he spent it as quickly, even purchasing a stretch Cadillac limousine for his band. He then became entangled in a major lawsuit with King Records in 1952. Through that legal action Brown became one of the first African American music artists to prevail in recovering unpaid royalties, and this led to what author Nick Tosches described as Brown being “blacklisted” by the industry. From this point misfortune followed Brown, including being pursued by the Internal Revenue Service for back taxes. With his debts far outweighing his assets Brown approached Elvis Presley for a loan. Presley who by then had become a huge star immediately wrote Brown a check. Presley’s gesture wasn’t enough to keep Brown out of prison, where he served a sentence for tax evasion. During his fall from grace Roy Brown accused Ben Bart of wronging him, saying “I didn’t know my personal manager (Jack Pearl), the head of the recording company (Syd Nathan), and the booking agency (Ben Bart) were brothers-in-law, and brother, let me tell you something, they cleaned me out.” Brown seemed to be at least halfway exaggerating the family collusion. Jack Bart confirms, “Jack Pearl was family, but Syd Nathan was no relation to my father.” Roy Brown took a parting shot at Ben Bart in a typically rocking manner. His great 1954 single “Gal From Kokomo” features the lyrics “Shoot Ben Bart and take his heart” and “squeeze that whisky out my soul, steal some more of old Ben Bart’s gold.”
It could be said that Blues is the deepest root that fed the Rock and Roll tree and Universal Attractions Agency tapped that vein from its very beginning. With a roster that included icons of the genre like John Lee Hooker, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Champion Jack Dupree, T-Bone Walker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Etta James, B.B. King, Wynonie Harris and others, Ben Bart and UAA were again at the forefront of bringing that style of music directly to its audience. The same can be said with the vocal group styling that evolved into street corner and Doo Wop. UAA’s influence in this realm is again, early and often. Starting with vocal group trailblazers The Ink Spots, and The Ravens in the 1940’s, and moving forward into the 1950’s with Otis Williams and the Charms, The Penguins, The Swallows, The “5” Royales and others, Ben Bart and UAA gave great attention to this aspect of what was a key piece of the Rock and Roll puzzle. The Charms made an indelible mark in 1954 with the #1 R&B smash “Hearts Of Stone.” Charms’ leader Otis Williams also had a hand in shaping two iconic popular music standards by guiding and co-arranging Little Willie John’s “Fever” and co-producing and arranging Hank Ballard’s “The Twist.”
Universal’s “5” Royales also left an ineradicable stamp on the Rock and Roll canon with their pleading 1957 classic “Dedicated To The
One I Love” written by Royales guitarist Lowman “Pete” Pauling. Cited by guitar legends Steve Cropper and Eric Clapton as a major influence on their playing styles, Pauling would also compose the song “Think” which in a few years became a major hit for James Brown. Let it be said that Ben Bart and his Universal Attractions Agency from 1945 to 1955 were deeply impacting and persistently promoting the elements that coalesced to form Rock and Roll. Bart was there and doing his thing before Rock even knew it existed. And as Rock launched into an everlasting movement and an industry beast, Ben Bart and UAA, never had to catch up. They were among the first at leading the charge. But influencing Rock would not be Ben Bart’s most lasting, or his most important achievement. Far from it in fact. Instead, the most enduring and deeply impacting promotion of Ben Bart’s life would be fostering the birth of Soul music…and overseeing the incredible rise of Soul Brother Number One.
From Flames to James and The Rise Of Soul
In 1955 a Macon, Georgia based former nightclub owner and talent agent named Clint Brantley excitedly contacted Ben Bart by telephone. Brantley’s current focus was managing the career of wildly flamboyant rock legend Little Richard, who rose to international prominence that year with his smash hit “Tutti Frutti.” Little Richard would have more hits, move to Los Angeles, and trade in his Rock and Roll stardom for a minister’s smock. He preached the word of Jesus for five years before bouncing back to Rock again with a vengeance. But it wasn’t anything to do with Little Richard that spurred Brantley to track down Ben Bart. Brantley was in the process of nurturing a fledgling vocal group who called themselves The Flames. By 1955 Brantley had already insisted they change their name to the Famous Flames in hopes of drawing more attention for bookings. The Famous Flames were at first an instrumental combo with solid harmony vocals. They soon dropped the instruments and styled themselves after the current crop of successful vocal groups like the Midnighters, The Orioles and The Charms. They’d had some local success on a very modest scale, but the Famous Flames, according to Brantley, held a uniquely significant ingredient. That ingredient was James Brown, a brash youth who was bursting with talent and electricity. He’d had a tough childhood growing up beyond poor in South Carolina and Georgia. By the time he was a teen he was serving a sentence for robbery at a juvenile detention center in Toccoa. One of the people who assisted in expediting Brown’s release from incarceration was a friend named Bobby Byrd. Still in his teens, Brown joined Byrd’s Gospel styled vocal group called the Starlighters. In two years they had evolved into the R&B modeled Flames and were being managed and booked locally by Brantley. When Brantley contacted Ben Bart he was nearly breathless according to Ben’s son Jack Bart, “He told my father, you’ve got to come down here Ben. You’ve gotta come see this kid!”
It was young James Brown that Brantley was so excited about. It seemed that every day, with every performance, Brown grew as an entertainer. First he was a drummer who could step up and sing. Then he was a singer who blended well with the group. Soon he and Byrd began choreographing crisp dance routines for the Flames. Before long Brown was taking the lead vocals and dancing out front. Once Bart put eyes on the Famous Flames, and especially the molten hot James Brown, he signed them to a booking deal with Universal Attractions. For a short period Brantley continued to handle the Famous Flames bookings in the South. This mostly covered clubs along the chitlin’ circuit territories, from lower Florida to Chattanooga, Tennessee, west to Mississippi and east to Savannah, Georgia. Finding hotels that catered to black people was nearly impossible, so the group slept in their car or napped at the club in the day before performing all night. It was a demeaning and sometimes dangerous slog, while stuck in a racial tinderbox of a region. Ben Bart changed all of that. Bart quickly proved he was able to find lucrative bookings for the group in the North, East and West. His expertise quickly had the Famous Flames working all over the United States in an exhausting but exhilarating string of bookings. They had decent hotel accommodations wherever they went, and as was Bart’s routine, he made sure they were paid for their bookings. By 1957 Bart had taken over as the group’s manager, reportedly giving Brantley a commission on all future bookings. Ben Bart’s first act as manager was to officially change the group’s name to “James Brown and his Famous Flames.”
A year prior Clint Brantley had booked a recording studio for the Famous Flames and helped them cut a demo of a song Brown had written with fellow Flame Johnny Terry called “Please, Please, Please. Brantley provided several local radio stations in Georgia with an acetate disc of the recording, and even with limited airplay the song gained attention from listeners right away. But Brantley found that no record label was interested in releasing it. Brown’s brutal vocal approach was so shocking that it scared off A&R reps upon every needle drop. Luckily Ralph Bass at King Records in Cincinnati heard something in Brown’s manic delivery that he felt was a synthesis of Gospel, Blues and Doo Wop, but in a progressive and original style that was something new. The group’s first professional recording session was held on Feb. 4, 1956. King Records founder and president Syd Nathan questioned Bass’ decision to record the song. Nathan’s dislike of the song was so strong that it looked as though the record would not even be released. “Please, Please, Please” was dormant until Nathan finally relented saying that against his better judgment the single would be pressed on King’s subsidiary label Federal Records and released that March.
Ben Bart unleashed James Brown and his Famous Flames on a relentless touring schedule to promote their new Federal Records single. By the summer months of 1956 “Please, Please, Please” had become Federal’s biggest hit ever, selling well over a million copies. Within a year the original Famous Flames threatened to walk out due to a simmering disagreement over their billing. Bart was unmoved, and was adamant that the group, going forward, would be no more than a backline to James Brown, with his name topping any concert billing, press mention, or record label credit. The Flames responded by quitting en masse. Brown showed little reaction and kept his focus on recording. For a time there were no hits to rival “Please, Please, Please” which had become a dramatic signature moment in any James Brown performance. During this period of development Brown began evolving in style toward a sound that was a harbinger of things to come. In Brown’s words, “You can hear a lot of where soul music came from by listening to some of those tunes.”
In October 1957 Brown replaced Little Richard on a string of high-profile concert dates due to Richard’s sudden “retirement” from the Rock and Roll scene. Brown had been performing with various pick-up musicians including holdovers from Richard’s band. Unsatisfied, he then went about assembling his own band over the next twelve months. The new generation of Famous Flames re-included Johnny Terry, and eventually Bobby Byrd who became one of Brown’s most valuable collaborators throughout the fifteen years that followed. From late 1957 into 1958 Ben Bart booked Brown on a long tour that covered twenty states, and as he gained a glowing reputation as a live performer, it was becoming obvious another hit was needed to keep the momentum up. Although he hadn’t had any meaningful success on record in more than two years, Federal Records hung in there with Brown, and were soon rewarded with a proto-soul classic. “Try Me”, written by Brown, was a departure from the manic rage of “Please, Please, Please” and instead was a slinky sax infused ballad with a heartfelt vocal quality that nicely showed off Brown’s ability as a pure singer. By the end of 1958 “Try Me” had reached #1 on the R&B charts, and impressively had hit a peak of #48 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving James Brown his first mainstream pop hit. With the success of James Brown in full flower Universal Attractions agent Joe Marsolais hoped for a similar level of booking magic with the signing of singer Jackie Wilson. Originally a member of Billy Ward and the Dominoes, Wilson had just decided to go solo and his stage presence was touted as among the best in the R&B field. Although far less aggressive in demeanor and presentation than James Brown, a rivalry developed between Brown and Wilson who became known as “Mr. Excitement” for his gliding dance moves which included splits, spins, flips and cartwheels. His hits included “Reet Petite” written by Berry Gordy Jr and “Lonely Teardrops” which became his signature song and established Wilson as an R&B superstar. But Brown’s nickname “Mr. Dynamite” not only sounded more explosive than Wilson’s, but also fit in the sense that he continually blew away the competition. Unfortunately for Jackie Wilson, who is considered a forefather of soul and a major success story, the constant comparisons to James Brown were aggravating. According to UAA veteran Dick Alen, “Jackie Wilson felt underappreciated at Universal because James Brown always seemed to be the focus. Jackie never got over that.“
A Father and Two Sons
As the relationship between James Brown and Ben Bart grew, it became something deeper than a typical manager/artist association. Bart would often refer to James Brown as his “son”. And Brown, according to Bart’s actual son Jack, “definitely looked at my dad as a
father figure. One of the first things my father taught me about the business was to not get into personal relationships with the talent. But with James Brown that advice went out the window. They were very, very close, like family.” By 1957 Jack Bart had been in the military, studied criminology at Rider University, and now was ready to come to work for his father. Ben Bart’s first assignment for his son was to send him on the road as an apprentice road manager. Nat Margo, a savvy veteran of the business who had road-managed the Ravens and other UAA artists, was responsible for showing young Jack Bart the ropes. “I was given the job of handling the “5” Royales who were really nice fellows, and Hank Ballard who was just the opposite,” recalls Jack Bart. “We burned up a lot of highways through the segregated South. We had our hands full finding places to eat, although the guys always knew which hotels were okay with black people. Finding food was harder.” The tour of mostly clubs would join up with other acts when playing larger venues like civic centers and auditoriums, sometimes with as many as eight or nine acts on the bill. “In these places in the south it was typical to play a large hall that 
had a rope down the middle separating the white and black audiences,” recalls Jack Bart. “It was always tricky to stay away from trouble in such a deeply segregated area, going from town to town with an entourage of black musicians, at times it felt like we had a target on us. There were scary incidents, and many near misses, but we somehow always managed to make it to the next show.” Jack Bart learned quickly that the artists he was minding could be just as much of a problem as the social climate. “Hank Ballard was probably the worst of all,” recalls Jack. “He was always having an issue with some woman, or was late or missing shows, he had drug problems, and he just was mean.”
Jack was young and doing his best to gain some respect among the musicians, most gave him that, while a few like Ballard never did. One of Jack’s constant problems was dealing with Little Willie John. Still in his teens, John became a sensation with hits like “Fever”. His popularity was massive in the late 1950’s. But he was volatile and like Ballard, developed a drug habit. After one concert it was Jack Bart’s duty to collect money that Little Willie John owed his father who had advanced the singer to cover back debts. When Jack showed up in the dressing room to collect, Little Willie was not having it. “He pulled a 38 pistol out and pointed it at me,” recalls Jack. An associate named Charlie Sullivan intervened saying to John, “You don’t wanna do that.” With Sullivan between them Willie John slowly lowered the gun. “Then one by one all the bullets started falling on the floor,” remembers Jack. “He had 32 caliber ammo in a 38, and the bullets just fell out! It was kind of comical, although at the time I wasn’t laughing.”
On April 24, 1959 Little Willie John topped the bill at the Apollo Theater. This show was significant because it marked the occasion of James Brown’s debut appearance at the legendary Harlem venue. Brown, who opened for John, would prove quickly that he was no
opening act. In the years ahead anyone in their right mind would avoid following Brown whose thrilling stage performances usually left an audience with no higher place to go. In early 1960, Brown achieved a novelty hit with “(Do The) Mashed Potatoes,” under the name Kendrick and the Swans. Brown wrote, produced, and, performed while backing Miami DJ King Coleman’s rap. Also in 1960 James Brown and his Famous Flames covered the song “Think” originated by Universal Attractions artists the “5” Royales and written by their guitarist Lowman Pauling. The Royales were undoubtedly one of the biggest influences on James Brown. Their texturally raw vocal style had more edge than what had been the norm for other smoothly harmonizing vocal groups of the era. Brown’s version of “Think” featured a high-energy syncopated arrangement that was a precursor of the funk to come. It marked yet another major success for Brown, reaching #7 R&B and going all the way to #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With multiple hits in his wake, and more to come, Syd Nathan finally moved Brown from the Federal subsidiary to his top tier King Records label. From this point forward James Brown would be King Records top selling artist.
For James Brown, a consummate performer, presentation was the most crucial aspect of his act. Choreography, stagecraft, sound, lighting, and mood were always on his mind. Through the initial years of touring those aspects were rarely given the professional attention that Brown believed they should. At an early performance at the Apollo Theater a young setdesigner named Charles Rosen was hired to give the stage a more stylized look for Brown’s upcoming performance. Rosen who went on to a long career in film as a production designer on many classic movies, Taxi Driver and The Producers among them, was happy to give Brown a great looking backdrop at his Apollo show. He worked hard adding vivid draping; building special lighting, and crafting hand painted inserts that added to the stage’s visual appeal in a way that Brown appreciated. “He really liked what I’d done to the stage, and complimented me before the concert,” remembered Rosen. Brown also made sure that Rosen had a great seat for the show. As Rosen settled in to witness Brown’s performance that night, proudly admiring his own handy work, there was an unexpected addition to the stage that stood out. There, at stage left, sitting on a stand, was a large sign that read “Stage Design by James Brown.”
Even more important to James Brown than his stage environment, and in reality above and beyond all, was his own physical look. “He was meticulous about his clothes, shoes and especially the hair,” says Jack Bart. Brown’s hair was nearly the eighth wonder of the world in its glorious skyscraping perfection. Painstakingly styled before each show by his concierge Frank McRae, and artfully finessed into a gleaming, processed pompadour, Brown may have had the most impressive hair in show business history. According to Brown, “Hair is the first thing. Teeth are second. Hair and teeth. A man got those two things he’s got it all.” And then there were the clothes. As his income grew, so did his wardrobe. Brown traveled with up to seventy tailored suits, which he called his “uniforms.” A February 1962 Sepia magazine article featured him showing off his “$50,000 wardrobe” and mentioning that when he did a weeklong engagement in a theater, he’d wear thirty-five different outfits, never ever wearing the same suit on consecutive days. On a noted occasion while touring the west coast, hair-stylist Frank McCrae received a major helping of James Brown’s verbal and physical wrath. The car the two men were traveling in was pulled over by LAPD for no apparent reason. While Brown remained in the vehicle, McCrae, who’d been driving, stepped out to speak to the two white officers. One officer addressed McCrae as “nigger” while the other cupped his gun in a threatening manner. McCrae did his best to diffuse the situation by just saying, “Yes sir”, and being compliant. When the policemen finally let him go and McCrae stepped back into the vehicle, Brown went on a tirade saying if it had been him he’d stood up to the police.
Brown’s shaming of McCrae continued until they reached their hotel on Sunset Boulevard. Inside the hotel McCrae had heard enough and angrily told Brown, “You wouldn’t have done a motherfucking thing.” Brown responded by knocking McCrae out with a three-punch combination. Upon awaking an enraged McCrae got up and shoved Brown against the wall. Suddenly Ben Bart appeared with his pistol drawn and pointed it at McCrae. Quickly evaluating where loyalties lay, McCrae feared Bart might actually pull the trigger and immediately backed off. “He love him more than me” was how McCrae put it. McCrae was fired. On his way out he threatened a lawsuit, which was eventually settled out of court.
About Universal Attractions Agency / UAA:
Celebrating 80 years in the music business and founded in 1945 by Ben Bart, Universal Attractions Agency (UAA) is a leading talent agency headquartered in New York City. With a rich history that includes launching the career of legendary soul singer James Brown and representing him for over 40 years, UAA has been at the forefront of the entertainment industry for decades.
Today, UAA continues to guide the careers of prominent artists and entertainers. The agency represents over 250 artists, facilitates performances worldwide, and maintains its status as an industry leader.
UAA’s commitment to personalized attention and professionalism has solidified its reputation as a trusted partner in the entertainment sector, consistently adapting to the evolving landscape of the live music and entertainment industries.
To find more information about Universal Attractions and the agency’s roster, visit the official UAA website.
