Lester Louis Adler (born December 13, 1933) is an American record and film producer and the co-owner of the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California. He has produced and developed a number of high-profile musical artists including the Grass Roots, Jan and Dean, the Mamas & the Papas, and Carole King. King's album Tapestry, produced by Adler, won the 1972 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and has been called one of the greatest pop albums of all time.

Adler is an executive producer of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and discovered and produced comedy albums and films for Cheech & Chong. In 2006, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in music. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 as the recipient, alongside Quincy Jones, of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

Early life

Adler was born to a Jewish family, the son of Manny and Josephine (Alpert) Adler, in Chicago, in 1933, and grew up in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles.

Career

Music

Adler's career in music began as co-manager, alongside Herb Alpert, of Jan and Dean. Adler and Alpert transitioned from managing into songwriting, composing the songs "River Rock" in 1958 for Bob "Froggy" Landers, and the Cough Drops and "Wonderful World" with Sam Cooke.

In 1964, Adler founded Dunhill Records. He was president and the chief record producer of the label from 1964 to 1967. During that time, Adler signed the Mamas & the Papas to Dunhill, producing six top-five hits for the group including "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday". Dunhill also reached No. 1 on the pop chart with Barry McGuire's single "Eve of Destruction".

Capitalizing on Dunhill's success, Adler sold the label to ABC in 1967 and founded Ode Records, to which he signed Carole King, Spirit, Cheech & Chong, Scott McKenzie, Peggy Lipton, and others. Adler produced all of King's albums on Ode, which includes four gold, a platinum, and a diamond album, as certified by the RIAA. King's second album for Ode, Tapestry, sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. as well as the film version, Monterey Pop, which he co-produced with John Phillips from the Mamas & the Papas. In 1975, Adler served as executive producer of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In 2024, it was revealed that Hollman’s daughter Honey, who is two years older than Sonny, is also Adler's biological child. Before that, Honey was assumed to have been the daughter of Jack Nicholson, who Hollman was also seeing at the time.

Adler is married to former actress Page Hannah. They have four children. He has often sat courtside next to Dyan Cannon and Jack Nicholson at Los Angeles Lakers home games. He owns the Roxy Theatre with his son Nic, who operates the historic music venue on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. Peter Fonda based his character Terry Valentine in The Limey on Adler.

In 1976, Adler and his administrative assistant were kidnapped from their Malibu home. One of the perpetrators pulled a gun on Adler's assistant and gained entry. The two men were held for eight hours and released after $25,000 in ransom money was paid. Three suspects were arrested and sheriff's deputies later recovered $14,900 of the ransom. Two suspects were convicted and one was sentenced to life in prison.

Production discography

thumb|right|Adler's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]

Here is a list of albums produced by Lou Adler:

Filmography

The following is a list of films produced or directed by Lou Adler:

  • Monterey Pop (1968) – producer
  • Brewster McCloud (1970) – producer
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – executive producer
  • Up in Smoke (1978) – director, producer
  • Shock Treatment (1981) – executive producer
  • Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982) – director
  • Murphy's Romance (1985) – music producer
  • American Me (1992) – executive producer
  • Cheech & Chong's Animated Movie (2013) – producer
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016) – executive producer

References

  • Allmusic Bio
  • The Pop Chronicles interviewed Adler on 1.1.1968; he appears in shows [ 2], [ 21], [ 35, 36], and [ 47.]
  • The Grass Roots Official Site