Ollie McLaughlin facts for kids

Ollie Anderson McLaughlin (born March 24, 1925 – died February 19, 1984) was an American music producer. He also owned his own record labels. Ollie was a very important person in the music world. He helped many artists become famous. He discovered the singer Del Shannon. He also helped create recordings for jazz stars like Dave Brubeck and Chet Baker. Plus, he worked with pop and R&B artists like Dorothy Ashby, Barbara Lewis, and the Capitols.

Early Life and Radio Career

Ollie McLaughlin was born in Carthage, Mississippi, in the United States. When he was a child, his family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan. After finishing school, he joined the US Army and served during World War II.

After the war, Ollie studied at Columbia College Chicago in Chicago. In the late 1940s, he returned to Ann Arbor. There, he started working as a DJ at a radio station called WHRV. He loved music and also helped promote live jazz and R&B concerts with his brother.

In March 1954, Ollie helped organize a concert for the Dave Brubeck Quartet in Ann Arbor. Parts of this concert were later put on a famous album called Jazz Goes to College. Just two months later, he arranged another concert for Chet Baker. This concert was also released as an album, Jazz at Ann Arbor.

Discovering New Talent

In 1960, Ollie McLaughlin heard a country band playing. The band was led by a singer named Charles Westover. At that time, Charles was known as Charlie Johnson. Ollie recorded some demo songs for the band. He then sent these recordings to Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik in Detroit, Michigan.

Because of Ollie's help, Charles Westover signed a contract with Bigtop Records. He also agreed to change his name to Del Shannon. Ollie then produced a new recording of one of Del Shannon's songs in New York City. They used a special instrument called a Musitron for the main melody. This song, "Runaway", became a huge hit. It reached number one on the Billboard music chart in April 1961. Ollie also produced other hit songs for Del Shannon, including "Hats Off to Larry".

Starting Record Labels

In the early 1960s, Ollie McLaughlin decided to start his own record labels. He named his first label Karen Records, after one of his daughters. He later started two more labels, Carla and Moira, also named after his daughters.

Ollie produced many hit songs on his own labels and for other big companies. Some of his famous productions from the 1960s include:

• "Hello Stranger" by Barbara Lewis
• "Baby I'm Yours" by Barbara Lewis
• "Make Me Your Baby" by Barbara Lewis
• "Love Makes The World Go Round" by Deon Jackson
• "Cool Jerk" by the Capitols

Many of the songs he produced were recorded in Chicago and Detroit. Sometimes, he even used musicians who worked for the famous Motown record label. Some of his recordings were released by big labels like Atlantic and Atco. Ollie also recorded music for other talented artists like Bettye LaVette, Richard Wylie, Ruth Copeland, and The Soul Twins. Many of his recordings from the 1960s are still popular today. They have been reissued on special music collections called Northern soul records.

Later Life and Legacy

Around 1970, Ollie McLaughlin moved to Detroit. He passed away in 1984 at Sinai Hospital when he was 58 years old. In 2018, Ollie McLaughlin was honored for his amazing work in music. He was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.