Henry Stone On Jerry Wexler’s Son Recording James Brown: “James Threw Paul Wexler Out”

James Brown on the ABC television program Music Scene. 1969 (wikimedia commons)

“Jerry Wexler’s son’s in the music business. I hear about him every once in a while. He was a producer in the bidness yaknow. So here’s a story: The guy from Island Records, Chris Blackwell, wanted to sign James Brown and record him. So he got a contract on James, and sent him on down to Nassau to record with that group there, that great rhythm section in Nassau at the studio there. And he hired Paul Wexler, when he was pretty young, to produce the session yaknow. So bout 2 or 3 days later I get a frantic call from Jerry Wexler,

“Henry! Help. Help.”

I say, “What’s the problem man?”

He says, “James is crucifying my kid man, help!”

He says, “Please call James Brown and tell him to back off. That’s my kid yaknow.”

But you know who the only white man ever allowed in the studio with James Brown was? Me. Henry Stone. But that’s where I belonged.

James ended up throwing Paul out of the studio by the scruff of his neck and sending him back to New York.

James said, “I’ll do my own session man!”

He always knew what he wanted. That’s what he did.”

©Jacob Katel and HenryStoneMusic USA Inc. All Rights Reserved