Aaron Schroeder

Songwriter, arranger, producer, music publishing mogul, and head of the Musicor label, Aaron Schroeder was a consummate industry insider during the earlier part of the '60s. Schroeder started out as a staff writer for Hill and Range Publishing, where he co-wrote a succession of hits for Elvis Presley, including "I Got Stung," "A Big Hunk o' Love," "Stuck on You," and "It's Now or Never"; he also co-penned "Rubber Ball" for Bobby Vee. Schroeder went on to form his own publishing company, January Music, and label, Musicor, the latter initially for the main purpose of releasing recordings by a young songwriter and demo singer named Gene Pitney. Pitney's first Musicor single, "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away," had been recorded as a demo, but Schroeder released it as it was, and it became a minor hit; Pitney soon went on to stardom, working with producer Phil Spector and songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David over the next few years. Musicor picked up another flagship artist in country singer George Jones from 1965-1971; Schroeder, however, plagued by lawsuits over his questionable business practices, eventually sold off his publishing and label interests to United Artists. ~ Steve Huey