b. 15 September 1931, New York City, New York, USA. Holzman, a trained engineer, founded Elektra Records in 1950 and remained its guiding light over the next 23 years. His label was renowned for traditional music, and early releases featured such artists as Jean Ritchie, Theodore Bikel, Ed McCurdy and Cynthia Gooding. Elektra’s foremost reputation was secured during the folk revival of the early 60s. Holzman provided a natural home for a new generation of committed performers, and Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, Fred Neil and Phil Ochs recorded their most lasting work for the label. The company began signing electric acts with the acquisition of the Butterfield Blues Band. Having failed to secure the Lovin’ Spoonful and the embryonic Byrds, Holzman’s long-term commitment to rock was established with Love. He produced their debut album, a release that paved the way for early seminal work by the Doors and Tim Buckley. Elektra’s songwriter tradition was maintained through the work of David Ackles, Steve Noonan and Carly Simon, while Bread’s sweet pop achieved international commercial success. Holzman’s direct involvement in Elektra’s direction lessened as the 60s progressed, although he continued his role of production supervisor and founded the electronic and classical spin-off label Nonesuch Records in 1964. However, in 1970 Elektra was acquired by the Kinney Corporation, who grouped it as WEA Records with the emergent Asylum Records roster three years later. By then Elektra had forsaken the quest for excellence that marked its epochal era, and Holzman, now senior vice president at Warner Communications, abandoned music for computer technology. In 1991, he purchased the west coast-based Discovery/Trend/Musicraft conglomerate, specialists in jazz reissues, which two years later were acquired by the Warner Music Group. In the new millennium, Holzman was brought out of semi-retirement to help run the revitalized Warner Music Group, and was instrumental in setting up the electronic-only label, Cordless Recordings.