Long-Form Stories Salty Air

Lennie Petze, A&R Legend – The Musician’s Magician in Mashpee

Written by Brian Tarcy

MASHPEE – Cyndi Lauper had been working on the song, “All Through The Night,” from her debut album, “She’s So Unusual” virtually all through the night. “There was a window in the room,” recalled Lauper. “The sun was up.”

One of the people at the studio at The Record Plant in New York City that night was Lennie Petze, the longtime record company executive who signed Lauper; the band, Boston, and many others.

Lennie Petze, A&R legend

Lennie Petze, A&R legend

“She was in a small room that had only a piano, a microphone, and a couch,” said Petze.’She asked, will you come sit on the couch?’ ”  And Lauper sang to Petze, who was the the senior vice president of Artists and Repertoire (A&R) for Portrait Records at the time.

Lauper said she had already recorded a great version, but a technical glitch caused a thud in the editing. “I had to sing the same line over and over,” said Lauper.

Petze settled into the couch.

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About the author

Brian Tarcy

Brian Tarcy is co-founder of Cape Cod Wave. He is a longtime journalist who has written for the Boston Globe, Boston magazine, the Cape Cod Times and several other publications. He is the author of "YOU CAN'T SELL RIGHT FIELD; A Cape Cod Novel." He is also the author or co-author of more than a dozen mostly non-fiction books, including books with celebrity athletes Cam Neely, Tom Glavine and Joe Theisman. His previous book was, "ALMOST: 12 Electric Months Chasing A Silicon Valley Dream" with Hap Klopp,who created the iconic brand, The North Face.
For more information, see Briantarcy.com
Brian is a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan with a long-running NFL predictions/political satire column connecting weekly world events to the fate of his favorite team, now at Whatsgonnahappen.com.

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