Norman Granz
A jazz impresario who built a commercial empire while forcing segregated clubs to seat Black and white audiences together.
1918–2001 (age 83)·American jazz musician and producer·Birthday: August 6·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Norman Granz, born in Los Angeles, was a man who saw jazz not just as music but as a vehicle for social justice. After organizing a seminal concert at the Philharmonic Auditorium in 1944, he launched Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP), turning it into a wildly popular touring package that brought blistering, improvisational showdowns to audiences nationwide. Granz’s real power, however, came from the records. He founded Verve Records, among other labels, and became the definitive producer for artists like Ella Fitzgerald, whose legendary 'Songbook' series he conceived and bankrolled, and Oscar Peterson. His business style was famously pugnacious; he demanded top dollar for his artists and, more radically, wrote non-negotiable clauses into contracts requiring integrated seating at venues across the American South. Granz’s legacy is a dual one: he elevated jazz to a major commercial force while using that very platform as a stubborn, unyielding tool against racial prejudice.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Norman was born in 1918, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Norman Was Born
The biggest hits of 1918
Norman's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1918Born
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Started school
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1931Became a teenager
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Could drive
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1936Could vote
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Turned 21
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1948Turned 30
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 40
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 50
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 60
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 70
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 80
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Died at 83
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
Key Achievements
- Founded and managed the influential Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) concert and touring series.
- Created Verve Records, which became one of the most important labels in jazz history.
- Produced Ella Fitzgerald's seminal 'Songbook' album series, cementing her status as a premier vocalist.
- Insisted on contractual clauses mandating integrated audiences at concerts in the segregated United States.
- Discovered and championed pianist Oscar Peterson, managing his career for decades.
Did You Know?
He was an avid art collector, owning major works by artists like Picasso and Jackson Pollock.
Granz worked as a film editor at MGM before his career in jazz took off.
He sold Verve Records to MGM in 1960 for a reported $3 million.
His final label, Pablo Records, was founded in 1973 specifically to record his aging jazz heroes.
Granz was known for his fiery temper and relentless negotiations on behalf of his artists.
“I’m not in the music business, I’m in the social-justice business.”
