Bob Weinstock

Bob Weinstock (October 2, 1928 – January 14, 2006) was an American record producer best known for his label Prestige Records, established in 1949, which was responsible for many significant jazz recordings during his more than two decades operating the firm.

Early life Born to a Jewish family, Weinstock's interest in music began at the age of eight when bought "armfuls of records" by jazz artists at nine cents each, opening up "a new world of music" for him. John Lewis and his Modern Jazz Quartet were one of the few able to overcome Weinstock's no-rehearsal practice, for the 1955 release of Concorde and for the 1956 album Django.

Within a few years of the label's establishment, Weinstock hired A&R scouts to bring in and develop talent, and had started the transition to soul jazz with artists such as Charles Earland, Richard "Groove" Holmes and Willis Jackson.

Sale to Fantasy In 1972, Weinstock sold Prestige to Fantasy Records and relocated to Florida.

Death A resident of Deerfield Beach, Florida, Weinstock died at age 77 in a hospice in Boca Raton on January 14, 2006, due to complications of diabetes. He was survived by his three sons, James Weinstock, Bruce Weinstock, and Philip Weinstock,