Jo Lustig

Joseph George Lustig (October 21, 1925 – May 29, 1999) was an American music entrepreneur.

Early career Lustig was born on October 21, 1925, in Coney Island, New York, the youngest child of five, to Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants from the Polish-Russian border. At the age of 12, he saw Billie Holiday singing in a club and fell in love with music.

During World War II, Lustig served as a medical orderly in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.

Anglo-American folk music In 1962 American folk singer Julie Felix decided to hitch-hike around Europe. In 1964 she finally arrived in Britain. Jo Lustig saw her potential and offered to become her agent. By 1982 Richard and Linda Thompson were also managed by Jo, but it is not clear when this started. About 1980 Jo Lustig created his own record label called Luggage, but only one act is known to have appeared in it – the Home Service. Jo financed the first Home Service single in 1981. Despite containing talented musicians, the Home Service were not commercially successful. Perhaps this was the reason that he gave up folk bands, and became a film producer.

Lustig in films In 1985 Jo produced The Doctor and the Devils a historical thriller. In 1987 there came his best-known venture, 84 Charing Cross Road, in which he was associate producer. In 1989 he started to specialise in television documentaries about musicians, starting with The Unforgettable Nat 'King'''. Blondes: Anita Ekberg was also in 1999. Diana Dors was on television in 1999. Maria Callas : life and art'' (1999) was produced by Jo for video release.

Personal life In 1967, Lustig married Dee Daniels, a press assistant at a record company. The couple shared the management of Pentangle.

He died of pancreatic cancer on May 29, 1999, in Cambridge, England.