The only thing an A&R man needs, Seymour Stein once said, was a good pair of ears. Stein, who has died aged 80, might have added indefatigable enthusiasm, a streak of opportunism and a shrewd business brain, all of which he deployed in a career that saw him sign the deals that launched the careers of Madonna, the Ramones, Talking Heads, kd lang and many others.
Those artists enjoyed their first hits on Sire Records, the label Stein co-founded in 1966 and with which he remained synonymous even after his company had been absorbed by the Warner Music group. By the time he stood down in 2018, unhappy with corporate politicking, Stein’s achievements had long since earned him a place among the finest “record men” – as they were known – of his generation.
