Lou Adler

Lester Louis Adler, known as Lou Adler, was born on December 13, 1933, in Chicago to Manny and Josephine Adler, and grew up in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles. He became an American record and film producer whose work ran through some of the most visible music and movie culture of the 1960s and 1970s. He is also the co-owner of the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California, a historic music venue on the Sunset Strip that he owns with his son Nic, who operates it.

Adler’s music career began in management. He co-managed Jan and Dean with Herb Alpert, then moved with Alpert into songwriting. Together they composed “River Rock” in 1958 for Bob “Froggy” Landers and the Cough Drops, and wrote “Wonderful World” with Sam Cooke. In 1964, Adler founded Dunhill Records, where he served as president and chief record producer until 1967. At Dunhill, he signed the Mamas & the Papas and produced six top-five hits for the group, including “California Dreamin’” and “Monday, Monday.” The label also reached No. 1 with Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction,” and had a No. 8 hit with the Grass Roots’ “Let’s Live for Today,” through work by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri.

After selling Dunhill to ABC in 1967, Adler founded Ode Records. He signed Carole King, Spirit, Cheech & Chong, Scott McKenzie, Peggy Lipton, and others. Adler produced all of King’s albums on Ode, a body of work that included four gold albums, one platinum album, and one diamond album as certified by the RIAA. King’s second album for Ode sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and won the 1972 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Adler also won Record of the Year that year for producing “It’s Too Late.”

Adler’s work was never limited to the studio. He produced live albums for Johnny Rivers and helped produce the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967, as well as the film version, Monterey Pop, which he co-produced with John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas. In film, Adler and Phillips produced Robert Altman’s Brewster McCloud in 1970. Adler later served as executive producer of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975, after seeing The Rocky Horror Show in London, buying the American rights, presenting it live in Los Angeles, and executive-producing the film version. The movie became the longest-running theatrical film in history.

His film work also included discovering and producing comedy albums and films for Cheech & Chong. In 1978, he directed and produced Up in Smoke, starring the duo, and in 2000 recorded a commentary track with Cheech Marin for the DVD release. He directed Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, executive produced Shock Treatment, and later worked on films including American Me, Cheech & Chong’s Animated Movie, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again.

Adler’s career shows a producer alert to timing, voices, and rooms where culture was changing. He moved from managing to songwriting, from labels to festivals, from records to cult film, often bringing an ear for what could connect with a crowd. In 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in music. In 2013, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award alongside Quincy Jones. His quote, “Your time is your most precious asset. Don’t waste it,” fits the shape of a life spent choosing moments carefully and making many of them count.