Bob Krasnow, American record label executive, Died at 81

Robert Alan “Bob” Krasnow was born in 1935, and died on December 11, 2016.

He was an American music industry entrepreneur.

Krasnow founded Blue Thumb Records, later became chairman of Elektra Records, and was a co-founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

His early career included working as a promotions man for James Brown and sales representative for Decca Records.

During the early 1960s, he founded MK Records, which released the novelty record “Report To The Nation,” a parody of the 1960 presidential campaign between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon.

Krasnow ran the King Records branch office in San Francisco from 1958 to 1964 before founding Loma Records, which he headed from 1964 to 1966.

Krasnow became vice president of Kama Sutra Records in Los Angeles in 1966, where he founded the Buddah Records subsidiary label.

Krasnow discovered, signed and then produced the debut album Safe As Milk by Captain Beefheart.

Bob Krasnow passed away at 81 years old.