Joe Smith, ex- head honcho for the likes of Warner Bros, Elektra/Asylum and Capitol Records, wrote a book in the 80's "Off the Record," which tells the story of 20th Century music through interviews with the cream of the music industry.
It took Smith around two years interview over 200 musicians, record executives, producers, songwriters and managers, from the likes of Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Elton John to earlier 20th Century legends such as Artie Shaw, Ella Fitzgerald and Woody Herman.
The good news is that over 238 hours of rare, frank and intimate interviews between Smith and these folks has been dontated to The Library of Congress by Smith himself. If you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall there will be an opportunity for the public to listen to the catalogue of interviews later this year and online in the future.
