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Frazier Mohawk

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"Barry Friedman" redirects here. For the American academic, see Barry E. Friedman.

Frazier Mohawk
Born
Barry Friedman

(1941-12-12)December 12, 1941
DiedJune 2, 2012(2012-06-02) (aged 70)
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipAmerican
EducationHappy Valley School
Occupation(s)Record producer
Photographer
Publicist
Circus owner
Farmer

Frazier Mohawk (born Barry Friedman, December 12, 1941 – June 2, 2012) was an American record producer and sometime photographer, publicist, circus owner, and farmer.

Life and career

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Friedman attended the Happy Valley School in California. He then spent time working in circuses and as a photographer, living in France for a period. In 1962 he returned to Los Angeles, becoming a radio show producer. He also became a publicist, handling the press conferences for The Beatles around their Hollywood Bowl performance in 1964.[1]

He went on to work for the Troubadour club, becoming friendly with Stephen Stills, and helping him put together a new group,[2] which became Buffalo Springfield. Friedman was driving the car with Stills and Richie Furay which passed on Sunset Boulevard the hearse carrying Neil Young and Bruce Palmer from Canada, a meeting which led to the formation of the band.[1][3][4] As their de facto manager,[5] he got the Springfield to tour with the Byrds, subsequently becoming involved in the Byrds’ own work. He also started to work as a producer, with Paul Butterfield,[6] Kaleidoscope,[7][8] "Spider" John Koerner and Willie Murphy,[9] the Holy Modal Rounders[10] and others. Notably, he produced Nico’s album with John Cale, The Marble Index.[11] During this time in the late-sixties, Barry Friedman also worked as an A&R man for the record label Elektra in Los Angeles.[12]

By this time, Friedman had decided to change his name to Frazier Mohawk. Around the same time the stresses of living in the city led him, supported and funded by Elektra boss Jac Holzman, to build a studio and mountain retreat at Paxton Lodge in northern California.[13] This was a centre for creative endeavours but, according to Holzman, relatively little usable output. Mohawk also met and married singer Sandra Hurvitz, who had previously recorded with Frank Zappa, and who now changed her name to Essra Mohawk.[14] He subsequently produced her second album (and first as Essra Mohawk) entitled Primordial Lovers on the Reprise label,[15] which Rolling Stone magazine in 1977 proclaimed as "one of the best 25 albums ever made" in their top 500 list of best albums.[16][17]

By the early 1970s, burned out by the music business, he moved to Canada, producing a few obscure acts and becoming seriously ill for a period. After his recovery he established and ran his own travelling circus for several years. Eventually he settled at Puck’s Farm north of Toronto, developing it as an attraction for families, and also including a recording studio.

He died from liver disease in 2012, at the age of 70.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Frazier Mohawk - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Young, Neil (September 25, 2012). Waging Heavy Peace Deluxe. Penguin. ISBN 9781101616833.
  3. ^ Einarson, John (April 17, 2016). "Apr 2016: Chance encounter between Young and Stills in L.A. Traffic changed music forever". Winnipeg Free Press.
  4. ^ Kubernik, Harvey (November 9, 2015). Neil Young: Heart of Gold. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781783235797.
  5. ^ "Part 8: Buffalo Springfield Manager Frazier Mohawk - Uncut". March 5, 2009.
  6. ^ "The Monkees: Our Life in 15 Songs". Rolling Stone. August 23, 2016.
  7. ^ Kubernik, Harvey; Calamar, Scott (2009). Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon. Sterling Publishing Company. ISBN 9781402765896.
  8. ^ Kubernik, Harvey (November 9, 2015). Neil Young: Heart of Gold. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781783235797.
  9. ^ "Running, Jumping, Standing Still - "Spider" John Koerner, Willie Murphy | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  10. ^ Shewey, Don (March 22, 1997). Sam Shepard. Hachette Books. ISBN 9780306807701.
  11. ^ Reynolds, Simon (March 16, 2007). "From the Velvets to the void". The Guardian.
  12. ^ "Billboard". June 22, 1968.
  13. ^ "A Child's Garden of Jackson Browne". Rolling Stone. May 23, 1974.
  14. ^ "Essra Mohawk - Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates - MTV". MTV. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017.
  15. ^ "Primordial Lovers - Essra Mohawk - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  16. ^ Magazine, Various Mojo (November 1, 2007). The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition. Canongate Books. ISBN 9781847676436 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ "Essra Mohawk: Sandys Album Is Here at Last!". April 28, 2010.
  18. ^ Brad Spurgeon, "In remembrance of Frazier Mohawk", BradSpurgeon.com, 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2022
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