Early life

Mottola was born in New York City and grew up in a middle-class Italian-American family in The Bronx. He attended military school for a time, and then high school. After dropping out of Hofstra University on Long Island, he pursued a music career as a guitarist and singer with The Exotics, an R&B cover band.

Sony/Columbia

In 1988, Mottola was hired by Sony Music (then known as CBS Records) by Walter Yetnikoff (who had been at the company from 1975 to 1990) to run its U.S. operations (it had recently been acquired by the Japan-based Sony corporation). In 1990, he replaced Yetnikoff as Chairman CEO of the newly named Sony Music. During his tenure, he transformed Sony into one of the most successful global music companies, expanding its businesses into over 60 countries, while creating one of the strongest management teams in the industry. He revitalized Sony Music's publishing division by making such acquisitions as the Beatles catalogue and enabled Sony to become the first major music company to make available commercial digital downloads. Additionally, Mottola was the architect for some of Sony's biggest global brands such as Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. During his 15-year tenure, Mottola built Sony up from a company with revenues of $800 million a year to one with over $6 billion of annual revenue by the year 2000.

He is widely well known for signing, developing, and nurturing the careers of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Destiny's Child, Shakira, the Dixie Chicks, etc., and for releasing digitally remastered compact discs of the older recordings made by Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Andy Williams, among others. He also is credited with creating the "Latin Explosion" in popular music by championing such Sony artists as Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin. He also worked with Michael Jackson from the time he began recording his "Dangerous" (1991) album. During the promotion of "Invincible" (2001), Jackson would later state that his relationship with Mottola dissolved based on corruption in Mottola's working practices, and once charged him with being a "racist who exploited black talent". Jackson has stated later on that, "The recording companies really, really do conspire against the artists." Al Sharpton told the New York Post shortly after that, “I have known Tommy for 15 or 20 years, and never once have I known him to say or do anything that would be considered racist". He admitted he was “taken aback and surprised” by the verbal assault. “In fact, he’s always been supportive of the black music industry,” Sharpton said. “He was the first record executive to step up and offer to help us with respect to corporate accountability, when it comes to black music issues.”

After Sony

Tommy Mottola was the head of Sony Music Entertainment until January 2003. Since leaving his post as chief of Sony Music, Mottola has been building a new entertainment company, complete with recorded music, television production, theater, and fashion, alongside a branding and management company that had recently launched. He was instrumental in re-launching the various careers of such artists as Grammy winner and Latin pop star Marc Anthony, and teen sensation Lindsay Lohan. Later signings included Cassie Ventura in 2006, and Mika who in 2007 had a #1 single in the UK.

Mottola bought out the rights to Casablanca Records (a then-diminished imprint of Polygram), and resurrected it, signing actress Lindsay Lohan, and Mika.

Mottola published a book titled "Hitmaker" in January of 2013, written with Cal Fussman. He details his successes and the drive that propelled him to the top of the business, but also talks at length about the down times.

Mottola produced the recent musical adaptation of Chazz Palminteri's A Bronx Tale. Palminteri credits Mottola with the realization of the new project, developed over the past two years. Mottola brought the idea for A Bronx Tale musical to producer group Dodger Properties and "put the musical on his back". The show started previews at Paper Mill Playhouse on February 4th, 2016, opened on February 14, 2016, and closed on March 6th, 2016.

A collaboration with former Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein has them teamed on two current projects for live theater, namely producers of Pink Floyd's The Wall. Mottola's TV production arm is currently producing and developing many shows for cable and network television.

Personal life

Mottola has been married three times. He married his first wife, Lisa Clark, daughter of ABC Records head Sam Clark in 1971, converting to Judaism to do so. The couple divorced in 1990, after having two children. On June 5, 1993, Mottola married his second wife, Mariah Carey; they announced their separation on May 30, 1997 and later divorced. He married his third wife, Mexican telenovela star and recording artist Thalía, on December 2, 2000. The couple have two children, daughter Sabrina Sakaë Mottola-Sodi, born in October 2007, and son Matthew Alejandro Mottola-Sodi, born in June 2011

Cultural references

Hall and Oates' song "Gino (The Manager)" from the duo's 1975 album Daryl Hall & John Oates was written about Mottola. The record jacket insert reads "And introducing Tommy Mottola as 'Little Gino.' "

The character of Gene Balboa in the Channel 101 Internet TV Series Yacht Rock is loosely based on Mottola, in particular his time as manager of Hall and Oates.

Mottola is the protagonist of the first verse of the 1976 song "Cherchez La Femme" by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band.

Mariah Carey wrote a song called Petals on her 1999 album Rainbow and the song talks about her marriage with Mottola.

The Australian band Regurgitator include the song I Love Tommy Mottola on their 1999 album ...art.

Mentioned in the Lil Wayne song Spitter off the mixtape Dedication 2 "I got that Tommy Mottola..."

Mentioned in the opening chorus of Ghostface Killah's song Cherchez LaGhost off of the Supreme Clientele album, released in 2000.

Mentioned by Wyclef Jean in the Fugees song "How Many Mics" from their 1996 Grammy award winning album The Score, "...One day I have a label and make deals with Tommy Mottola."

Mentioned in "No Show" Season 4, Episode 2 of the series The Sopranos. Tony says in sarcasm to his sister, Janice, "That Tommy Mottola, he's one slow motherfucker. What's it been, about a year now?" He intends to say that she does not actually have any connection to a music executive of Mr. Mottola's caliber.

Mentioned in the TV series Smash (2012), Season 1 Episode 6: "Chemistry". Ensemble dancer Jessica explains to Karen who Bobby Raskin was: "He's big. He's like... umm... Tommy Mottola. And don't say 'Who's Tommy Mottola?'"

Mentioned by 50 Cent in the song "Fuck You" from his 2002 album Guess Who's Back?, "...Tommy Mottola ain't shootin' out in the 'hood with me."

Mentioned by Will Smith in the song "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" (So So Def Remix): "Tommy Motolla and Spielberg tear me checks".

Mentioned by Lana Del Rey in the song Live or Die

Mentioned by Eminem during a promotional freestyle for Relapse on BET's Rap City in 2009: "I'm Tommy Mottola, Mariah, don't stop me I'm on a roll". Eminem references Tommy's relationship with R&B singer Mariah Carey, as he did with her, in an attempt to diss her.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]