A Brief History of Doug and Mel

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DOUG AND MEL: The business relationship between Mel Lewinter and Doug Morris goes back to their days at Atlantic Records, when Lewinter, who originally joined the label in 1970 as a controller, replaced longtime power Sheldon Vogel as CFO. Lewinter stood behind Doug when then-WMG head Bob Morgado attempted to replace Morris’ choice of Danny Goldberg as President of Warner Bros. Records with U.K. head Rob Dickins, which prompted the famed meeting of Doug loyalists Mel, Goldberg, Sylvia Rhone, Val Azzoli, Jason Flom and Ina Meinbach, forcing Morgado to accede to Doug’s demands. When Morgado’s successor Michael Fuchs eventually fired both Morris and Lewinter, Seagram heir Edgar Bronfman Jr. snapped them up after acquiring MCA Records to form the joint venture custom label Rising Tide, which morphed into Universal Records. The rest is, as they say, history. (10/6p)