Neil E. Bogatz
Born 03 February 1943, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Died 08 May 1982
Bogart was the founder of
Casablanca Records, together with Peter Guber.
He began in the industry in the 1960s as a singer, calling himself 'Neil Scott' and was then an executive at
Cameo - Parkway Records before teaming up with
Kama Sutra to form
Buddah Records.
Bogart's direction and style forged the creation of the 'Bubblegum' approach to pop production (working with
Jeff Katz and
Jerry Kasenetz - aka
Super K Records) before he formed
Casablanca Records in 1973, which became renowned for its disco productions with acts like
Donna Summer. The label's 'glam' style also had acts like
T. Rex and
Kiss on its flipside. Kiss and Summer both produced albums after his death dedicated to his memory. His son
Evan Kidd Bogart is an LA songwriter.
Bogart formed
Boardwalk Records, Inc. and signed
Joan Jett shortly before he died of lymphoma-related cancer. His wife teamed up with
Carole Bayer Sager in 1983 to found what is now The Bogart Pediatric Cancer Research Program at the Children's Hospital, Los Angeles.
Bogart's production career is best summed up by by his often expressed opinion "Why head for the mountaintop when you're reaching for the sky?".