Derek Witt: CBS's man of music.

Industry bids farewell to much-loved veteran from pop's heyday, the `consumate artist relations executive'

Former CBS Records artist relations executive Derek Witt died on November 23, after a short illness, at the age of 81. It was Witt who came up with the phrase, "CBS - The Family Of Music", which was officially adopted by the company in the Seventies. Throughout his 21- year stint he worked closely with all the artists signed to its labels.

Witt joined CBS in 1965, shortly after the American record company established its own label identity in the UK, working closely with a succession of managing directors and chairmen including Ken Glancy, Dick Asher, Maurice Oberstein, David Betteridge and Paul Russell.

Among the British pop acts that Witt worked with in the late Sixties were Georgie Fame, The Tremeloes, Anita Harris and Marmalade.

He was also closely involved with international names such as Bob Dylan, Simon And Garfunkel, Andy Williams, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Miles Davis, Leonard Bernstein, Roy Orbison, The Byrds, Scott McKenzie and Barbra Streisand during their visits to London. Witt organised Barbra Streisand's first-ever press conference over here, when she appeared in the musical Funny Girl in 1966.

Witt's role was to look after the needs and demands of the artists, from meeting them at Heathrow Airport in a limo to ensuring that their hotel accommodation was the very best - indeed, anything and everything to ensure that the artists felt that they were being looked after.

He also organised the annual sales conferences, including an international event for CBS in the Seventies, held in London, where Earth Wind And Fire and The Beach Boys performed live.