Early years Born in Brooklyn, Rothchild grew up in
Teaneck, New Jersey and graduated from
Teaneck High School in 1954. He had a musical family; his mother was an
opera singer, and Rothchild studied classical music
conducting. Rothchild began his career on the
Boston folk scene, recording and releasing recordings (sometimes on his own label,
Mount Auburn Records), by local folk artists, including the
Charles River Valley Boys. He became a house producer for
Jac Holzman's
Elektra Records label in 1964; Rothchild also produced the band's second album,
East-West, one of the most influential albums of the 1960s and the first example of what became
acid rock. The early Butterfield Blues Band members were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
Career By the mid-1960s, Rothchild was established in the Los Angeles music scene, and his house on Lookout Mountain in
Laurel Canyon was inhabited by many of the future musical superstars of the 1960s and 1970s. He produced the original song demo of
Crosby, Stills, & Nash that landed the group a recording contract (it was actually Crosby, Stills and
John Sebastian on the recording, with Sebastian later replaced by
Graham Nash). Rothchild originated the concept "LEDO" (Leadered / Equalized / Dolby / Original). This format ensured the final tape would represent Rothchild's sonic vision for future generations. Nash reported in his autobiography Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life, that it was this experience that led Crosby Stills And Nash to decide that they didn't need a producer, and that
Joni Mitchell's later experience with Rothchild also convinced her to produce her own work. Rothchild is perhaps best known as the producer of the first five albums by the Doors. He did not produce their last album with
Jim Morrison,
L.A. Woman, as Rothchild withdrew from the production after disagreeing with the group over the band's musical direction. He also produced
albums and singles for
John Sebastian,
Joni Mitchell,
Neil Young,
Tom Paxton,
Fred Neil,
Tom Rush,
the Lovin' Spoonful,
Tim Buckley,
Love,
Clear Light,
Rhinoceros and
Janis Joplin, including her final LP
Pearl and her only no. 1 single (written by her then-lover
Kris Kristofferson) "
Me and Bobby McGee". In the 1970s, he produced the first two albums for the
Tampa band
Outlaws, for
Arista Records, as well as producing
Bonnie Raitt,
Elliott Murphy and the soundtrack album for the
Bette Midler film
The Rose, which was loosely based on the life of
Janis Joplin. He also produced the soundtrack to
Oliver Stone's film
The Doors, and appeared in a small role in the film in which he was played by Canadian actor
Michael Wincott. ==Death==