Gerald `` Jerry '' Wexler ( January 10 , 1917 -- August 15 , 2008 ) was a music journalist turned music producer , and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s .
Gerald `` Jerry '' Wexler ( January 10 , 1917 -- August 15 , 2008 ) was a music journalist who became a music producer , and was thought of as an important name in his field from the 1950s through the 1980s .