By George Petersen
WALNUT CREEK, CA — Industry icon Hillel Resner passed away on July 30, 2021 after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 79.
Resner had a long and varied career in the professional music and sound communities, since the late 1960s, as a concert promoter, record label owner, music publisher, recording engineer and producer, trade magazine publisher and non-profit executive.
Born April 14, 1942 in St. Joseph’s hospital in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district, Resner graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco, and was awarded a journalism scholarship to attend the University of Nevada in Reno, and later transferred to San Francisco State University, majoring in English literature.
Although not a musician himself, working in music was always his dream. In 1966, Hillel partnered with his brother Bill Resner, Luther Greene, Gene “Reg E.” Williams and Jim Wilson in a venture to create a “dance hall” music venue in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. They found an “ideal” space — the Haight Theater, a dilapidated vaudeville-era movie palace that went through a variety of tenants since falling on hard times in the 1950’s and had later been flooded and vandalized. The best part was the rent, which was only $500/month.
The project — eventually christened The Straight Theater — turned out to be more complex than the five partners imagined. At the time, changes were afoot, both in social movements, music and the neighborhood itself. “We hadn’t a clue as to what Haight Street was about to turn into,” said Resner in an oral history with the San Francisco Public Library.
The partners raised about $100,000 in investment money to refurbish the facility (much through unlikely sources, including bands such as Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother & The Holding Company and others, from animator Jay Ward, to famed folk-rock manager/entrepreneur Albert Grossman).
The city of San Francisco did not want a concert/dance venue in the Haight and after making the permit process arduous, it was finally denied, despite completely upgrading the electrical and installing fire sprinklers and an impassioned plea from actress Dame Judith Anderson (Luther Greene’s stepmother). Undaunted, Greene came up with the idea of renaming the project a “dance school,” which did not require a permit.
The venue finally opened in July 1967 as a dance club called The Straight theater. Hillel booked the bands. Brent Dangerfield (who later produced Santana’s first LP) was the soundman. Famed Grateful Dead audio engineer Owsley Stanley supplied the sound system. Reg Williams did the light shows; and each of the partners helped out in various capacities. Acts for the opening weekend included The Grateful Dead, Phoenix Wildflower, Quicksilver, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Blue Cheer and Country Joe & the Fish.
Resner later rented a framing shop, which he converted to a rehearsal space, where Santana (who frequently played The Straight Theater) worked out material and arrangements for its landmark “Abraxas” album, while Resner lived in the apartment upstairs. The rehearsal space wasn’t soundproofed and the neighbors were less than excited about a band practicing next door, so Resner converted the space to combination print shop and recording studio with Billy Roberts (the songwriter of “Hey Joe”) — an artist that Resner also managed. Resner maintained his friendship with Carlos Santana over the years, and later even became the personal astrologer to the guitar legend.
The studio wasn’t overly profitable, so in 1977, Resner started working for Berkeley-based Mix magazine — which at the time was a directory of recording studios and audio services — as its first advertising salesman, and he eventually became publisher.
In 1985, Resner worked with Mix founders, David Schwartz and Penny Riker Jacob to establish the TEC (Technical Excellence & Creativity) Awards. In 1990, the TEC Awards became the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio as a non-profit organization to fund hearing and deafness research and audio scholarships, with Resner serving as its president.
Under Resner’s leadership, the TEC Awards Foundation established the Les Paul Award and moved the annual awards program to the NAMM Show in 2011. Two years later, in 2013 the TEC Awards were acquired by the NAMM organization and continue to be an important event in the audio and music industry.
Resner was a lifelong member of NARAS/The Recording Academy, where he served as a chapter president, National Trustee and National Treasurer.
Resner was not only a visionary and a giant in the music industry, but also a spiritual and loving individual who frequently sought to help advance the careers of so many people along the way. He will long be remembered by countless numbers of his friends, colleagues and many associates throughout the industry. Farewell, old friend, rest well.
Hillel Resner is survived by his wife Victoria Resner and son Samuel Resner.
No word on a memorial had been announced at press time.
