McPherson, David 1968–

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David McPherson 1968–

Record company executive

Not many music lovers are familiar with the name David McPherson, but millions of listeners of all races and ages are impressed daily with what McPherson has brought to the music table. As an African-American A&R (artists and repertoire) executive for a major record company, it’s expected that McPherson’s list of clients include heavy hitters in the R&B and rap areas of entertainment, but McPherson is not the average African-American A&R executive. The first group he signed as an A&R manager for Mercury Records were five white teens who are still making their mark in pop music today. They called themselves The Backstreet Boys, and sparked the rebirth of the boy bands as well as set the tone for popular music throughout the 1990s on into the new millennium. The group sold more than 20 million records in the United States alone.

Touched by Music

Like many others, McPherson, a St. Lewis native, first looked for his place in music as a singer/songwriter. He nurtured his own talents as a performer while serving in the U.S. Army. In an interview with Black Enterprise, he described his love for music: “I always wanted to touch lives and make people feel good, feel how I felt when music touched me.” He explained that he wanted to give people an escape through his music.

After leaving the service, McPherson attended college at William Patterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. His placement on the East Coast made it easy to further research the industry and find exactly where he fit in the world of music. In 1991 the path he would chart became clear during a series of internships at two record companies. His first internship was with Electra Records, but his second internship at Mercury Records opened the door to employment in the music business. After taking a paying job in the marketing department at Mercury, he was promoted to a managing position in the A&R department in 1992. At Mercury Records, McPherson was able to work with R&B artists such as Vanessa L. Williams and Brian McKnight.

McPherson began to visualize the future of popular culture. Television shows like Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place were big hits and the teens that watched these shows were looking for a soundtrack to go along. In spite of the rise of R&B and rap music in the early 1990s, McPherson went against the grain and signed the Backstreet Boys to Mercury. Before the band could record they were dropped by the company, so along with his backstreet dreams, McPherson left Mercury to join Jive Records as director of A&R. “In the beginning I received a lot of flak [from black colleagues] about the Backstreet Boys,” he remembered in an article with Essence Magazine, “but not after they became such a huge success.”

His move to introduce the Backstreet Boys to a pop music world that was heavily influenced by rap at the time opened the doors to a pop music revolution. The Backstreet Boys sparked many imitators including 98 Degrees and label mates N’Sync. Their new sound was also the catalyst for artists such Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

At a Glance…

Born in 1968 in St. Louis, Missouri; married Virginia. Education: William Patterson University, Wayne, New Jersey.

Career: Elektra Records, intern; Mercury Records, intern, Marketing Department, A&R Manager; Jive Records, A&R director; Epic Records, senior vice president of urban music, executive vice president of A&R and executive vice president Urban Music.

Address: Record Company —Epic Records, 2100 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404. Phone (310) 449-2100, Fax (310) 449-2299.

Found Star Quality

In addition to his major success with reaching white teen audiences, McPherson was still involved in developing the R&B and rap artists for his label. He made strides in R&B by signing recording artist Joe to Jive. Joe scored a hit with “All the Things” from the Don’t Be a Menace soundtrack and entered the billboard Top 200 albums chart at number two with his album My Name is Joe in October of 2000.

“You have to be able to identify artists that can potentially sell a lot of records, and possess some level of good taste,” McPherson said in an article with Black Enterprise. He also considered the listener, “… that person who is going to buy the record because they hear or see something that they love.” He tried to see and hear and feel what the listener will get from the artists. To find that hit combination, McPherson looked for artists with “talent, star quality, and the desire to be the best.”

In 1998 McPherson left Jive records to join Sony’s Epic Records Group as senior vice president of urban music. Again he noticed star potential in a pop singer Mandy Moore and signed her to Epic. Her first album, So Real, sold more than one million copies. McPherson was also making strides in R&B by signing Ruff Endz and Three Little Women (3LW).

Appointed to Dual Role

In 2000 McPherson was promoted to executive vice president of A&R and executive vice president of urban music. He told Billboard magazine that the dual roles would be a welcome challenge as they were in line with the functions he had been performing all along. “The title change just basically recognizes that,” he explained. “You manage your time as best you can and surround yourself with a great team of executives to help you,” he added.

McPherson also stands behind the artists that he discovered and nurtured throughout his career. When asked how much long the boy-bands trend would hold, he told Billboard, “The Backstreet Boys will be around as long as they continue their high standard of songs and performance. They are more than just a boy band.” He described the band members as very talented individuals with growth potential both collectively and individually. He also saw success for others in the pop music genre with “a desire to evolve as great artists always do.”

As for the future of great music, McPherson eventually wants his own record company. For now, he is content to work with Epic’s repertoire of artists that includes Michael Jackson, Jill Scott, Ginuwine, Jon B and McPherson’s groups 3LW and Ruff Endz. He explained to Billboard that he expects to continue to grow as an executive at Epic over the next five years where “[t]he only trend that I’m sure of right now is the continuation of urban music as a growing force and influence on the popular music.”