Jack Tracy

Jack Tracy (July 27, 1926 – December 21, 2010) was an American jazz producer and journalist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. After serving as a medic in World War II, Tracy pursued his passion for words and music, landing a position as editor at DownBeat magazine in Chicago from 1953 to 1958. He then transitioned into producing recordings for various record labels such as Mercury, Argo, Limelight, and Liberty. In 1959, he joined Chess Records under Leonard Chess and later returned to Mercury as an A&R man in Los Angeles in 1961. Tracy worked with notable artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Roland Kirk, Oscar Peterson, Woody Herman, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, and Mike Nichols. He also collaborated on the memoir 'Laughter from the Hip' in 1963, showcasing his love for jazz humor.