My name is Jeff Carrol, and I’ve been in the radio business since 1974. Over the years, I’ve been part of some of the most influential rock radio stations in the Southwest, including KATT in Oklahoma, KLBJ-FM and KGSR in Austin, Texas. Beginning in 1982, I worked on the air and held positions including Music Director, Program Director and Operations Manager. I also consulted rock radio stations in Louisiana, Illinois, Missouri and Texas.

For almost 30 years, I was one of the people who helped decide what music got played on the radio.

That’s how I came to know Fred Meyers.

I first met Fred in the early 1980s when he was a record company representative—or, as we called them, a promotion man—for Warner Bros. Records.

So, what exactly was a promotion man?

Promotion men were the unsung heroes of the record business—the behind-the-scenes people the public rarely saw. Their job was to get their artists’ music exposed to mass audiences. Most importantly, that meant getting records played on the radio. They also helped arrange interviews, promoted concerts, worked with record stores and found creative ways to get their artists noticed.

Their job was simple to describe but incredibly difficult to do: help turn records into hits.

They were the Hit Men.

They did it through persistence, creativity, networking and relationships. We called it “schmoozing.” A great promotion man built relationships and trust with radio Music Directors and Program Directors—the gatekeepers who decided which new records got on the air.

That might mean a great dinner, a round of golf, front-row concert tickets, an artist interview, a promotional trip or some unforgettable event designed to make one record stand out from the dozens of others competing for attention.

Was there some sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll mixed into that world? Absolutely.

But underneath all of it was something much more important: relationships and trust. When a promotion man walked into your office with a record by a new artist, his reputation mattered. If you trusted him—and knew that he understood your station and your audience—you listened.

And believe me, Fred Meyers was one of the best.

Fred was creative, enthusiastic and downright fun. But there was something else that separated him from a lot of people in the business: he truly believed in the music. He loved it. He lived it. Music was his religion, and that passion made him incredibly effective at promoting his artists.

I remember Fred dressing up as the Pope to deliver a new single. He took me to meet the Rolling Stones many times. There were trips to New York and Los Angeles, with airfare and hotels, so we could see new artists perform live and understand what the excitement was about.

One night I’ll never forget was seeing Lenny Kravitz at the Bottom Line in New York at the very beginning of his career.

Those experiences mattered.

Creating a hit required timing, great musicianship, creativity and certainly some luck. But behind many of those records were promotion people working relentlessly to make sure somebody heard them.

Those were the Hit Men.

And I can think of no better person than Fred Meyers to tell their story—the day-to-day stories, the behind-the-scenes life, the history, the struggles, the excitement and what it was really like to help turn music into hits.

Fred didn’t just witness that world. He lived it.

He is one of the true Hit Men.

Jeff Carrol
Radio Broadcaster, Music Director, Program Director & Operations Manager
Radio professional since 1974