Gerald Goldstein (born February 17, 1940) is an American producer, singer-songwriter, talent manager, music executive, musician and entrepreneur.
He was one of the members of The Strangeloves, the co-writer of "My Boyfriend's Back" (a hit song in 1963 for The Angels) and "Come on Down to My Boat", the producer and songwriter of War, and the former manager of Sly Stone.
Goldstein was a member of the band The Strangeloves along with Bob Feldman and Richard Gottehrer, responsible for the hit song "I Want Candy."
The band formed in 1964 under a fictionalized origins story, pretending to be three musical brothers (named Giles, Miles and Niles) raised on an Australian sheep farm.
In 2002, they renegotiated his Sly and the Family Stone record deal with Sony which gave birth to a reissue of the catalog, a box set (The Collection) and Different Strokes by Different Folks, a remix and the all-star remix and cover album paying tribute to the music of Sly and the Family Stone.
[9][10] In 1969, Goldstein saw musicians who would eventually become WAR playing at the Rag Doll in North Hollywood, backing Deacon Jones, and he was attracted to the band's sound.
In 1968, Goldstein together with longtime business partner Steve Gold and started The Visual Thing, a tour book and album artwork company that produced and owned photography, video and merchandise associated with musical talents, most notably Jimi Hendrix.
[16] According to the company's website, other artists who signed deals with The Visual Thing include The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Blind Faith, Bee Gees, Sly and The Family Stone, Joe Cocker, Cream, The Beach Boys, Eric Burdon, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Steve Miller Band, Donovan and Frank Zappa.
Goldstein's songwriting has been re-used in various hip-hop samples including songs by Pitbull, Rick Ross, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa, Shaggy, Cypress Hill, J Dilla, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Tupac, Method Man, Redman, Janet Jackson, and Geto Boys.