Jerry Kasenetz, the New York born songwriter and producer who helped invent and commercialise bubblegum pop in the late 1960s, has died aged 82. Kasenetz passed away on December 6, 2025, in Tampa, Florida, following complications from a fall at his home.
Working in close partnership with Jeffry Katz under the Super K Productions banner, Kasenetz became one of the most influential behind the scenes figures of an era often overshadowed by psychedelic rock and the counterculture. While bands like The Doors, Jimi Hendrix Experience and Jefferson Airplane reshaped rock music’s artistic ambitions, Kasenetz and Katz focused on something far simpler, crafting short, catchy singles designed for younger listeners and mass radio appeal.
Born Jerrold H. Kasenetz on May 5, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up in Great Neck on Long Island. He was the eldest of five children born to William and Rose Kasenetz, both of whom worked in real estate. His entry into the music business came after meeting Katz while studying at the University of Arizona in the early 1960s. One of their earliest ventures was as concert promoters, organising a campus appearance by The Dave Clark Five. Before completing their degrees, the pair left university and relocated to New York, opening a modest office on Broadway and setting their sights on the recording industry.
By the mid 1960s, Kasenetz and Katz were experimenting with studio driven pop projects, using professional songwriters and session musicians to create records quickly and efficiently. Their first notable production arrived in 1966 with Christine Cooper’s S.O.S. Heart In Distress. That same year, they began working with Ohio based band The Music Explosion, recording Little Bit O’ Soul. Kasenetz famously drove across the United States personally promoting the single to radio stations. The effort paid off when the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1967 and sold more than a million copies, firmly establishing Super K Productions as a commercial force.
It was during this period that the concept of bubblegum music fully took shape. Working closely with Buddah Records head Neil Bogart, Kasenetz and Katz delivered a stream of bright, melodic singles aimed squarely at teenage audiences. Between 1967 and 1969, Super K Productions became synonymous with chart success through acts that often existed primarily as recording projects. Among the most successful were The 1910 Fruitgum Company, The Ohio Express, Crazy Elephant and the Kasenetz Katz Singing Orchestral Circus.
The run of hits from this period included Simon Says, 1, 2, 3, Red Light and Indian Giver by The 1910 Fruitgum Company, Yummy Yummy Yummy and Chewy Chewy by The Ohio Express, and Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’ by Crazy Elephant. Other notable singles from the era included Beg, Borrow And Steal, Goody, Goody Gumdrops, Special Delivery and Down At Lulu’s. The songs were deliberately simple, repetitive and instantly memorable, serving as a counterbalance to the heavier sounds dominating rock radio at the time.
Despite criticism from some quarters for their manufactured nature, the influence of Kasenetz’s work endured. Punk and new wave artists later acknowledged bubblegum pop’s emphasis on melody and immediacy as a foundational influence. In 1968, the Kasenetz Katz Singing Orchestral Circus even staged an ambitious performance at Carnegie Hall, bringing 50 musicians on stage for a rare live presentation of their studio based concept.
After bubblegum’s commercial peak faded in the early 1970s, Kasenetz and Katz scored one final major success in 1977 with Ram Jam’s hard rocking version of Black Betty, a song originally popularised by Lead Belly. The single reached the US Top 20 and introduced Kasenetz’s work to an entirely new generation of listeners.
Jerry Kasenetz is survived by his brothers Iver and Bruce, his sons Darren and Brett, and two grandchildren. His legacy remains deeply embedded in the sound of late 1960s pop, a reminder that simplicity and commercial instinct can leave a lasting mark on popular music history.
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