Jack Rieley

John Frank Rieley III (November 24, 1942 – April 17, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and disc jockey who is best known for managing the Beach Boys between mid-1970 and late 1973. He is credited with guiding them back to popular acclaim and was described by "New Statesman" as "a radio DJ turned career mentor."
Rieley co-wrote a total of seven songs included on the Beach Boys' albums "Surfs Up" (1971), "Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"" (1972), and "Holland" (1973). He also sang lead on the "Surf's Up" track "A Day in the Life of a Tree" and narrated Brian Wilson's fairy tale "Mount Vernon and Fairway" (1972).
Following his work with the Beach Boys, Rieley collaborated with artists such as Kool & the Gang, Ride, and Jaye Muller. In 1975, Rieley released a solo album, "Western Justice". He died in 2015 at the age of 72.
Background.
Rieley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 
The Beach Boys.
The Beach Boys met Rieley, while promoting their album "Sunflower", and hired him as their manager. He wrote and co-wrote lyrics to several of the Beach Boys songs including "Long Promised Road", "Feel Flows", "Sail On, Sailor", "Funky Pretty" and "The Trader". He sang lead vocal on "A Day in the Life of a Tree". He also narrated the bonus disc for the "Holland" album: "Mt. Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale)".
According to Mark Holbcom, Rieley convinced the band to move their families and studio to Amsterdam for eight months in 1972 to record their album "Holland", costing Warner and the Beach Boys a small fortune to produce. Rieley quit his job as manager of the group after their return to the US.
Rieley falsely claimed to have been a Peabody Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for NBC News. Brian Wilson later wrote a song about Rieley's tendency for falsehoods, titling it "Is Jack Rieley Really Superman?". As of 2014, a recording of the song has not surfaced.
Although there are many books and articles about the Beach Boys, Rieley was rarely interviewed before November 2007 when he was interviewed by Flasher.com in relation to the documentary "Dennis Wilson Forever". The first seems to have been in summer 1982, for the UK fanzine "Beach Boys Stomp".
Other work.
Rieley worked with Kool and the Gang. 
In 1975, Rieley released a solo album, "Western Justice": recorded in the Netherlands in collaboration with Machiel Botman, it dealt with the treatment of the old world powers by the newly emerging third world in the context of a global weather crisis. Rieley took the lead vocal on three songs, including the title track.
In the 1990s Rieley collaborated with several artists including Mark Gardener of the UK group Ride as well as with Jaye Muller and Ben Patton of the writing/production team Muller and Patton.
Rieley co-founded the company JFAX Personal Telecom Inc. (now j2 Global, ) in 1995 together with Jaye Muller.
Death.
Rieley died on April 17, 2015 while residing in Berlin, Germany.
References.
Sources