Tommy Mottola
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Thomas Daniel 'Tommy' Mottola Jr,(born 14 July 1949), is a music executive and owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. Of Italian-American descent, Mottola was raised by a strict but music-loving Italian family. Mottola learned to play the trumpet, and polished his smooth tenor voice. Blessed with good looks, he initially had aspirations of a music career, and released with CBS Records, but his singing career was short-lived. Wishing to stay in the industry, the enterprising Mottola started Don Tommy Enterprises to manage other acts. He quickly rose up the ranks and became head of CBS' Columbia Records in 1987.
In 1989, Brenda K. Starr, a Columbia artist, handed Mottola a demo tape from one of her backup singers. Initially he tossed it aside, but decided to listen to it. So awestruck by her polished coloratura soprano, he tracked down the singer, a then-unknown Mariah Carey, immediately signing her and starting one of the most expensive promotion campaigns ever for a brand new artist. In 1990, Sony bought CBS' music enterprises (including Columbia Records and its imprint Epic), but performed a hushed background check on Mottola due to allegations of Mafia ties, before naming him President and CEO of its new music division. In 1993, he married Mariah Carey in a lavish ceremony. The marriage was short-lived; by 1997 they divorced. Carey later alleged that Mottola restricted her freedom and was psychologically abusive.
Tommy Mottola was formerly the head of Sony Music until 2003, when allegations of racism by Michael Jackson, backed by Al Sharpton, caused Sony to sever its ties with Mottola. Mottola quickly bought out the rights to Casablanca Records (a then-diminished imprint of Polygram), and resurrected it, signing actress Lindsay Lohan as his first new act. He is currently married to actress and singer Thalia. In 2005, he signed Tamar Braxton to his label.