Pete Felleman

Pete Felleman (17 may 1921 - 16 February 2000) was an early Jazz buff. In 1947 he presented "Swing & Sweet, from Hollywood & 52nd Street" for VARA-radio, becoming the first dutch disk jockey. His great knowledge, perfectionism and deep growling "Wolfman Jack"-like voice made him unforgettable. He started working in the record business in 1953. In 1960 he was hired by Artone to set up their Funckler sub-label . He acquired the rights to a host of upcoming American labels, like Chess and Motown. Starting in 1962 Artone began releasing them with the famous photo sleeves. By doing so Felleman created a legacy, and records now sought after by collectors world wide. On the LP market the great Chess International Blues Series was compiled by him. His greatest success however was the rise of Motown. By the late sixties Motown got too big for Artone and moved with Felleman and all the old stock to the Bovema division. Felleman became Motown label manager for Holland and Coordinator Motown for Europe until 1978.