Joe Summers (6)

US-Canadian record company executive. Originally from Detroit, he started out age 17 working in the Capitol Records warehouse there and by age 19 was a Decca Records sales rep. He soon moved to Motown where he acted as Branch Manager, then Sales Director of Independent Division (responsible for Rare Earth, V.I.P. and Chisa Records) and finally National Sales Manager. In 1972, after 15 years in the U.S. industry, Summers moved to Canada to assume the role of National Sales Manager at A&M Records Of Canada Limited. He was promoted to VP of Marketing and Distribution in 1977, then at the start of the 1980s promoted to Executive VP, and by 1984 was Senior VP and General Manager. When PolyGram bought A&M in 1990, Summers took over as President of A&M/Island/Motown Records of Canada until becoming Vice-Chairman of PolyGram Group Canada Inc. in 1995. In early 1997 he became CEO/Chairman of PolyGram Group Canada but had a short tenure, retiring on October 1st, 1997 after 40 years in the music industry.