Randy Wood (music executive)

Randall Albert "Randy" Wood (October 10, 1929 – October 7, 1980) was an American record company executive. As an executive and later President of Vee-Jay Records in the early 1960s, he was involved in the early successes of the Four Seasons, as well as the releases of the first Beatles records in the United States. He later launched several independent record labels including Mira and Mirwood.

Wood was born in New York City, and started work in a record store in Manhattan before serving in the US Merchant Marine. After working for the Columbia and Folkways labels, he set up his own record store in New York in 1954. Three years later, he joined Kapp Records, working in A&R and promotion as assistant sales manager.

In 1960 he joined Vee-Jay Records, working as sales manager on the west coast. After his friend Frankie Valli played him a demo of "Sherry" by the Four Seasons, he signed the band to Vee-Jay, leading to great success for the group and the record company. The label also bought the US rights to UK Parlophone releases by Frank Ifield, already an established hit-maker in Britain, and a new group, the Beatles, which allowed Vee-Jay to release two singles, "Please Please Me" and "From Me to You". However, Wood gave up on the group when the records were initially not hits in the US, and later Beatles songs were issued by Capitol Records.

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