Another chapter in Lenny Beer's discussion of the Promotion Family Tree: Republic promo domo Gary "Spangmania" Spangler.
Dubbed “Spangmania” by boss Monte Lipman and known to his friends as Spanky, Gary operates the hottest promotion machine in the business. He first surfaced in the shop of indie-promo kingpin Greg Lawley, then moved to Republic and reported to Joel Klaiman. Under the detail-oriented and seriously demanding Klaiman, Spangler became a ninja at maximizing the chart potential of the label’s copious hits. When Klaiman moved to Columbia and Charlie Walk moved in, Spangler’s attention to detail and his burgeoning relationships complemented the front man. Then, when Gary got the nod, he amalgamated his lifetime of learning and took the department to a decidedly new place. Unencumbered by ego and driven to win, he became a master of moving hits swiftly and efficiently through the system—earning chart positions that surpassed even the high quality of the label’s stellar A&R. I can’t say enough about Gary’s growth in the past few years. He’s earned everyone’s respect.
Young Spanky in his natural habitat.
