Thomas Daniel 'Tommy' Mottola is an American music executive and co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group, and is former husband of singer Mariah Carey. He headed Sony Music Entertainment, parent of the Columbia label, for nearly 15 years.
Apart from his experience in managing music outfits, Mottola is known as a mentor and former talent manager. His most famous proteges were Hall & Oates, Carly Simon, John Mellencamp, blank">"Sony Chairman Tommy Mottola Steps Down."mtv.com _Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, Diana Ross, and Taylor Dayne in the 1970s and 1980s, Mariah Carey (his second wife) in the 1990s and Jennifer Lopez in the early 2000s. Thalía (his third wife and a famous Mexican singer) and Tommy have just celebrated the birth of their first child together, a daughter, named Sabrina Sakae. (per Associated Press dated 10/9/2007)
Mottola was born in the Bronx, New York. He attended Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, New York, graduating in 1967. He briefly attended Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York before dropping out. 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, Mottola started Champion Entertainment Organization Inc. to manage other artists. While working at the Chappell music-publishing company, he became the mentor to Philadelphia-based soul/rock performers Daryl Hall and John Oates.
His belief in the duo led him to push them relentlessly to do appearances and advertising promotions, including some of the first specialized music videos and one of the first modern "sponsored tours," for Beech-Nut's Care Free Gum, Panasonic, and Pontiac..
Hall & Oates paid tribute to him in their track "Gino (the Manager)" on their self-titled 1975 RCA release, better known as the Silver Album. Mottola also figured -- this time, being mentioned by name -- in "Cherchez La Femme," the 1976 dance hit by another Mottola act, Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. ("Tommy Mottola / Lives on the road...")
