US media sources are reporting the recent death of American music biz executive WENDELL BATES. Details are limited but it’s known that Wendell suffered a serious accident in 2016. It seems he fell from a ladder whilst pruning trees and he was left with spinal cord injuries that left him paralyzed with very limited mobility, speech and feelings. Various go-funding initiatives were set up to help pay his medical bills. It’s to be assumed, therefore, that his recent death was a consequence of his injuries.
Wendell will be best remembered in the music business for the role he played in promoting Sussex Records. Label boss Clarence Avant brought him in at the start of the label’s existence and he was particularly responsible for helping to break Bill Withers into the mainstream.
