Rick Chertoff

In 1992, Chertoff started his Blue Gorilla label at Polygram to allow him the opportunity to get back to concentrating in the studio on a select roster of artists. Blue Gorilla immediately performed well, exceeding expectations, with Joan Osborne' Relish, a multi-platinum album and worldwide smash which also garnered an amazing 7-Grammy nominations, including 'producer of the year'.

In 1980, Chertoff joined Columbia Records, rising to Senior Vice President of A&R in 1989. Over the next three years, while heading the A&R department, he oversaw the creative efforts of dozens of careers. He signed artists such as The Band and Sophie B. Hawkins, and brought in label deals such as the successful Ruff House Records which resulted in albums from The Fugees, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Kris Kross, and Cypress Hill.

Richard E. Chertoff (born March 29, 1950 in New York, NY) is an American five-time Grammy-nominated producer responsible for such hits as Joan Osborne's "One of Us", Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time" and Sophie B. Hawkins' "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover". Both Cyndi Lauper's album She's So Unusual and Joan Osborne's album Relish were debut albums that garnered multi-platinum sales and multiple Grammy nominations. Chertoff was nominated twice for 'album of the year', twice for 'record of the year' and also for 'producer of the year.'