Music Row Executive Charlie Fach Passes

Charles Edward Fach Jr., former Mercury Records Executive VP of A&R died on Monday, April 25 at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage , TN at the age of 82. A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 7, 2PM at the Hermitage Funeral Home , Nashville, TN.

Charles Fach  was born on September 10, 1928 to Charles E. Fach and Anna (nee Stark) Fach in Camden, NJ. He was raised in Pennsauken, NJ and attended Amon Heights Elementary and Merchantville High School. He served in the U.S. Navy as a radioman during WWII from 1946-1948 and attended Ursinus College where he graduated with a BA in Business in 1952.

Fach began his career in the music business in 1952 at RCA in Camden designing business forms. He was quickly promoted to regional sales manager and served as marketing director for several years. In the late 1950’s, Fach joined Mercury records and in 1961 he became President of their subsidiary label Smash. As the head of Smash, he worked closely with artists like Roger Miller, Bruce Channel, the Angels, and the Left Bank. Fach went on to become Executive VP of A&R at Polygram records where he successfully developed the careers of Bachman-Turner-Overdrive, Kool and the Gang, the Bar-kays, and the Ohio Players. In 1979, Fach moved to Nashville to head Musiverse, a production subsidiary of Polygram, where he was executive producer of several country albums with George Burns, including the single “I Wish I Was 18 Again”, written by Sonny Throckmorton. He also had two top ten hits with the Kendalls on Mercury Records (via MusiVerse) with  “Before I Cheat” and “If You’re Waiting On Me, You’re Backing Up.” In the early 1980s, Fach started his own label, Compleat Records, which produced several top ten singles with Vern Gosdin including the #1 hit “I Can Tell By the Way You Dance (You’re Gonna Love Me Tonight)” and “If You’re Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right)” .

Fach is survived by his ex-wife Marcia of Hermitage, his son Charles of Hermitage, his daughter Kimberly Lawson of Gig Harbor, WA., three grandchildren, Nick Mareno, Mariah O’Brien, and Sophia Lawson, one sister, Joan (Edward) Praplaski of Wayne, PA, and several cousins. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the ASPCA or the Grammy Foundation.

Charlie Fach (R) with (L-R) Buddy Killen, Burt Reynolds and Bobby Goldsboro.

(L-R) Robert Metzgar, Charlie Fach and Sonny Throckmorton celebrating last year after Fach’s second hip replacement surgery.