It didn’t take long for Thomas “Tom” R. Draper to make his mark in the music industry. Draper, who grew up in Detroit with his three siblings, quickly went from selling washers and dryers, televisions and refrigerators at RCA Appliances in Taylor, MI to the RCA record division in New York, in the promotions department of the company’s newly established Black Music Division, eventually becoming the Vice-President of A&R.
In 1975, Warner Bros. Records in Burbank, CA came calling and hired Draper to manage marketing and promotion. During his 12-year tenure from 1975-1987, Draper solidified his place in the music industry when he was credited with taking Warner Bros. Records’ black artist roster, which had only a few recording artists at the time, and within a few short years developing it into the #1 label for Black music and jazz music, surpassing all other major labels.
Draper’s leadership led to a number of artists’ careers soaring including George Benson, Larry Graham & Graham Central Station, Al Jarreau, Zapp, Bootsy Collins, Funkadelic, Chaka Khan, Prince, The Time, The Family, Apollonia, Vanity 6, Morris Day, Tom Tom Club, Club Nouveau, Change, David Sanborn, Club Nouveau, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Candi Staton, Curtis Mayfield, The Impressions, Deodato, James Ingram, Patti Austin, Quincy Jones, Ice-T, The Staples Singers, Eugene Record and LeRoy Hutson.
The parent company, Time Warner, took notice and by 1987, Draper was their corporate Vice-President. His social causes included the Children’s Defense Fund and the Institute for Black Parenting. He was a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. His career as a Black music executive at RCA Records and Warner Bros. Records is documented in the Tom Draper Collection 1970-1998, which can be found within Indiana University’s Archives of African American Music & Culture in Bloomington, Indiana.
Draper retired to Panama City, FL, and lived in Atlanta, GA until his death on October 25, 2019. Legends are defined by their work and how it impacts the culture. We remember Thomas “Tom” R. Draper so others don’t forget. #livinglegendsfoundation30 #blackmusicmonth #culturecreator #rootedinblackmusic