Gary Usher

Gary Usher (1938-1990) was a songwriter & producer best known for his work in the 1960s California rock scene.

Though he’d been performing long before he’d ever met him, Usher first came to prominence through his work with Brian Wilson. Together, the two wrote a handful of early Beach Boys songs, including “In My Room”, before Wilson’s overbearing father forced the two apart. He’d attempt to work with Wilson once more twenty years later, but that time, Brian’s therapist Eugene Landy got between them and nothing much came of it.

He soon became known in his own right as a producer for Columbia Records, working with fellow California rock acts like Dick Dale and The Byrds. He’s also responsible for bringing famed radio comedy troupe The Firesign Theatre to Columbia. Despite this, the label fired him in 1969.

After attempting to start his own label with little success, Usher faded into the background a bit. Besides the occasional production job for local bands, his most prominent work after the ‘60s is a synth pop album he released in 1984 under the name Celestium. He passed away in 1990 at age 51 after a fight with cancer.