Peter Krass

Jack Daniel Featured on CNBC

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Krass) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:07:00 +0000

OK, so I said I wouldn't be posting very often and it has indeed been a while, however you define while. Meanwhile, ol' Jasper "Jack" Daniel remains a hot topic. He was featured on CNBC's Titan series with yours truly providing some commentary. I was so proud of CNBC because they worked in the true story of why Jack called his whiskey Old No. 7! A story the distillery and big brother Brown Forman won't accept - except they didn't exactly deny it in the Titan's program. Go to the link and explore the program - it's pretty darn good.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/43882466

On a side note. An old acquaintance of mine and quintessential Jack fan recently shot me an email with a Jack revelation courtesy of an old timer with ancestral roots in Lynchburg going back to Jack's time. According to this old timer, Jack never married because he was sterile! Ergo, no need to plan on a dynasty and he could philander without worry! I apologize for taking this to the lowest common denominator, but sometimes dry history needs jazzed up a bit, and remember the county in which JD is made is DRY!

WSJ on Jack Daniel's

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:52:00 +0000

For those of us who live in our own backwoods or don't give a damn about the corporate state that engineered a hostile takeover of US of A, Inc. somewhere along the way and and therefore don't subscribe to the Wall Street Journal (owned by an Aussie no less), here's a link to the WSJ article on why the JD distillery aka Brow-Forman changed the iconic black label on their whiskey bottle. (Well, that was a mouthful of a sentence.)   

No doubt the WSJ reporter enjoyed his boondoggle (see below), but all in all I think the JD flunkies like Mr. Eddy (whom I once met and was a nice guy and was enjoying life in a plush Nashville-area office) could have been pushed a little harder. Not that we're talking Whiskeygate mind you.

Conclusion: the mere mention of my book in the WSJ is cause for celebration so a little Jack is in order and at 12:21 PM I've made an executive decision to retire with a bottle for the day. Later I'll check Amazon to see if the 8-year old book cracked the top 500,000 rank in sales, although I imagine it'll be doing better in Amazon's used book market where I don't get a cent of royalty. (Thanks Mr. Bezos for your brilliance.) Now where's that bottle?

The Truth About Jack Daniel

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:02:00 +0000

A funny thing happened about a month ago: A Wall Street Journal reporter called me. It was pretty exciting because I'd been living in my pajamas and drinking more wine than I should have for several days during a boycott against life (meaning the lousy New England weather).

The reporter asked me, "Do you feel some redemption?"

I was like for what? Did I do something good, 'cause I don't feel good?

Apparently the Jack Daniel's Distillery had decided to change the iconic black label on their bottle. They were planning to remove certain statements such as JD being the oldest registered distillery in the U.S., the year it was founded (1866) and other marketing hooha. The JD folks were claiming that they were doing it to "clean up" a cluttered label. But how curious that they should be eliminating a couple "facts" that they built their marketing message around.

Why should I care? Because when researching my book, Blood & Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel, I had discovered documents that offered irrefutable evidence that Jack hadn't started his own business (in partnership with local church deacon Dan Call) until 1875 and hadn't struck out on his own until 1877, and that there dozens upon dozens of distilleries founded prior, among other erroneous facts the corporate suits at JD parent company Brown-Forman had spun into their story.

Well, when I had brought this to the attention of the JD/Brown-Forman folks, they didn't want to hear any of it and I became a person non grata. Me posting fliers all around their corporate headquarters probably didn't help! Nor did my phone call to the Associated Press that resulted in a nice story stating my case. So what gives now? Why the label change? That's what the WSJ reporter wanted to know and was about to embark on a little gumshoe work deep in the woods of Tennessee.

Check out this article and you'll see the JD folks and Brown-Forman have been pretty cagey and evasive about why they're making the changes. We'll see if our WSJ gumshoe, who recently returned from the backwoods of TN, can get to the truth and whether I should indeed feel a sense of redemption.

photos: top is Jack with his men circa early 1890s and bottom is the man himself.

The Book of Business Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Krass) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:14:00 +0000

The Book of Business Wisdom
Classic Writings by the Legends of Commerce and Industry

Looking to improve every facet of your business career? In the Book of Business Wisdom, more than 50 business legends, past and present, share their passion for excellence and their views on success in business. Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Edison vividly depict the personal qualities required for success; David Ogilvy and Jack Welch share secrets on leadership; Andy Grove and Sam Walton propound on good management; John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford explain the need for a gunslinger's spirit; and Peter Lynch and Muriel Siebert illuminate what it takes to succeed on Wall Street.

CLICK HERE to see this book at Amazon.

The Business Wisdom Series: Little Book

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:38:00 +0000

The Little Book of Business Wisdom

Rules for Success from More than 50 Business Legends

Short on time, but need help across the board? The Little Book of Business Wisdom brings together the most brilliant and successful managers, leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and CEOs, who offer decisive tips and rules on how to succeed and how to stay ahead. Barnum, Dell, Drucker, Gates, Vernon, Mondavi, Pickens, Templeton, and Wanamaker are among the more than 50 stars featured.

CLICK HERE to see this book at Amazon.

The Business Wisdom Series: Management

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:37:00 +0000

The Book of Management Wisdom

Classic Writings by Legendary Managers

Overwhelmed by events, multiple tasks, and people at work? Drawing on their personal experiences, the world-class managers in the Book of Management Wisdom offer a range of practical advice, case studies, humorous anecdotes, and management philosophy. Among the 53 classic essays, Sam Walton propounds on boosting productivity, Andy Grove on confrontation, Alfred Sloan on structure, Lee Iacocca on meetings, and Henry Ford on man and machine.

CLICK HERE to see this book at Amazon.

The Business Wisdom Series: Entrepreneurs

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:36:00 +0000

The Book of Entrepreneurs' Wisdom
Classic Writings by Legendary Entrepreneurs

Want what it takes to become an elite entrepreneur? The Book of Entrepreneurs' Wisdom answers the question with classic essays by Warren Avis, Richard Branson, George Eastman, Steve Jobs, Kim Polese, and Lillian Vernon, among more than 50 pioneers, past and present. The start-up, securing venture capital, strategy and managing risk, branding - it's all there. CLICK HERE to see the book at Amazon.

The Business Wisdom Series: Investing

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:35:00 +0000

The Book of Investing Wisdom
Classic Writings by Great Stock Pickers & Legends of Wall Street

Looking for a sound path in today's market chaos? In the Book of Investing Wisdom, 46 of the greatest stock-pickers and legends of Wall Street instruct on the art of investing and avoiding the perils. There's Bernard Baruch on negotiating market slumps, Peter Bernstein on investing for the long-term, Peter Lynch on bagging the big score, and, of course, Warren Buffett on finding that special company with a superb track record.

CLICK HERE to see this book at Amazon.

The Business Wisdom Series: Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:34:00 +0000

The Book of Leadership Wisdom
Classic Writings by Legendary Business Leaders

Want those vital, yet sometimes intangible leadership qualities? From leading change to dealing with adversity, from creating vision to inspiring employees, from instigating revolution to cultivating company culture, the 52 classic essays contained in the Book of Leadership Wisdom span the entire range of essential leadership issues. You'll hear from Carnegie, du Pont, Getty, Perot, and Welch, among other cutting edge visionaries.

CLICK HERE to see this book at Amazon.

Carnegie

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:27:00 +0000

In this compelling biography, Peter Krass paints a portrait of a genius, a villain, and an emotionally troubled man.

CARNEGIE offers an insightful look at the life and mind of Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), a complex man whose contradictions divided America during the Gilded Age. Krass captures the drama of the times amid the burgeoning industrial empires of John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan and others while revealing the essence of a man torn between building his own fortune on the backs of his workers and pioneering the philanthropy movement in America.

From his first job as a $1.20 per week bobbin boy in a Pittsburgh cotton mill, Carnegie came to be regarded as a ruthless tyrant and the greatest American capitalist whose business deals with Rockefeller and Morgan in the 1890s netted him millions. For his extraordinary generosity, Carnegie set the standard for social conscience, even advising Rockefeller on setting up trusts and foundations. In his lifetime, Carnegie gave away a staggering $350 million. In creating the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, he revolutionized higher education. His benefactions include the Carnegie Corporation, Carnegie-Mellon University, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Art Museum, Carnegie Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, as well as nearly 3,000 public libraries across the country.

In writing this first full biography of Carnegie in 30 years, Peter Krass has separated fact from legend by relying heavily on letters, diaries and other writings by primary and peripheral characters in Carnegie's life, extensive archives, and materials previously unavailable to biographers, including critical letters between Carnegie and his top lieutenant and nemesis, Henry Clay Frick.

In CARNEGIE, Krass takes a hard look at his subject while resisting the temptation to either demonize or canonize him. He penetrates the public persona of the ruthless empire-builder and tireless crusader for universal literacy and world peace to show a figure full of internal conflict and contradiction who ultimately made a lasting contribution to civilization.

Krass, whose great-grandfather worked in a Carnegie steel mill, has published seven previous books and is currently working on a biography of whiskey baron Jack Daniel. He lives in Hanover, New Hampshire with his wife and children.

Blood & Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:26:00 +0000

In the first ever biography of the man who created America's most famous whiskey, Peter Krass uncovers the legend of Jack Daniel. BLOOD & WHISKEY: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JACK DANIEL (Wiley; Shipping April 23; $24.95 Cloth) is a compelling exploration into the life of the Tennessee whiskey baron and marketing genius. While forced to resort to moonshining in the desperate years after the Civil War, Jack went on to win the Gold Medal at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair with his Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey. Today, Jack Daniel's remains a powerful brand with worldwide recognition.

Through painstaking research, Krass not only depicts the charismatic distiller with a penchant for diamonds and young ladies, but definitively answers a mystifying question that has plagued whiskey raconteurs and the Jack Daniel Distillery company alike: Why did Jack call his whiskey Old No. 7? Krass also unravels other mysteries, such as when Jack actually established his distillery. It was not in 1866 nor the first in Tennessee to be registered with the Federal government as the company claims today.

Born and raised in Lynchburg, Tennessee, Jack (1849-1911) lost his mother shortly after his birth and then his father during the Civil War. Orphaned at age 14, he ran away from his mean-tempered stepmother and found refuge with a local lay minister who also happened to distill whiskey, an interesting mix of spirits. After learning all he could about distilling, Jack struck out on his own. It was an uphill battle as he fought against domineering competitors, crusaders for prohibition, and corrupt government officials in the tumultuous South.

Krass captures the drama of the times – rampant political corruption, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, and the travails of rural small town life – as BLOOD & WHISKEY: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JACK DANIEL tantalizes the reader with the colorful history of a man who tasted every batch of whiskey until retirement in 1907. Borrowing a page from flamboyant P. T. Barnum, Jack was an innovative marketer, who always sported his signature outfit – linen shirt, silk vest, bowtie, knee length frock coat, and high rolled planter's hat – and used balloon launches, square bottles, and stunts like sending a keg of whiskey to Queen Victoria to promote his whiskey.

Ignorance, Confidence & Filthy Rich Friends: The Business Adventures of Mark Twain, Chronic Speculator and Entrepreneur

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:24:00 +0000

There have been many books on Mark Twain, but none have fully developed his rabid entrepreneurial side and pursuit of great wealth in the spirit of the robber barons until now. In Ignorance, Confidence, and Filthy Rich Friends, Peter Krass explores this oft-neglected side of Twain's life as he uncovers his rollercoaster ride through America's Industrial Revolution. Krass not only captures Twain's rich experiences, but his voice, which was acerbic and hilarious, gloomy and exuberant, painfully blunt yet always instructive.

Twain founded his own publishing house where he made a killing of $2.5 million in today's dollars by publishing General Ulysses S. Grants memoirs. He was a venture capitalist who made significant investments in some 20 start-up firms and inventions; a Wall Street investor with a sizable stock portfolio; a pioneer in salesmanship; a brilliant public speaker; and a hard-nosed negotiator. He even set aside writing Huckleberry Finn to focus on his own inventions.

From his tremendous breadth of experience, Twain became a savvy businessman in his own right and befriended tycoons like Andrew Carnegie and Henry "Hell Hound" Rogers, the latter John D Rockefeller's right hand man. But he made his blunders too that put him on the brink of personal bankruptcy. Krass captures the drama in a unique business narrative that follows Twain's evolution as an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and passionate investor.

Portrait of War: The U.S. Army's First Combat Artists and the Doughboys' Experience in WW I

noreply@blogger.com (svend) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:23:00 +0000

Eight U.S. soldiers witnessed more of the American fighting experience during World War I than any other U.S. participant, military or civilian. Their harrowing mission was a groundbreaking event in the annals of U.S. military history: They were the first combat artists recruited by the army, with the purpose of making a historical record of war.

Although they had no military training, these soldier-artists were commissioned captains and entered the war determined to capture "the shock and loss an d bitterness and blood of it." Relying on their letters, diaries, interviews, and, of course, their artwork, in PORTRAIT OF WA R: The U.S. Army's First Combat Artists and the Doughboys' Experience in WW I (Wiley, Fall 2006) Peter Krass tells their gripping story, which is, at the same time, a richly textured recounting of the soldier's experience. What emerges is a fresh and unique perspective on World War I.

Unlike imbedded journalists confined to their assigned units, these highly regarded artists were given passes that allowed them to travel freely; so, at great personal risk, they alone witnessed all major American action. They came under fire and charged through burning wheat fields as they pushed to the front along the Marne River, where the Americans were making a desperate stand. They penetrated hallowed Belleau Wood, where the Marines fell in waves and the stench of blood overwhelmed them. They painted while standing among the dead during the terrifying Meuse-Argonne Offensive. And they went "over top" to fully comprehend the soldier's experience. Through it all they recorded their encounters in letters, diaries, and sketchbooks.

Amidst the carnage and chaos, the artists were also forced to battle with the General Staff in Washington, who wanted art conducive to conducting a propaganda campaign. The artists' rendering of grim realism hardly served as propaganda, but they were determined to show the truth of war. A dramatic story with many dimensions, PORTRAIT OF WAR has a humorous element, too, as these untrained captains attempted to adapt to military life. By building a compelling narrative interwoven with a blues motif and by including more than 40 pieces of the artists' work, Krass brings the reader into the trenches, into battle with the soldiers, and into the combat artists' lives as they struggle to survive what was at times a surreal experience that changed them forever.