Born into a very strict Italian-American family, Mottola learned both disciple and a love for music. The young Mottola learned to play the trumpet and also cultivated his tenor singing voice. Utilizing his music talent and determination, Mottola released with CBS Records. However, his stint as a musician was lackluster and ultimately short-lived.

He soon became mentor to a then-unknown Philadelphia based soul group comprised of Daryl Hall and John Oates. Better known as just Hall & Oates, Mottola engineered their monumental rise from virtual unknowns to one of the most successful and popular pop duos to date.

This became apparent when he launched his aggressive marketing campaign to promote Hall & Oates. The band was relentlessly pushed to do an increasing number of advertising promotions and celebrity appearances. They also became one of the first bands to have sponsored tours, most notably for Beech-Nut’s Care Free Gum.

By 1970, with the rising fame of Hall & Oates, Mottola was becoming a formidable name in the music industry. He took charge of Champion Entertainment Organization, which promoted Mottola’s act Hall & Oates as well as John Mellencamp and Carly Simon.

he following year, Mottola was handed a demo tape by Colombia recording artist Brenda K. Starr. Initially Mottola ignored the tape, until eventually breaking down and giving it a listen. Mottola was floored by what he heard. The polished soprano was so impressive Mottola personally tracked down the singer. Signing her immediately, the unknown Mariah Carey became Mottola’s new project. 

He launched one of the most expensive campaigns to promote an unknown that the music industry had ever seen.

By 1993, the two were married in a 5 million dollar ceremony whose guests included Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Gloria Estefan, Ozzy Osbourne, and Robert De Niro. Just five short years later, the couple divorced with Carey making claims Mottola was psychologically abusive and restrictive of her freedom. Mottola went on to date other high profile celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Naomi Campbell. During his stay at Sony, Mottola also guided Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Jessica Simpson, and Destiny’s Child among others.

By January 2003, Sony was displeased with Mottola and feeling pressure to dismiss him from his post. Michael Jackson and Al Sharpton both claimed allegations of racism, and Mottola’s lavish spending habits were bad business for Sony in a time of declining profits. When Mottola was dismissed, he bought out Casablanca Records and signed Lindsay Lohan as his new act.

In Mottola’s personal life, he was married to Lisa Clark from 1971 to 1990, and the couple had two children. Three years later, Mottola and Mariah Carey were wed and subsequently divorced. 

Mottola is currently married to Mexican-born singer-actress Thalía. The two wed in December of 2000.

Let us know of updates to the Tommy Mottola biography at editor@yuddy.com