With a career spanning 40 years, Robert (Bob) Cutarella is a Grammy-winning producer, writer, and publisher with over 160 platinum records to his name. But beyond the accolades, Bob’s story is one of relentless grit, from surviving cancer to playing drums for the Mafia and discovering some of the biggest hits in American history.
The Sky is the Limit: Dreaming in a Blue-Collar World
Bob grew up in a hardworking, blue-collar neighborhood in Queens where dreaming wasn’t exactly the local pastime. According to Bob, most people in his community didn’t dream, and if they did, they certainly didn’t speak about it. However, seeing local guys find success gave him the blueprint he needed to believe that he could make it happen, too.
Bob’s career didn’t start in a corporate office; it started with 80 rejections. He recounts the grueling process of trying to record a dance song during the disco era. After being turned away from 80 studios because they lacked the funds, they finally found a space to record.
“Going into the studio for the first time with an arranger, a string section… and being called the producer… we were just sitting there like we had that shit eating grin on our faces like, oh, we made it.”
Even though he had to drive two hours to play a gig immediately afterward, that moment at age 24 defined his path. His advice for anyone starting out? “Find a way to do it. You’ve gotta find a way.”
The Ear for a Hit: Discovering Celine Dion
Perhaps one of the most shocking “sliding doors” moments in music history is how Celine Dion’s first American hit, “Where Does My Heart Beat Now,” almost never happened. Bob held the song for two years, pitching it to powerhouse voices like Bonnie Tyler and Laura Branigan.
When he finally brought it to a Sony executive in Canada, the feedback was scathing: “Average song, average singer.” Bob didn’t back down. He took the track two floors away to Epic Records, where the head of the label loved it and moved to release it immediately.
“When you believe in something… I’m just going to hammer it to death. I mean, I’m just going to fight and fight and fight with it. I grew up in the streets, and you fought for what you wanted.”
The Power of “Out of the Box” Pairings
Bob’s success is rooted in his instinctual ability to pair artists with songs in ways no one else would imagine. One of his proudest achievements involved a dream about Sam Cooke that led to a legendary collaboration on a Les Paul record.
By convincing the estate to release original vocals, Bob paired Sam Cooke with guitar icons Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. It was a project that took ten years of persistence to get Les Paul to agree to, eventually earning Bob two Grammys and nine nominations.
Bob is currently finalizing his book, “Mentor,” which distills his life of networking and industry secrets into “14 Greatest Hits” of advice. Be on the lookout for that book, and a future screenplay about his time playing drums for the Mafia.