David Stein, LI record executive, dies at 70

Malverne record executive David Stein was instrumental in bringing the Scottish pop band Bay City Rollers to the United States.

He brought the teenage pop group, which had been gaining notoriety in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s, to the attention of famed music promoter and producer Sid Bernstein, family said.

Bernstein helped to usher in the British Invasion to America by introducing such rock bands as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. And Bernstein was on the lookout for similar acts.

Stein, Bernstein's longtime associate, suggested the Bay City Rollers, boarding a flight to Edinburgh, Scotland, and eventually premiering the band stateside in 1975 on sports broadcaster’s Howard Cosell’s short-lived "Saturday Night Live" television show.

The group eventually topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts with their single “Saturday Night.”

“Bernstein once said that David had the best ear in the music industry,” said Barbara Pastore of Malverne, Stein’s partner for the past 15 years.

Stein died at Long Island Jewish Hospital on July 23 from spinal surgery complications. He was 70.

Stein was born in the East New York section of Brooklyn on March 11, 1948, family said.

Those who knew him best said his love for music came naturally.

“It was something about music,” Pastore said. “He loved the lyrics more than music.”

Throughout his career, Stein hung around and worked with some of the brightest in the music industry.

He even brokered a deal in the 1970s for Cousin Brucie, then a popular New York City disc jockey known as DJ Bruce, to move from WABC to WNBC, according to family and reports.

Later in his career, he opened record stores in Cedarhurst and Oceanside and managed The Dynomiters, another teen pop group, family said.

He had amassed nearly 50,000 records in his basement at the time of his death, family said.

Stein also had been a friend of comedian Jerry Lewis, family said.

“I’m going to miss everything about him. He was my better half. He was everything,” Pastore said.

Friends said Stein made an impact as a record executive.

“He was very instrumental in music,” said Vito Turso of Queens, a friend of Stein. “He had a long career with people in music.”

“He was a caring, smart man. And he was very, very good at trivia,” Turso said.

Away from music, Stein had a strong religious background. His father was a founder of The Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach.

His funeral was held July 25 at the Boulevard-Riverside Chapels in Hewlett. Stein was buried at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont. He is survived by Pastore.