Joel Gibson was born to an unwed
teenage mother in Georgia, back in a day when
such a thing was not done. His mother was ostracized from her family
for her bad decision and raised him all on her own, often holding down
three jobs at one time to make sure he had everything he needed. She
even put her son through college - with no help from anyone else.
All his life, Joel wanted to become something more. He saw how hard his mother had it and he wanted to ensure that she never had to rough it again for his sake. He was determined to leave his hometown and never look back, making the world his oyster.
Joel became a bank manager in the 1970s, but there was still a place in his heart for the music industry. As far back as he could remember, he had fantasized about being Berry Gordy. He wanted a Motown of his own, but had no clue how to make such a dream a reality.
All of that changed when Joel met up with Tony Stein. He could not believe that such a talented singer/songwriter had not been snatched up by any of the major labels - they had actually rejected him - so he decided that he would do what no one else would. He would give Tony a chance. JLN Records was officially started in October of 1981, in the apartment Joel was sharing with his then-girlfriend Nina.
No one believed it could be done, but Joel Gibson and JLN Records conquered the music industry, spawning several superstars in the process, none bigger than the newly christened Tony Millerstein. Joel was extremely proud of his artists and his achievement, but he knew how fickle the business could be. He knew that you could be number one one day and in full fledged obscurity the next, so he put his entire focus on keeping JLN on top, sacrificing a lot of personal relationships in the process.
Not only did his relationships with his artists suffer - they slowly but surely grew to hate him for his slavedriver attitude - but his relationship with Nina did as well. They were married in the fall of 1985, but by the very next year, Nina had already had an affair with Logan Easton, her husband's personal secretary and close friend. Joel couldn't believe Nina would do such a thing to him, but has never let her know that he knows about her liasion. Upon learning of the affair, Joel quietly fired Logan and vowed to never speak of the incident again. Still, he has fears in the back of his mind that history may repeat itself if he doesn't do more to keep his wife happy.
At Nina's insistence, Joel finally made a decision between his family and his company in June of 1989, when he shocked the entire JLN building by resigning as President and CEO and leaving the job in Andy's questionable hands. Since then, Joel has reveled in not having to work as hard and taken some time to truly enjoy his new son Sterling and his wife... however, the itch is still there. Joel knows that Andy isn't the world's most reliable person and is banking on the fact that he will get in over his head, leaving the door open for Joel to triumphantly return to the company he loves so much.
All his life, Joel wanted to become something more. He saw how hard his mother had it and he wanted to ensure that she never had to rough it again for his sake. He was determined to leave his hometown and never look back, making the world his oyster.
Joel became a bank manager in the 1970s, but there was still a place in his heart for the music industry. As far back as he could remember, he had fantasized about being Berry Gordy. He wanted a Motown of his own, but had no clue how to make such a dream a reality.
All of that changed when Joel met up with Tony Stein. He could not believe that such a talented singer/songwriter had not been snatched up by any of the major labels - they had actually rejected him - so he decided that he would do what no one else would. He would give Tony a chance. JLN Records was officially started in October of 1981, in the apartment Joel was sharing with his then-girlfriend Nina.
No one believed it could be done, but Joel Gibson and JLN Records conquered the music industry, spawning several superstars in the process, none bigger than the newly christened Tony Millerstein. Joel was extremely proud of his artists and his achievement, but he knew how fickle the business could be. He knew that you could be number one one day and in full fledged obscurity the next, so he put his entire focus on keeping JLN on top, sacrificing a lot of personal relationships in the process.
Not only did his relationships with his artists suffer - they slowly but surely grew to hate him for his slavedriver attitude - but his relationship with Nina did as well. They were married in the fall of 1985, but by the very next year, Nina had already had an affair with Logan Easton, her husband's personal secretary and close friend. Joel couldn't believe Nina would do such a thing to him, but has never let her know that he knows about her liasion. Upon learning of the affair, Joel quietly fired Logan and vowed to never speak of the incident again. Still, he has fears in the back of his mind that history may repeat itself if he doesn't do more to keep his wife happy.
At Nina's insistence, Joel finally made a decision between his family and his company in June of 1989, when he shocked the entire JLN building by resigning as President and CEO and leaving the job in Andy's questionable hands. Since then, Joel has reveled in not having to work as hard and taken some time to truly enjoy his new son Sterling and his wife... however, the itch is still there. Joel knows that Andy isn't the world's most reliable person and is banking on the fact that he will get in over his head, leaving the door open for Joel to triumphantly return to the company he loves so much.