Obituaries : Pete Welding; Author, Producer of Jazz and Blues Records

Pete Welding, 60, record producer and executive who specialized in jazz and blues. In the early 1960s, Welding founded Testament Records, which specialized in blues, jazz and gospel music. He also produced recording sessions for the labels Prestige, Bluesville, Elektra, Arhoolie and Milestone. Welding and his partner, Lawrence Cohn, were nominated for a Grammy Award in 1993 for the album notes they wrote for “Roots N’ Blues: The Retrospective (1925-1950).” They also produced “Leadbelly (Live in Concert),” which was nominated for a Grammy as best ethnic or traditional recording in 1973. Once an editor at Downbeat, Welding wrote widely on jazz, blues, pop and rock and at the time of his death was writing a book on blues for the Smithsonian Institution. On Friday in Rancho Cucamonga of a heart attack.