Casablanca Records
Encyclopedia
Casablanca Records was an American
record label
started by Neil Bogart
, who partnered with Cecil Holmes
, Larry Harris
, and Buck Reingold in 1973
, and based in Los Angeles
. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records
and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records
to start the venture. Casablanca had become one of the most successful labels of the 1970s, signing and releasing albums by such acts as Kiss
, Donna Summer
, The Village People, Cher
, and Parliament
featuring George Clinton
. The label's film division, Casablanca Filmworks, had hits with the movies The Deep
and Midnight Express
.
In 1977, PolyGram
Records acquired a 50 percent stake of Casablanca for $15 million, and then in 1980 it purchased the other 50 percent. Also in 1980, one of the label's biggest acts, Donna Summer, left for another record company as she and Casablanca could not come to terms on her musical direction in the new decade. That same year, Polygram pushed Bogart out of Casablanca due to what it viewed as the label's overspending and accounting irregularities. In the early 80s, with Bogart no longer heading the label, Casablanca had hits with acts Lipps Inc
and Irene Cara
, but it did not have the same level of success it had in the 70s. The label was eventually shut down by Polygram with some of the artist roster and catalogue absorbed into sister label Mercury Records
.
In 1999, Polygram (and all its subsidaries) were purchased by Seagram
, and then merged with Seagram's Universal Records
to form the Universal Music Group
. In 2000, the Casablanca Records name was revived for a joint venture between Universal Music Group and Tommy Mottola
. In a Billboard article, Mottola said that he chose the name as a homage to the original label, but that there was no actual connection between the old and new labels. Casablanca is now a part of Universal Republic Records.
, which was owned by the Viewlex Corporation. Also employed at Buddah Records were Holmes, Harris, and Reingold. Bogart had an unorthodox approach to the music business and he eventually grew tired of answering and conforming to Viewlex's business mode. In 1973, he arranged financing through Warner Bros. Records
whereas he could start his own record label, which would be a sudsidiary of Warner Bros. After much back and forth, the green light was eventually given by Warner and Bogart started the new label, bringing Harris, Holmes, and Reingold with him. Bogart called the label Casablanca as it was the name of his favorite film, and he also had the same last name as its star Humphrey Bogart
. Also, since Warner Bros. owned the rights to the title of the film Casablanca
, Bogart knew there would be no lawsuit against him regarding the name Casablanca Records. The label's first signing was the rock group KISS
, however, the label's first single was Bill Amesbury's Virginia (Touch Me Like You Do) which became a minor hit on the US Hot 100.
From the time of its inception, Casablanca didn't quite fit within the Warner scope of music, especially with the signing of a then-new act known as KISS. Neil Bogart was also quite brash and sure of himself, which rubbed some Warner staffers the wrong way. Thus, Casablanca experienced lukewarm relations with Warner Bros, its parent company. Warner manufactured and distributed albums for its own acts, as well as all its sudsidiary labels. Both Casablanca and Warner handled promotion for Casablanca artists. However, when Warner began experiencing manufacturing problems, it began focusing mainly on manufacturing albums by Warner acts and not so much the sudsidiaries. Thus, Casablanca found itself with only modest success with its releases as it had limited distribution. Once Bogart realized this, he took the issue to Warner head Mo Ostin
who had not been aware of the lack of attention being given to the sudsidiary labels. Ostin, who didn't feel strongly about the Casablanca venture anyway, decided to handle the situation by completely breaking Casablanca Records away from Warner Bros. and giving Bogart ownership of the label, thus making Casablanca an independent label. Bogart was thrilled at the opportunity to own his own record company outright and being able to make all the decisions, but he did insist on paying Warner Bros. in installment payments for the Casablanca label as opposed to taking it for free.
The now independent Casablanca Records was suddenly put in a tenuous financial situation as it still had yet to score a major hit album, and now it no longer had the backing of Warner Bros. Records. Casablanca was banking on the success of an upcoming album it was planning; a two-record set of audio highlights from television's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
. The album was entitled Here's Johnny: Magic Moments from The Tonight Show and it was released in November 1974. Although the album was certified gold by the RIAA for shipments to stores of over 500,000 copies, the album did not sell well, and returns from retailers of unsold copies were high. Even the promotional copies were returned, initiating the joke that "it shipped gold and went back to the label platinum". Casablanca had realized that even though The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was immensely popular, the show didn't carry over well to recordings.
(1974), and Dressed to Kill
(1975), but all had failed to make a big impact on the charts. The label also didn't experience heavy sales with albums by Angel
who were introduced to the label by KISS's Gene Simmons
, although that glam rock band did amass a cult following. The label would have been on the verge of bankruptcy, but Bogart decided to release a live album by KISS. Although the band's studio albums thus far had not been strong sellers, the band had a reputation of exciting live shows. Casablanca decided to try and capitalize off that reputation and it released the double-live Alive! (1975) album. It became both Casablanca's and KISS's first top ten album, being certified gold.
KISS's follow-up studio albums to Alive! were better sellers than its previous studio albums. Destroyer (1976), Rock and Roll Over
(1976), and Love Gun
(1977) were all certified platinum in the United States
. The band would release several more albums with its last studio album on Casablanca being 1982's Creatures of the Night
.
and released her album entitled Love to Love You Baby
which was certified gold. The title song
would be over 17 minutes long, and Casablanca would release the song in its entirety as a single (a shorter version would also be promoted to radio). In releasing the 17 minute version as a single, Casablanca would help make popular a format that would become known as the 12 inch. The song, which featured Summer seductively moaning and groaning, would be banned by some American radio stations (as it had been in Europe
) but still claw its way to #2 on the US Hot 100. Summer would have several gold and platinum albums on Casablanca from 1975-1979, and become the labels most successful act on the singles chart. At one point, she scored eight US top 5 singles within a two year period.
Summer would be deemed in the press as "The First Lady of Love", a moniker that she was not totally comfortable with, but one that Casablanca would continue to market to great success. Other Summer hits included "I Feel Love
", "Bad Girls
", the Oscar and Grammy
winning "Last Dance
", and the Grammy winning "Hot Stuff
". Casablanca would release the Bad Girls
album and watch it soar to double-platinum status. The label would follow that with a Summer greatest hits collection; a double-album entitled On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2
, which would also be certified double platinum, and would be Summer's last album on Casablanca.
was signed to the Casablanca label in late 1973, due to Neil Bogart's long standing relationship with group leader George Clinton
. Their relationship dates back to Bogart's period at Buddah Records. Their first official release for the label was in 1974 with the album Up For The Down Stroke
. The title song from the album gave Parliament its first top ten R&B hit. Their next album, Chocolate City sold approximately 150,000 albums in the Washington, DC area alone. But it would be their next release, Mothership Connection
, that would give the group its first gold and/or platinum album. Parliament would achieve either gold or platinum status with each album release up until 1980, as well as scoring hit singles with Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)
, Flash Light, and Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)
. The success of Parliament allowed George Clinton to develop another P-Funk
spin off act known as Parlet
.
Casablanca also financed the various extravagant P-Funk stage shows, including the "Mothership Connection/P-Funk Earth Tour" of 1976-77; as well as the Motor Booty Affair
underwater tour of 1979. Parliament were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame
.
. It was mainly overseen by Bogart's partner Cecil Holmes and the label focused on R&B, funk, and disco releases. Chocolate City's signings included the then-new acts of Cameo
and Brenda & the Tabulations
.
The offices of Casablanca Records moved onto Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles into the former A&M Records
offices. Casablanca' new offices were soon modeled after the movie set of the film of the same name. Later, the record company merged with the motion picture company Filmworks, Inc. that was headed by former Columbia Pictures
executive Peter Guber
. The new name of the company was now Casablanca Records and Filmworks, with Bogart still at its helm as President, and Gruber next in charge. Gruber would remain with the company for two years. In 1977, PolyGram Records acquired a 50% stake in the independent Casablanca, which had been quite successful for several years.
Casablanca remained very successful throughout the rest of the 1970s. But the label's rise and fall would both be dramatic instances. The rise came with the success of several acts such as Donna Summer, KISS, Parliament, and the Village People
; as well as some success from its subsidiary label and its film division. The fall began when the 1980s rolled in. The label was also known to spend lavish amounts of money on parties, events, and promotion. Although this resulted in hit albums and singles, the profit margin suffered due to the care-free spending by the label. Casablanca spent lavish amounts of money on promoting its releases, which made its artists happy, but not necessarily Polygram, which now owned a 50% stake in the label. When Casablanca's lavish spending habits were realized by Polygram, it quickly purchased the other 50% of Casablanca in 1980, and Bogart was soon released from his post. He used the money he acquired from the sale to start Boardwalk Records
and he signed rocker Joan Jett
, who had experienced some success in Japan
as a member of the group The Runaways
. But Bogart died from cancer
in 1982 and Boardwalk Records folded.
Casablanca Records was not as successful without Bogart running the company. Its only notable releases from 1980 onward were the Robin Williams
debut comedy LP Reality, What A Concept! (1981), the soundtrack to the film Flashdance
(1983), and the final three KISS LP's on Casablanca: Unmasked, Music from "The Elder" and Creatures of the Night
. Dusty Springfield
's sole release on Casablanca, 1982's White Heat
, came and went with little notice due to the label's mounting internal problems. The last album released by the label was Animotion
's Strange Behavior in 1986, which was a modest seller. By the mid-1980s, Polygram had folded Casablanca Records and some of its acts were moved over to sister labels, while other acts were dropped altogether.
purchased Polygram Records and merged it with its own music division to create the Universal Music Group
. In 2000, Universal and Tommy Mottola
partnered to launch a new record label that would be headed by Mottola and be part of Universal Music Group. Mottola chose the name Casablanca, in homage to the Casablanca Records once run by Neil Bogart. There would be no legal issue with the name as Universal owns the Casablanca Records name. The label's first release was to be a girl-group first known as "iNK", but which later changed its name to "NSS (Not So Sweet) 16". The group, however, disbanded due to internal problems.
Some of Casablanca releases included albums by Lindsay Lohan
in 2004, albums by Lohan and Brie Larson
in 2005, and by Mika
in 2007, who scored a hit with the song "Relax, Take It Easy
". Mottola's label once again become inactive when Lohan and Larson moved to other labels within the Universal family. The current website is still active, but no longer has any news posted. For a while, it was unknown if the label was still active.
In the fall of 2009, Casablanca became active again with the releases of Mika's second album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much
, and Ryan Leslie
's second album, Transition.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
started by Neil Bogart
Neil Bogart
Neil Bogart was an American record executive. He is perhaps best known as the founder of Casablanca Records, with Peter Guber....
, who partnered with Cecil Holmes
Cecil Holmes
Cecil Holmes was a co-founder of Casablanca Records and a founder of Chocolate City Records.In 1986, while working at Columbia's black music division, he signed The New Kids on the Block to their first record contract.-References:...
, Larry Harris
Larry Harris (record label exec)
Larry Harris was Executive Vice President and co-founder of Casablanca Records, with Neil Bogart, Cecil Holmes, and Buck Reingold. Harris was with the label from its inception in November 1973 through July 1979....
, and Buck Reingold in 1973
1973 in music
-January–April:*January 9 – Mick Jagger's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug conviction, putting an abrupt end to The Rolling Stones' plans to perform in Japan during their forthcoming tour.*January 14...
, and based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records
Buddah Records
Buddah Records was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding...
and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
to start the venture. Casablanca had become one of the most successful labels of the 1970s, signing and releasing albums by such acts as Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
, The Village People, Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, and Parliament
Parliament (band)
Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
featuring George Clinton
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
. The label's film division, Casablanca Filmworks, had hits with the movies The Deep
The Deep (film)
The Deep is a 1977 adventure film directed by Peter Yates and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The film stars Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, and Nick Nolte.-Plot:...
and Midnight Express
Midnight Express (film)
Released on October 6, 1978, the soundtrack to Midnight Express was composed by Italian synth-pioneer Giorgio Moroder. The score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score of 1978.Side A:#Chase – Giorgio Moroder...
.
In 1977, PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
Records acquired a 50 percent stake of Casablanca for $15 million, and then in 1980 it purchased the other 50 percent. Also in 1980, one of the label's biggest acts, Donna Summer, left for another record company as she and Casablanca could not come to terms on her musical direction in the new decade. That same year, Polygram pushed Bogart out of Casablanca due to what it viewed as the label's overspending and accounting irregularities. In the early 80s, with Bogart no longer heading the label, Casablanca had hits with acts Lipps Inc
Lipps Inc
Lipps Inc. was a studio band that achieved two significant hits, "Funkytown", in 1980 and "Designer Music", in 1981.The group was formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Steven Greenberg, who wrote and produced all of the group's music, and who also played several musical instruments...
and Irene Cara
Irene Cara
Irene Cara is an American singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.She married Hollywood stuntman...
, but it did not have the same level of success it had in the 70s. The label was eventually shut down by Polygram with some of the artist roster and catalogue absorbed into sister label Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
.
In 1999, Polygram (and all its subsidaries) were purchased by Seagram
Seagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...
, and then merged with Seagram's Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
to form the Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
. In 2000, the Casablanca Records name was revived for a joint venture between Universal Music Group and Tommy Mottola
Tommy Mottola
Thomas Daniel "Tommy" Mottola is an American music executive, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the ex-husband of Mariah Carey and is married to Mexican singer Thalía...
. In a Billboard article, Mottola said that he chose the name as a homage to the original label, but that there was no actual connection between the old and new labels. Casablanca is now a part of Universal Republic Records.
History
Neil Bogart was the head of Buddah RecordsBuddah Records
Buddah Records was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding...
, which was owned by the Viewlex Corporation. Also employed at Buddah Records were Holmes, Harris, and Reingold. Bogart had an unorthodox approach to the music business and he eventually grew tired of answering and conforming to Viewlex's business mode. In 1973, he arranged financing through Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
whereas he could start his own record label, which would be a sudsidiary of Warner Bros. After much back and forth, the green light was eventually given by Warner and Bogart started the new label, bringing Harris, Holmes, and Reingold with him. Bogart called the label Casablanca as it was the name of his favorite film, and he also had the same last name as its star Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
. Also, since Warner Bros. owned the rights to the title of the film Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
, Bogart knew there would be no lawsuit against him regarding the name Casablanca Records. The label's first signing was the rock group KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, however, the label's first single was Bill Amesbury's Virginia (Touch Me Like You Do) which became a minor hit on the US Hot 100.
From the time of its inception, Casablanca didn't quite fit within the Warner scope of music, especially with the signing of a then-new act known as KISS. Neil Bogart was also quite brash and sure of himself, which rubbed some Warner staffers the wrong way. Thus, Casablanca experienced lukewarm relations with Warner Bros, its parent company. Warner manufactured and distributed albums for its own acts, as well as all its sudsidiary labels. Both Casablanca and Warner handled promotion for Casablanca artists. However, when Warner began experiencing manufacturing problems, it began focusing mainly on manufacturing albums by Warner acts and not so much the sudsidiaries. Thus, Casablanca found itself with only modest success with its releases as it had limited distribution. Once Bogart realized this, he took the issue to Warner head Mo Ostin
Mo Ostin
Mo Ostin is a record executive who has worked for several companies, including Verve, Reprise Records, Warner Bros. Records, and DreamWorks. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 by Paul Simon, Neil Young, and Lorne Michaels...
who had not been aware of the lack of attention being given to the sudsidiary labels. Ostin, who didn't feel strongly about the Casablanca venture anyway, decided to handle the situation by completely breaking Casablanca Records away from Warner Bros. and giving Bogart ownership of the label, thus making Casablanca an independent label. Bogart was thrilled at the opportunity to own his own record company outright and being able to make all the decisions, but he did insist on paying Warner Bros. in installment payments for the Casablanca label as opposed to taking it for free.
The now independent Casablanca Records was suddenly put in a tenuous financial situation as it still had yet to score a major hit album, and now it no longer had the backing of Warner Bros. Records. Casablanca was banking on the success of an upcoming album it was planning; a two-record set of audio highlights from television's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
. The album was entitled Here's Johnny: Magic Moments from The Tonight Show and it was released in November 1974. Although the album was certified gold by the RIAA for shipments to stores of over 500,000 copies, the album did not sell well, and returns from retailers of unsold copies were high. Even the promotional copies were returned, initiating the joke that "it shipped gold and went back to the label platinum". Casablanca had realized that even though The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was immensely popular, the show didn't carry over well to recordings.
KISS
Casablanca had released three albums by KISS; Kiss (1974), Hotter Than HellHotter Than Hell
Hotter Than Hell is the second studio album from hard rock band Kiss. It was released on October 22, 1974 and was certified Gold on June 23, 1977, having shipped 500,000 copies. The album was re-released in 1997 in a remastered version...
(1974), and Dressed to Kill
Dressed to Kill (album)
Dressed to Kill is the third studio album from American hard rock band Kiss. It is unique for having been produced by Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart, as the financial situation of the label at the time did not allow the hiring of a professional producer."C'mon and Love Me" and "Rock and...
(1975), but all had failed to make a big impact on the charts. The label also didn't experience heavy sales with albums by Angel
Angel (band)
Angel is a glam rock and heavy metal band from Washington, D.C., formed in the mid-70s by Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones. They were signed to Casablanca Records, and had the image of dressing in white.-History:...
who were introduced to the label by KISS's Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
, although that glam rock band did amass a cult following. The label would have been on the verge of bankruptcy, but Bogart decided to release a live album by KISS. Although the band's studio albums thus far had not been strong sellers, the band had a reputation of exciting live shows. Casablanca decided to try and capitalize off that reputation and it released the double-live Alive! (1975) album. It became both Casablanca's and KISS's first top ten album, being certified gold.
KISS's follow-up studio albums to Alive! were better sellers than its previous studio albums. Destroyer (1976), Rock and Roll Over
Rock and Roll Over
-Personnel:*Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar , vocals*Gene Simmons - bass guitar, vocals, rhythm guitar on "Ladies Room"*Ace Frehley - lead guitar, backing vocals*Peter Criss - drums, percussion, vocals-Charts:-Certifications:...
(1976), and Love Gun
Love Gun
Love Gun is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss. It was certified platinum on June 30, 1977, just two weeks after the album's release....
(1977) were all certified platinum in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The band would release several more albums with its last studio album on Casablanca being 1982's Creatures of the Night
Creatures of the Night
Creatures of the Night is the tenth studio album by Kiss. It is the band's last album for Casablanca Records, the only label the group had ever recorded for up to that point...
.
Donna Summer
In 1975, Casablanca had signed a new artist named Donna SummerDonna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
and released her album entitled Love to Love You Baby
Love to Love You Baby
Love to Love You Baby is the second album by Donna Summer, and her first to be released internationally and in the US. Her previous album Lady of the Night was released only in the Netherlands. Love to Love You Baby was released in the US on August 27, 1975.-History:In the summer of 1975, Summer...
which was certified gold. The title song
Love to Love You Baby (song)
"Love to Love You Baby" is a song by American singer Donna Summer released in 1975 . It became one of the first ever disco hits to also be released in an extended form.-Song information and original release:...
would be over 17 minutes long, and Casablanca would release the song in its entirety as a single (a shorter version would also be promoted to radio). In releasing the 17 minute version as a single, Casablanca would help make popular a format that would become known as the 12 inch. The song, which featured Summer seductively moaning and groaning, would be banned by some American radio stations (as it had been in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
) but still claw its way to #2 on the US Hot 100. Summer would have several gold and platinum albums on Casablanca from 1975-1979, and become the labels most successful act on the singles chart. At one point, she scored eight US top 5 singles within a two year period.
Summer would be deemed in the press as "The First Lady of Love", a moniker that she was not totally comfortable with, but one that Casablanca would continue to market to great success. Other Summer hits included "I Feel Love
I Feel Love
"I Feel Love" is a song by Donna Summer, taken from her 1977 concept album I Remember Yesterday.The song constituted the "future" segment of the album, which represented a stylistic progress through time...
", "Bad Girls
Bad Girls (song)
"Bad Girls" is a 1979 single released by American singer Donna Summer, co-written by Summer and the Brooklyn Dreams. The inspiration for her to write the song came after one of her assistants was offended by a police officer who thought she was a street prostitute.A rough version of the song had...
", the Oscar and Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning "Last Dance
Last Dance (song)
"Last Dance" is a hit 1978 song by singer Donna Summer. The song appeared on the Thank God It's Friday movie soundtrack. It was written by Paul Jabara and was co-produced by Summer's regular collaborator Giorgio Moroder, along with Bob Esty...
", and the Grammy winning "Hot Stuff
Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)
"Hot Stuff" is a hit single released by American singer Donna Summer in 1979 as the first single release from her Bad Girls album through Casablanca Records...
". Casablanca would release the Bad Girls
Bad Girls (album)
Bad Girls is the seventh studio album by American pop singer Donna Summer, released April 25, 1979 on Casablanca Records. Originally issued as a double album, it incorporates such musical styles as disco, soul, and rock...
album and watch it soar to double-platinum status. The label would follow that with a Summer greatest hits collection; a double-album entitled On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2
On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2
-Charts:AlbumSingle- Certifications :...
, which would also be certified double platinum, and would be Summer's last album on Casablanca.
Parliament
ParliamentParliament (band)
Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
was signed to the Casablanca label in late 1973, due to Neil Bogart's long standing relationship with group leader George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
. Their relationship dates back to Bogart's period at Buddah Records. Their first official release for the label was in 1974 with the album Up For The Down Stroke
Up for the Down Stroke
Up for the Down Stroke is a 1974 album by Parliament. It was the band's second album , and their first to be released on Casablanca Records. The album's title track was Parliament's first chart hit and remains one of the most well-known P-Funk songs...
. The title song from the album gave Parliament its first top ten R&B hit. Their next album, Chocolate City sold approximately 150,000 albums in the Washington, DC area alone. But it would be their next release, Mothership Connection
Mothership Connection
In 2003 the TV network VH1 named Mothership Connection the 55th greatest album of all time.In 2003, the album was ranked number 274 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time....
, that would give the group its first gold and/or platinum album. Parliament would achieve either gold or platinum status with each album release up until 1980, as well as scoring hit singles with Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)
Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)
"Give Up the Funk " is a funk song by Parliament. It was released as a single under the name "Tear the Roof off the Sucker ". It was the second single to be released from Parliament's 1976 album Mothership Connection "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" is a funk song by Parliament. It...
, Flash Light, and Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)
Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)
"Aqua Boogie " is a song by funk band Parliament. Released from their 1978 album, Motor Booty Affair, it spent four weeks at number one on the R&B singles chart during the winter of 1979. However it was not as successful on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, only peaking at number eighty-nine....
. The success of Parliament allowed George Clinton to develop another P-Funk
P-Funk
P-Funk is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed...
spin off act known as Parlet
Parlet
Parlet was a female spinoff group from P-Funk formed by veteran background vocalists Mallia Franklin, Jeanette Washington and Debbie Wright. Washington and Wright were the first female members in Parliament-Funkadelic in 1975.-Studio albums:...
.
Casablanca also financed the various extravagant P-Funk stage shows, including the "Mothership Connection/P-Funk Earth Tour" of 1976-77; as well as the Motor Booty Affair
Motor Booty Affair
Motor Booty Affair is an album by funk band Parliament. Released in late 1978, it contains two of the group's most popular tracks, "Rumpofsteelskin" and "Aqua Boogie " which went to number one on the Billboard Black Singles chart. The album title refers to the music coming out of "Motor town"...
underwater tour of 1979. Parliament were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
.
Other Events
Casablanca started a subsidiary label in 1975 called Chocolate City RecordsChocolate City Records
Chocolate City Records was a record label subsidiary of Casablanca Records & Filmworks. It was started in 1975 by Cecil Holmes, Neil Bogart's partner at Casablanca...
. It was mainly overseen by Bogart's partner Cecil Holmes and the label focused on R&B, funk, and disco releases. Chocolate City's signings included the then-new acts of Cameo
Cameo (band)
Cameo is an American soul-influenced funk group that formed in the early 1970s. Cameo was initially a 13-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo to avoid a lawsuit from Ohio Players, another group from that era. Since then, Cameo has recorded several...
and Brenda & the Tabulations
Brenda & the Tabulations
Brenda & the Tabulations were an American R&B group formed in 1966 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally composed of Brenda Payton, Eddie L. Jackson, Maurice Coates and Jerry Jones.-History:...
.
The offices of Casablanca Records moved onto Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles into the former A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
offices. Casablanca' new offices were soon modeled after the movie set of the film of the same name. Later, the record company merged with the motion picture company Filmworks, Inc. that was headed by former Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
executive Peter Guber
Peter Guber
Howard Peter Guber is an American film producer and executive and Chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment...
. The new name of the company was now Casablanca Records and Filmworks, with Bogart still at its helm as President, and Gruber next in charge. Gruber would remain with the company for two years. In 1977, PolyGram Records acquired a 50% stake in the independent Casablanca, which had been quite successful for several years.
Casablanca remained very successful throughout the rest of the 1970s. But the label's rise and fall would both be dramatic instances. The rise came with the success of several acts such as Donna Summer, KISS, Parliament, and the Village People
Village People
Village People is a concept disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics....
; as well as some success from its subsidiary label and its film division. The fall began when the 1980s rolled in. The label was also known to spend lavish amounts of money on parties, events, and promotion. Although this resulted in hit albums and singles, the profit margin suffered due to the care-free spending by the label. Casablanca spent lavish amounts of money on promoting its releases, which made its artists happy, but not necessarily Polygram, which now owned a 50% stake in the label. When Casablanca's lavish spending habits were realized by Polygram, it quickly purchased the other 50% of Casablanca in 1980, and Bogart was soon released from his post. He used the money he acquired from the sale to start Boardwalk Records
Boardwalk Records
Boardwalk Records was a record label founded by Neil Bogart in 1980, after PolyGram acquired his Casablanca Records. The label had a huge hit act with Joan Jett before Neil Bogart died of cancer in 1982...
and he signed rocker Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, who had experienced some success in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as a member of the group The Runaways
The Runaways
The Runaways were an American all-girl rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among its best known songs: "Cherry Bomb", "Queens of Noise", "Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin", "California Paradise"...
. But Bogart died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1982 and Boardwalk Records folded.
Casablanca Records was not as successful without Bogart running the company. Its only notable releases from 1980 onward were the Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
debut comedy LP Reality, What A Concept! (1981), the soundtrack to the film Flashdance
Flashdance (soundtrack)
-Chart positions:AlbumSingles-References:...
(1983), and the final three KISS LP's on Casablanca: Unmasked, Music from "The Elder" and Creatures of the Night
Creatures of the Night
Creatures of the Night is the tenth studio album by Kiss. It is the band's last album for Casablanca Records, the only label the group had ever recorded for up to that point...
. Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
's sole release on Casablanca, 1982's White Heat
White Heat (album)
White Heat is the twelfth studio album recorded by singer Dusty Springfield, and eleventh released. It was only released in the United States and Canada....
, came and went with little notice due to the label's mounting internal problems. The last album released by the label was Animotion
Animotion
Animotion is a 1980s U.S. New Wave/synthpop band from Los Angeles, California best known for their songs "Obsession" , "Let Him Go", "I Engineer" and "Room to Move"...
's Strange Behavior in 1986, which was a modest seller. By the mid-1980s, Polygram had folded Casablanca Records and some of its acts were moved over to sister labels, while other acts were dropped altogether.
Official Biography
In 2009, Casablanca co-founder Larry Harris released the definitive insider's history of the label with a book entitled And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records.2000 relaunch
In 1998, SeagramSeagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...
purchased Polygram Records and merged it with its own music division to create the Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
. In 2000, Universal and Tommy Mottola
Tommy Mottola
Thomas Daniel "Tommy" Mottola is an American music executive, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the ex-husband of Mariah Carey and is married to Mexican singer Thalía...
partnered to launch a new record label that would be headed by Mottola and be part of Universal Music Group. Mottola chose the name Casablanca, in homage to the Casablanca Records once run by Neil Bogart. There would be no legal issue with the name as Universal owns the Casablanca Records name. The label's first release was to be a girl-group first known as "iNK", but which later changed its name to "NSS (Not So Sweet) 16". The group, however, disbanded due to internal problems.
Some of Casablanca releases included albums by Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
in 2004, albums by Lohan and Brie Larson
Brie Larson
Brie Larson is an American actress and pop rock singer/songwriter. She is best known for her roles in United States of Tara, Sleepover, Remember The Daze and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World...
in 2005, and by Mika
Mika (singer)
Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...
in 2007, who scored a hit with the song "Relax, Take It Easy
Relax, Take It Easy
"Relax, Take It Easy" is the debut single by British singer-songwriter Mika, from his debut album Life in Cartoon Motion. In the UK, it failed to chart upon its original release, but after "Grace Kelly" topped the charts in January 2007, it managed to peak at #67 on the UK Downloads Chart because...
". Mottola's label once again become inactive when Lohan and Larson moved to other labels within the Universal family. The current website is still active, but no longer has any news posted. For a while, it was unknown if the label was still active.
In the fall of 2009, Casablanca became active again with the releases of Mika's second album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much
The Boy Who Knew Too Much (album)
The Boy Who Knew Too Much is the second studio album by singer Mika. It was released on 21 September 2009, under Casablanca Records in the United States and Polydor and Island Records in the United Kingdom.-Background:...
, and Ryan Leslie
Ryan Leslie
Anthony Ryan Leslie, known professionally as Ryan Leslie, is a Grammy nominated American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, entrepreneur, and singer. Founder of the media company NextSelection Lifestyle Group, Leslie has produced singles for a number of artists in a variety of genres...
's second album, Transition.
Releases
- Shall We Dance?Shall We Dance? (2004 film)Shall We Dance? is a 2004 American film. It is a remake of the award-winning Masayuki Suo 1996 Japanese film, Shall We Dance?. The film made its US premier at the Hawaii International Film Festival.-Plot:...
SoundtrackSoundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
- 2004 - Speak - Lindsay LohanLindsay LohanLindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
- 2004 - Pride & Prejudice SoundtrackSoundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
- 2004 - Finally Out Of P.E.Finally Out Of P.E.Finally Out of P.E. is the debut album of American singer and actressBrie Larson. The album features 13 tracks, most of then were written by Brie, and focuses on the ups and down of being a teenager....
- Brie LarsonBrie LarsonBrie Larson is an American actress and pop rock singer/songwriter. She is best known for her roles in United States of Tara, Sleepover, Remember The Daze and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World...
- 2005 - A Little More Personal (Raw)A Little More Personal (Raw)A Little More Personal received mixed reviews from critics. The album holds a score of 50 out of 100 based on 9 critical reviews, according to the music review aggregator Metacritic...
- Lindsay LohanLindsay LohanLindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
- 2005 - Life in Cartoon MotionLife in Cartoon MotionLife in Cartoon Motion is the debut album by singer Mika, produced by Greg Wells and Mika, mixed by Greg Wells, with co-production on two songs by Jodi Marr and John Merchant, released on Island Records on 5 February 2007 in the United Kingdom, and on Casablanca Records on 27 March 2007 in the U.S....
- MikaMika (singer)Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...
- 2007 - Ryan LeslieRyan Leslie (album)-Chart positions:-External links:* * *...
- Ryan LeslieRyan LeslieAnthony Ryan Leslie, known professionally as Ryan Leslie, is a Grammy nominated American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, entrepreneur, and singer. Founder of the media company NextSelection Lifestyle Group, Leslie has produced singles for a number of artists in a variety of genres...
- 2009 - The Boy Who Knew Too MuchThe Boy Who Knew Too Much (album)The Boy Who Knew Too Much is the second studio album by singer Mika. It was released on 21 September 2009, under Casablanca Records in the United States and Polydor and Island Records in the United Kingdom.-Background:...
- MikaMika (singer)Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...
- 2009 - Transition - Ryan LeslieRyan LeslieAnthony Ryan Leslie, known professionally as Ryan Leslie, is a Grammy nominated American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, entrepreneur, and singer. Founder of the media company NextSelection Lifestyle Group, Leslie has produced singles for a number of artists in a variety of genres...
- 2009
Past Casablanca Artists
- Donna SummerDonna SummerLaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
(1975–1980) - KISSKISS (band)Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
(1973–1982) - People's ChoiceThe People's Choice (band)The People's Choice was an American funk band formed in 1971 in Philadelphia by Frank Brunson. While they had several vocalists, their biggest hits were instrumentals.-Career:...
- Bill Amesbury
- Michael SembelloMichael SembelloMichael Sembello is an American musician and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Career:Sembello was born and raised in Philadelphia. He studied with jazz great Pat Martino and began his career as a professional musician by becoming a session musician, working increasingly with...
- AngelAngel (band)Angel is a glam rock and heavy metal band from Washington, D.C., formed in the mid-70s by Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones. They were signed to Casablanca Records, and had the image of dressing in white.-History:...
- Captain & TennilleCaptain & TennilleCaptain & Tennille are American pop music recording artists who achieved chart success from 1975 to 1980. The duo consists of husband and wife duo "Captain" Daryl Dragon , and Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille . They are best known for their singles "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Do That to Me...
(1979-1980) - Rodney DangerfieldRodney DangerfieldRodney Dangerfield , was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect!," "No respect, no respect at all... that's the story of my life" or "I get no respect, I tell ya" and his monologues on that theme...
- Irene CaraIrene CaraIrene Cara is an American singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.She married Hollywood stuntman...
- Dennis ParkerDennis Parker-External links:...
- CherCherCher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
(1979–1981) - SpaceSpaceSpace is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
- CameoCameo (band)Cameo is an American soul-influenced funk group that formed in the early 1970s. Cameo was initially a 13-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo to avoid a lawsuit from Ohio Players, another group from that era. Since then, Cameo has recorded several...
- Mac DavisMac DavisMac Davis is a country music singer, songwriter, and actor originally from Lubbock, Texas who has enjoyed much crossover success...
- Ritchie Family
- Brooklyn DreamsBrooklyn DreamsBrooklyn Dreams is an American comic book limited series written by J. M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Glenn Barr. It was published by the DC Comics imprint, Paradox Press in 1994 and later collected into a trade paperback, published by DC under its Vertigo imprint.It depicts the memories of an...
- Kickin'Kickin'Kickin' is a Rick James album from 1989. It was only released in the UK as a promo via WEA.-Track listing:# "Kickin'"# "Day And Night"# "Teach Me"# "Black and White"# "Runaway Love"# "School Me"# "Anything and Everything"# "You Got it Real Good"...
- FannyFanny (band)Fanny was an American girl band, led by June Millington. They were pioneers as one of the first rock bands to feature all women, and the third to sign to a major record label, after Goldie & the Gingerbreads and The Pleasure Seekers...
- Skatt BrothersSkatt BrothersThe Skatt Brothers was a band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. They have been compared to "gay" bands like the Village People for parallels in music.-History:...
- TriggerTrigger (band)Trigger is a Serbian hard rock/heavy metal band from Belgrade.-History:The band was formed in 2005. During the same year, the band started working on the songs for their debut album, enetering the studio in 2006. The lineup changed several times during the work on the album, but became stable at...
(1978) - Hudson BrothersHudson BrothersThe Hudson Brothers are an American music group formed in Portland, Oregon in the 1970s and consisting of Bill Hudson, Brett Hudson and Mark Hudson...
- PlatypusPlatypus (band)Platypus was a progressive rock / jazz-fusion supergroup that consisted of members from Dream Theater, King's X and Dixie Dregs. The group was formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2000.-History:...
- Tony Joe WhiteTony Joe WhiteTony Joe White is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970; and "Steamy Windows", a hit for Tina Turner in 1989...
- Brie LarsonBrie LarsonBrie Larson is an American actress and pop rock singer/songwriter. She is best known for her roles in United States of Tara, Sleepover, Remember The Daze and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World...
(2004–2006) - Sylvers
- Edmund SylversEdmund SylversEdmund Theodore Sylvers was the lead singer of the 1970s family disco/soul music group The Sylvers. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Sylvers was 15 years old when he started singing with the family-based musical group, and was 18 when he sang lead on the group's biggest hit, "Boogie Fever" .Sylvers...
- 7th Wonder7th Wonder"7th Wonder" was the Maltese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002, performed in English by Ira Losco. The song is composed by Philip Vella and written by Gerard James Borg....
- Lipps IncLipps IncLipps Inc. was a studio band that achieved two significant hits, "Funkytown", in 1980 and "Designer Music", in 1981.The group was formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Steven Greenberg, who wrote and produced all of the group's music, and who also played several musical instruments...
(1980–1983) - Lindsay LohanLindsay LohanLindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
(2004–2006) - MecoMecoMeco is an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of a band or production team based around him...
- Patrick JuvetPatrick JuvetPatrick Juvet is a former model turned singer-songwriter, who had a string of hit records in France...
(1978) - David London
- Buddy MilesBuddy MilesGeorge Allen Miles, Jr. , known as Buddy Miles, was an American rock and funk drummer, most known as a founding member of The Electric Flag in 1967, then as a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys from 1969 through to January 1970.-Early life:George Allen Miles was born in Omaha, Nebraska on...
- SunshineSunshineSunshine is sunlight, the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun, especially in the visible wavelengths.Sunshine may also refer to:-Film and television:*Sunshine , a historical film directed by István Szabó...
(1978) - Love & KissesLove & KissesLove & Kisses was a 1970s disco group assembled by European producer Alec Costandinos, with a variety of male/female singers.After collaborating on Cerrone's debut album Love In C Minor , Costandinos assembled Love & Kisses in early 1977, and shortly after the group released their first album,...
- SumeriaSumeriaSumeria may refer to:*A common name for the region of city-states known in ancient Mesopotamia as Sumer....
(1978) - Stephanie MillsStephanie MillsStephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times...
(1983–1984) - Giorgio MoroderGiorgio MoroderHansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
- ParliamentParliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
- Peter NoonePeter NoonePeter Noone is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor, best known as "Herman" of the successful 1960s rock group Herman's Hermits.-Early life:...
- ParletParletParlet was a female spinoff group from P-Funk formed by veteran background vocalists Mallia Franklin, Jeanette Washington and Debbie Wright. Washington and Wright were the first female members in Parliament-Funkadelic in 1975.-Studio albums:...
- Larry SantosLarry SantosLarry Santos is an American singer-songwriter. He wrote tunes for several American pop bands in the 1960s, including the 1963 #3 hit "Candy Girl" for The Four Seasons. In the mid-Sixties, he recorded a few singles as part of a group called The Madisons, as well as under his own name...
- StallionStallion (band)Stallion was an American pop rock group, from Denver, Colorado, U.S. They were a one-hit wonder, only scoring in 1977 with "Old Fashioned Boy ", which peaked at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart....
- Santa EsmeraldaSanta EsmeraldaSanta Esmeralda is a U.S./French Disco group formed in the 1970s, which earned a #1 club hit in 1977 with a cover version of the song "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood".-Mr. "Misunderstood":Leroy Gómez was born in Wareham, Massachusetts of Cape Verdean descent...
- Dusty SpringfieldDusty SpringfieldMary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
(1982) - The Village People (1977–1980)
- Robin WilliamsRobin WilliamsRobin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
- LightningLightningLightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
- Pattie BrooksPattie BrooksPattie Brooks is an American singer most frequently associated with the disco era. She was born in Fort Riley, Kansas to a military family. Her first break came in 1968 when she auditioned for the chorus on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour". In the next decade she became a sought-after backing...
- MantraMantraA mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
- Teri DeSarioTeri DeSarioTeri DeSario is a singer/songwriter from Miami, Florida. DeSario worked within several music genres out of high school. She was vocalist, played recorder and harp from 1970 - 1977 with a Medieval and Renaissance music group, the Early Music Consort, headed by scholar and Pro Musica member Arnold...
(1978–1980) - Alec R. CostandinosAlec R. CostandinosAlec R. Costandinos, is a French singer and artist of the 70's. He was also intimately involved as a writer, publisher and musician in the development of Aphrodite's Child with Vangelis and Greek-born pop singer, Demis Roussos...
(1977–1978) - D.C. LaRue (1979–1981)
- Wade NicholsWade NicholsWade Nichols, aka Dennis Parker, was an American actor and singer who started his acting career in pornographic movies.His first feature film role was probably in the 1975 gay adult film Boynapped!...
(1979) - Roberta KellyRoberta KellyRoberta Kelly is an African American singer, who scored three hits on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart between 1976 and 1978...
(1976–1978) - SunshineSunshine (band)Sunshine is a disco act whose members include the real-life sisters of singer Donna Summer . Their 1978 number one Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play hit "Take It to the Zoo," which was featured on the "Thank God It's Friday" film and soundtrack, was co-written by Summer , who also sings...
(1978) - Harvey ScalesHarvey ScalesHarvey Scales is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. Scales has been active in the music industry since the 1960s, and has composed songs for groups with a long standing history in the industry as well such as The Dells, The Dramatics, and The O'Jays...
- Paul JabaraPaul JabaraPaul Jabara was an American actor, singer, and songwriter of Lebanese ancestry. He wrote Donna Summer's "Last Dance" from Thank God It's Friday and Barbra Streisand's song "The Main Event/Fight" from The Main Event...
(1977–1979) - The Four Tops (1981–1982)
- Dr. Hook (1980–1982)
- Loose ChangeLoose ChangeLoose change or Loose Change may refer to:* An English expression that refers to small amounts of coins of low value* Loose Change , films about the September 11, 2001 attacks* Loose Change , a 1977 non-fiction book by Sara Davidson...
(1979) - Tony OrlandoTony OrlandoMichael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis , better known as Tony Orlando, is an American show business professional, best known as the lead singer of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn in the early 1970s. Discovered by producer Don Kirshner, Orlando had songs on the charts in 1961 when he was 16, "Halfway to...
(1979–1982) - Gloria Scott (1974-?)
- The SylversThe SylversThe Sylvers were a popular R&B/soul and disco family group during the 1970s. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, the family would later relocate to Watts, California.- Beginnings :...
(1978-1979)