Hi Records
Encyclopedia
Hi Records was a Memphis soul
and rockabilly
label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris
, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producer
s for Sun Records
), and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce.
Hi Records' first big hit was "Smokie Part 2", an instrumental by The Bill Black Combo in 1959. Black was a bass player
with Elvis Presley
and a long time friend of Ray Harris. Founder Claunch was forced out of the label, selling his share in 1960 to Carl McVoy
(Jerry Lee Lewis
' cousin), who had been involved with label since its first recording and worked with Bill Black. Willie Mitchell joined the label that year as a recording artist. He later went on to produce Al Green
in 1968. Bill Black's saxophonist, Ace Cannon
, landed a hit with the single "Tuff" in 1961.
Hi Records' commercial peak was in the 1960s and 1970s, widely due to the innovative and highly successful work of Al Green. Other artists on the label, including O. V. Wright and Ann Peebles
, did not reach the same level of success. In 1970, when founder Joe Cuoghi died and Ray Harris retired, Nick Pesce became president and Willie Mitchell was made vice-president.
The label's music was mostly recorded at Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios
, located in a renovated movie theater in South Memphis
. The label was distributed nationally by London Records
. The label used a house backing band of local session musician
s, known as the Hi Rhythm Section
, on its numerous hit recordings of the 1970s. The popularity of disco
music in the late 1970s led to an eventual decline in the popularity of the label's Memphis soul style.
In 1977, Pesce sold the label to Cream Records
owned by Al Bennett. The label was operated by his daughter, Adalah Bennett Shaw, from 1989 until her death in 2008.
Licensed distribution is by Crimson Productions in Europe
; EMI
licensed the catalog in Canada
and the United States until 2009 when Fat Possum Records
began distributing for the United States, Canada
and Australia
.
Memphis soul
Memphis soul, also known as Memphis Sound, is stylish, funky, uptown soul music that is not as hard-edged as Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn lines, organ, bass, and a driving...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris
Ray Harris
Ray Harris was an American rockabilly musician and songwriter. He formed a band with Wayne Powers, and wrote the songs "Come On, Little Mama" and "Greenback Dollar, Watch and Chain". He eventually recorded these at Sun Records with Sam Phillips. He has also produced artists at Hi Records...
, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s for Sun Records
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
), and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce.
Hi Records' first big hit was "Smokie Part 2", an instrumental by The Bill Black Combo in 1959. Black was a bass player
Bass Player
Bass player can refer to:*Bass Player , an album by Rhombus*Bass Player , a magazine for bassists*Bassist, or bass player, a musician who plays the bass guitar...
with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and a long time friend of Ray Harris. Founder Claunch was forced out of the label, selling his share in 1960 to Carl McVoy
Carl McVoy
Carl McVoy was an American pianist.McVoy was cousin to the younger Jerry Lee Lewis. He had been to New York with his father, who had been a minister there. McVoy got hooked on boogie-woogie while in New York, which he subsequently brought back to Pine Bluff, Arkansas...
(Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
' cousin), who had been involved with label since its first recording and worked with Bill Black. Willie Mitchell joined the label that year as a recording artist. He later went on to produce Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
in 1968. Bill Black's saxophonist, Ace Cannon
Ace Cannon
John "Ace" Cannon is an American tenor and alto saxophonist. He played and toured with Hi Records stablemate Bill Black’s Combo, and started a solo career with his record "Tuff" in 1961, using the Black combo as his backing group. "Tuff" hit #17 on the U.S...
, landed a hit with the single "Tuff" in 1961.
Hi Records' commercial peak was in the 1960s and 1970s, widely due to the innovative and highly successful work of Al Green. Other artists on the label, including O. V. Wright and Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label...
, did not reach the same level of success. In 1970, when founder Joe Cuoghi died and Ray Harris retired, Nick Pesce became president and Willie Mitchell was made vice-president.
The label's music was mostly recorded at Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios
Royal Studios
Royal Studios is a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Established in 1956, it is one of the oldest continuously operated music recording studios in the world....
, located in a renovated movie theater in South Memphis
South Memphis, Memphis
South Memphis, one of the oldest portions of Memphis, Tennessee, is a vast community stretching from downtown to the Mississippi state line. In its early days, it was primarily an agrarian community...
. The label was distributed nationally by London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
. The label used a house backing band of local session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s, known as the Hi Rhythm Section
Hi Rhythm Section
The Hi Rhythm Section was most notably the house band for hit soul albums by several artists, including Al Green and Ann Peebles, on Willie Mitchell's Hi Records label in the 1970s. The band included the three Hodges brothers, Charles Hodges , Leroy Hodges , and Mabon "Teenie" Hodges , together...
, on its numerous hit recordings of the 1970s. The popularity of disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music in the late 1970s led to an eventual decline in the popularity of the label's Memphis soul style.
In 1977, Pesce sold the label to Cream Records
Cream Records
Cream Records is a record label started by Alvin Bennett in 1968, after he sold Liberty Records to Transamerica Corporation. In 1977, it acquired Hi Records from Willie Mitchell...
owned by Al Bennett. The label was operated by his daughter, Adalah Bennett Shaw, from 1989 until her death in 2008.
Licensed distribution is by Crimson Productions 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...
; EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
licensed the catalog in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States until 2009 when Fat Possum Records
Fat Possum Records
Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording hitherto unknown Mississippi blues artists . Recently, Fat Possum has signed younger rock acts to its roster...
began distributing for the United States, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
External links
- Official site
- http://www.jukenjamm.com/juke/photos/hi/hi.html
- http://members.aol.com/Zeeuw1/harris.htm
- http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/joe_cuoghi.htm
- Unofficial web site about Hi Records