Us Radio Dj's Who Ran Labels

[Roburt]

Many many radio DJ's ran / owned their own record labels -- Jimmy Bishop, LeBaron Taylor. Magnificent Montague, Skipper Lee Frazier, Lucky Cordell, Sly Stone, Bill 'Sparky' Evans, Al Perkins, E Rodney Jones, Al Bell, etc.

Another guy who ran his own label (after he relocated to Columbus) was William Moss ...

.... back in 1963 he was working in Miami for radio station WMBM (see stn poster below) .......

Has a definitive list of all the soul radio DJ's who ran labels (& the label names) ever been made ??

[Robbk]

Here are some others:

Al Benson (Parrot/Blue Lake) (Glow Star/Crash/MICA), Herman Griffith(Joker), Richard Pegue(Penny/Nickel), Richard Stamz (Fox/Foxy/Sign/Dawn), Vivian Carter (VJ), Art Laboe (Original Sound), Hunter Hancock (Swingin'), John Richbourg (Rich/Sound Stage 7), Dick Clark (Swan/Cameo/Parkway/Jamie/Guyden/Chancellor/Hunt), Alan Freed(Champagne), Dick "Huggy Boy" Hugg (Caddy), Magnificent Montague (Black Swan/Miko), Johnny Otis (Dig/Eldo), Jimmy Bishop (Arctic/Dionne/Frantic), Bill Moss (Bilesse/Capsoul), LeBaron Taylor (Revilot/Solid Hit), Al Perkins (Mier), Don McLeod (Maltese), Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg (Wheelsville USA/Premium Stuff), Ollie McLaughlin (Karen/Carla/Moira/Ruth/Omack), Kae Williams (Junior/V-Tone), E. Rodney Jones (Twinight), Ted Jarrett was a DJ in Nashville in the early '50s. He later started Ref-O-Ree Records.

There are hundreds more. These are just a few that I remember at this moment off the top of my head.

Edited September 2, 2012 by RobbK

[Jim G]

Slightly off topic but related, I am reading the Donnie Brasco story (real name Joseph Pistone) and in this his FBI colleague was an undcover agent running a record label. Apologies to mods if this off topic, but it could be interesting info also?

Edited August 30, 2012 by jim g

[Roburt]

Robb,

John Richbourg was a very obvious one that I didn't list ....... BUT I did get Magnificent Montague (though I was thinking of his Miko label).

[Robbk]

I didn't mean to pretend you didn't list any, just so I could list more. I merely re-wrote your entries to add the labels they owned or co-owned.

[Roburt]

Did the likes of Eddie O'Jay or Frankie Crocker ever own / run a label ??

They were greatly involved with groups & record labels; but did they ever actually have their own record companies ?

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

Here are some others:

Al Benson (Parrot/Blue Lake) (Glow Star/Crash/MICA), Herman Griffith(Joker), Richard Pegue(Penny/Nickel), Richard Stamz (Fox/Foxy/Sign/Dawn), Vivian Carter (VJ), Art Laboe (Original Sound), Hunter Hancock (Swingin'), John Richbourg (Rich/Sound Stage 7), Dick Clark (Swan/Cameo/Parkway/Jamie/Guyden/Chancellor/Hunt), Alan Freed(Champagne), Dick "Huggy Boy" Hugg (Caddy), Magnificent Montague (Black Swan/Miko), Johnny Otis (Dig/Eldo), Jimmy Bishop (Arctic/Dionne/Frantic), Bill Moss (Bilesse), LeBaron Taylor (Revilot/Solid Hit), Al Perkins (Mier), Don McLeod (Maltese), Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg (Wheelsville USA/Premium Stuff), Ollie McLaughlin (Karen/Carla/Moira/Ruth/Omack), Kae Williams (JR), E. Rodney Jones (Twinight)

There are hundreds more. These are just a few that I remember at this moment off the top of my head.

From your long list, Dick Clark only actually owned Hunt. Although I'm sure that he was on the payroll of every one of the other labels that you've mentioned at various times in his long and not entirely spotless career...

Didn't Kae Williams also own Junior?

The New Orleans Sho-Biz label was owned by a DJ from one of the big local R&B stations, can't remember his name offhand.

And of course, Huey Meaux was a radio DJ in Houston at variious points in his career. I couldn't even begin to start listing all the labels that he owned or had a piece of that contain soul repertoire.

[Roburt]

Profile on Bill Moss (who ran / owned Capsoul) ........

[Robbk]

I've read that after investigations, Dick Clark was found to have had % minority interests in all those record companies. I can't vouch for the accuracy of that statement. But, I did read that.

[Dave Moore]

Like Tony says, Dick Clark owned Hunt only from Johns list. He did have an interest in Jamie and Jamie/Guyden but was only a stockholder. His main revenue stream came from publishing rights.

He certainly had no stock holdings in Cameo Parkway - That was owned by Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann or Chancellor records, that was owned by Bob Marcucci. .

He was however also a 50% owner of Swan Records along with Bernie Binnick.

Regards,

Dave

A full and exhaustive account of Dick Clark's wheelings and dealings will be in the new book.

[Roburt]

You keep getting plugs for the book into threads I start Dave; maybe I should be on a % ...

........perhaps I can be a 50% owner (like Dick Clark at Swan).

..... BTW, what's the book called again ????

Edited August 30, 2012 by Roburt

[Dave Moore]

You keep getting plugs for the book into threads I start Dave; maybe I should be on a % ...

........perhaps I can be a 50% owner (like Dick Clark at Swan).

..... BTW, what's the book called again ????

Man's Gotta Do What A Man's gotta do....

Actually I've just remembered he only owned 33% of Swan. The other partners were Bernie Binnick and Tony Mammerella, his producer at American Bandstand. The story of how they missed out on The Beatles is real WTF! moment in musical history. Of course by that stage Mr Clark was long gone.

Regards,

Dave

[Dave Moore]

Thought this might be of interest. It was written in 1970 and shows the complete chasm that existed in the radio station set ups of the US and the UK. It's difficult o appreciate the importance of the radio stations in the US back in the day because we in the UK never experienced it like they did.

Regards,

Dave

[Steve G]

Yes an interesting article. Thanks.

Not sure there is anything I can use in my book though :lol:

[Robbk]

Doesn't anyone else have some other DJs to list that were record company owners and co-owners. As you can see, I only know Chicago and L.A., having lived only in those 2 cities in USA. My having lived many years in Winnipeg and Den Haag will not help this thread. Doesn't anyone know East Coast DJs from the '60s?

[Roburt]

Owning their own label came 2nd nature to Philly radio DJ's .... but I don't think it was as common in other cities down the east coast.

[Robbk]

I'd bet that A LOT more DJs (all over USA) were at least co-owners or had minority interests in record labels. So, who were some of those Philly DJs that were co-owners (we've only got Jimmy Bishop so far)?

What about all those New York, Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Miami, Atlanta. New Orleans, Denver, Houston (Besides Huey Meaux), Dallas, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Minneapolis/St. Paul.....etc.. etc.?

[Roburt]

I can't recall any of the Cleveland (soul) radio DJ's owning a local label (though they might have been involved with a tiny label that only managed 1 or 2 45 releases).

The only Baltimore radio DJ I know that had his own labels was Bill 'Sparky' Evans.

I think one of the St Louis DJ's might have been involved in the ownership of a label. BUT the main guy there, Bernie Hayes, though involved with the likes of Stax & Oliver Sain's labels (Vanessa, etc) wasn't ever a part owner as such.

The likes of Ernie Fields (WOOK in DC) might have had a label, I'd have to check through my stuff to be sure.

I'm sure some New Oleans radio DJ's must have been label owners but can't name specific names.

A couple of Miami radio DJ's made 45 tracks themselves (Nicki Lee, King Coleman) but I don't think they actually ran their own labels.

In SanFran, the Hit label (Jesse James 45's) was owned by Jesse Mason, but he was a record shop owner, not a DJ.

Don't know too much about the radio / label scene in the other cities you named.

[Robbk]

I can't recall any of the Cleveland (soul) radio DJ's owning a local label (though they might have been involved with a tiny label that only managed 1 or 2 45 releases).

The only Baltimore radio DJ I know that had his own labels was Bill 'Sparky' Evans.

I think one of the St Louis DJ's might have been involved in the ownership of a label. BUT the main guy there, Bernie Hayes, though involved with the likes of Stax & Oliver Sain's labels (Vanessa, etc) wasn't ever a part owner as such.

The likes of Ernie Fields (WOOK in DC) might have had a label, I'd have to check through my stuff to be sure.

Did Evans own or co-own any labels other than Spar?

[Roburt]

Did Evans own or co-own any labels other than Spar?

Yes, he also owned the Zennette label (named after his daughter).