Hot Wax

[Guest Netspeaky]

Found this on the net back in 2003, but seeing as not many new topics on here thought I'd post up.

The Hot Wax and Invictus labels were formed in Detroit Michigan in 1969 by

Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland and Eddie Holland. Holland-Dozier-Holland were

the most successful songwriter/producers in the world when they left the

Motown label in 1968. Because of lawsuits involving their departure from

Motown, they were prevented from recording anything until about a year

later.

They seemed to pick up right where they left off at Motown. Their first

single for Hot Wax was the Honey Cone's "While You're Out Looking For

Sugar" [Hot Wax 6901], a top-30 R&B hit. The group included Edna Wright,

Shellie Clark, and Carolyn Willis. Wright was the sister of Darlene Love

(of Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, solo recordings, and the Blossoms).

When Darlene's Blossoms developed a conflict in their schedule, Darlene

asked Edna to put together a trio to appear on an Andy Williams special as

backup singers in place of the Blossoms. Edna got Shellie Clark, who was

working on the Jim Nabors Show, and Darlene suggested Carolyn Willis, who

at one time had been with Darlene in the group Bob B. Soxx & the Blue

Jeans. The Honey Cone became the most successful and long-lasting of the

Hot Wax groups, including a huge hit, "Want Ads" [Hot Wax 7011] in 1971.

The second single on Hot Wax, "Mind, Body and Soul" [6902], was by a

black-sounding white group called the Flaming Embers. No overnight

sensations, the group had been together since 1964. The group included Lead

Singer and Drummer Jerry Plunk, keyboardist Bill Ellis, bassist Mike

Jackson, and guitarist Joe Sladich. After recording a few singles for small

labels, they signed with Detroit's Ric-Tic label in 1966, where they

recorded six singles to little success. When Ric-Tic was sold to Motown in

1968, the Flaming Embers' were released from their contract. They shopped

around for major labels, and finally signed with the new Hot Wax label

mainly on the reputation of Holland, Dozier, and Holland. After their first

top-30 hit, they charted with followup "Shades of Green" [Hot Wax 6907,

#88], then with two more top-40 tunes, "Westbound #9" [Hot Wax 7003] and

"I'm Not My Brother's Keeper" [Hot Wax 7006]. Their fourth single, "Stop

the World and Let Me Off" [Hot Wax 7010], essentially ended their radio

airplay, as the country was not ready for the record's Lesbian theme.

The next group to chart for Hot Wax was 100 Proof (Aged in Soul), which

included lead singer Clyde Wilson (Steve Mancha), Joe Stubbs (ex-Falcons

and Contours, and brother of the Four Tops' Levi Stubbs), and Eddie

Anderson (Eddie Holiday). The registered four chart singles on the Top 100,

including top-10 "Somebody's Been Sleeping" [Hot Wax 7004].

The fourth major act for Hot Wax was Laura Lee, also a veteran of the music

business. She had started in gospel groups in the 1950s, then signed with

Ric-Tic and then Chess and Cotillion in the 1960s. By 1970, she had

returned to Detroit, where she was recruited for Hot Wax. She reeled off

five top-100 sides for Hot Wax, including "Women's Love Rights" [Hot Wax

7105] and "Rip Off" [Hot Wax 7204]. In 1973, when Hot Wax finally folded

due to cash flow problems, H-D-H moved her over to their Invictus label.

The first Hot Wax label is white with black printing. The top ¬ of the

label is black with a drawing of a record on a turntable with flames coming

from it. Below the black portion is "HOT" to the left of the center hole

and "WAX" to the right in red and orange. The second Hot Wax label was

white and orange with black printing. There is a swirl of orange at the top

and bottom of the label with white in the middle. 'hot wax" in black above

the center hole. Hot Wax was distributed by Buddah.

HOT WAX ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY

Number - Title - Artist [Release Date] (Chart) Contents

HA-701 - Take Me With You - Honey Cone [1970] Sunday Morning People/Son Of

A Preacher Man/Take Me With You/Girls It Ain't Easy/You Made Me So Very

Happy/Are You Man Enough, Are You Strong Enough?//Aquarius/Take My

Love/While You're Out Looking For Sugar/My Mind's On Leaving But My Heart

Won't Let Me Go/The Feeling's Gone

HA-702 - Westbound Number 9 - Flaming Ember [1970] (8-70, #188) Spinning

Wheel/Westbound #9/Mind, Body And Soul/Shades Of Green/Going In Circles/Why

Don't You Stay//Flashbacks And Reruns/This Girl Is A Woman Now/Stop The

World And Let Me Off/Heart On (Loving You)/Where's All The Joy/The Empty

Crowded Room

HA-703

HA-704 - Someone's Been Sleeping In My Bed - 100 Proof [1970] (12-70, #151)

Somebody's Been Sleeping/Love Is Sweeter (The Second Time Around)/One Man's

Leftovers (Is Another Man's Feast)/I've Come To Save You/Ain't That Lovin'

You (For More Reasons Than One)/Not Enough Love To Satisfy//Age Ain't

Nothing But A Number/She's Not Just Another Woman/Too Many Cooks (Spoil The

Soup)/I Can't Sit and Wait (Til Johnny Comes Marching Home)/Backtrack

HA-705 - Sunshine - Flaming Ember [1971] Livin' High, Money Low/1200 Miles

From Heaven/Heart On Lovin' You/Stop The World (And Let Me

Off)/Sunshine//Gotta Get Away/I'm Not My Brother's Keeper/Ding Need Dong

(To Ding-A-Ling-A-Ding-Dong)/One Step Beyond/Ember Blues

HA-706 - Sweet Replies - Honey Cone [1971] (6-71, #137) Want Ads/You Made

Me Come To You/Blessed Be Our Love/Are You Man Enough, Are You Strong

Enough?/When Will It End/The Feeling's Gone//Sunday Morning People/Deaf,

Blind, Paralyzed/Take Me With You/My Mind's On Leaving, But My Heart Won't

Let Me Go/We Belong Together/The Day I Found Myself

HA-707 - Soulful Tapestry - Honey Cone [1972] (12-71, #72) All The King's

Horses (All The King's Men)/The Day I Found Myself/Don't Count Your

Chickens (Before They hatch)/How Does It Feel/Little More/One Monkey Don't

Stop No Show, Parts I & II/Stick Up/V.I.P./Want Ads/Who's It Gonna Be

HA-708 - Woman's Love Rights - Laura Lee [1972] (1-72, #117) Women's Love

Rights/Wedlock Is A Padlock/I Don't Want Nothin' Old (But Money)/(Don't Be

Sorry) Be Careful If You Can't Be Good/Love And Liberty/It's Not What You

Fall For, It's What You Stand For//Since I Fell For You/Two Lovely

Pillows/That's How Strong My Love Is/Her Picture Matches Mine

HA-709 - Deliciously Yours - 100 Proof (??)

HA-710 - Hot Wax Greatest Hits - Various Artists [1972] Want Ads - Honey

Cone/Somebody's Been Sleepin' - 100 Proof (Aged In Soul)/Mind Body and Soul

- Flaming Ember/Too Many Cooks (Spoil The Soup) - 100 Proof (Aged In

Soul)/Women's Love Rights - Laura Lee//Westbound #9 - Flaming Ember/Stick

Up - Honey Cone/90 Day Freeze (On Her Love) - 100 Proof (Aged In

Soul)/Frightened Girl - Silent Majority/I'm Not My Brother's Keeper -

Flaming Ember

HA-711 - The Politicians featuring McKinley Jackson - Politicians [1972]

Psycha-Soula- Funkadelic/The World We Live In/Church/Free Your

Mind/Everything Good Is Bad//A Song For You/Speak On It/Funky

Toes/Politicians Theme/Close Your Big Mouth

HA-712 - 100 Proof - 100 Proof [1972] Everything Good Is Bad/Since You Been

Gone/Nothing Sweeter Than Love/Ghetto Girl//Words/I Don't Care If I Never

Get Over You/Don't Scratch Where It Don't Itch/Don't You Wake Me/Never My

Love

HA-713 - Love, Peace and Soul - Honey Cone [1972] (9-72, #189) O-O-O Baby,

Baby/Stay In My Corner/Who's Lovin' You/A Woman's Prayer//Sittin' On A Time

Bomb (Waitin' On The Hurt To Come)/Innocent Til Proven Guilty/I Lost My

Rainbow/Ace In The Hole/Woman Can't Live By Bread Alone/Don't Send Me An

Invitation

HA-714 - Two Sides of Laura Lee - Laura Lee [1972] At Last/Crumbs Off The

Table/Every Little Bit Hurts/Empty Bed Blues/Guess Who I Saw Today//If You

Can Beat Me Rocking/Workin' And Lovin' Together/Rip Off/When A Man Loves A

Woman/If I'm Good Enough To Love (I'm Good Enough To Marry)/You've Got To

Save Me

HA-715 - Best of Laura Lee - Laura Lee [1972] Crumbs Off The Table/Love And

Liberty/Woman's Love Rights/If You Can Beat Me Rockin' (You Can Have My

Chair)/Rip Off//Since I Fell For You/At Last My Love Has Come Along/Guess

Who I Saw Today

HA-716 - Think of the Children - Satisfaction Unlimited [1973] Bright City

Lights/I Know It's Love/Spread Your Love Around/Let's Change The

Subject/Think Of The Children//Time For Us/Somebody Else's Woman/Why/Seeing

You Through the Eyes Of A Blindman/Don't Call Me, I'll Call You/Come On

Back

RELATED COMPACT DISCS:

H-D-H (US)

HCD-3902-3 - Honey Cone's Greatest Hits - Honey Cone [1990] Want Ads

(S)/Stick Up (S)/One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (S)/The Day I Found Myself

(S)/Take Me With You (S)/Woman Can't Live By Bread Alone (S)/When Will It

End (S)/While You're Out Looking For Sugar (S)/Girls It Ain't Easy

(S)/Sitting On A Time Bomb (S)/Innocent Until Proven Guilty (S)/Ace In The

Hole (S)/The Truth Will Come Out (S)/If I Can't Fly (S)

HCD-3903-2 - Laura Lee's Greatest Hits - Laura Lee [1990] Rip Off

(S)/Women's Love Rights (S)/Love And Liberty (S)/Her Picture Matches Mine

(S)/Two Lonely Pillows (S)/You've Got To Save Me (S)/I Can't Hold On Much

Longer (S)/Crumbs Off The Table (S)/Since I Fell For You (S)/Wedlock Is A

Padlock (S)/I'll Catch You When You Fall (S)/If You Can Beat Me Rockin'

(You Can Have My Chair) (S)/If I'm Good Enuff To Love (M)

HCD-3904-2 - Greatest Hits - 100 Proof (Aged in Soul) [1990] Somebody's

Been Sleeping In My Bed (S)/One Man's Leftovers (Is Another Man's Feast)

(S)/90 Day Freeze (M)/Everything Good Is Bad (S)/Not Enough Love To Satisfy

(S)/Nothing Sweeter Than Love (S)/Too Many Cooks (Spoil The Soup)

(S)/Driveway (M)/Love Is Sweeter (S)/Since You've Been Gone (S)/Don't

Scratch Where It Don't Itch (S)/I'd Rather Fight Than Switch (M)

HCD-3906-2 - The Best of the Flaming Ember - Flaming Ember [1992] Mind Body

And Soul (S)/Heart On Loving You (S)/Don't You Wanna Wanna (S)/Stop The

World And Let Me Off (S)/Westbound #9 (E)/Why Don't You Stay (E)/Sunshine

(S)/Robot In A Robot's World (M)/1200 Miles (S)/I'm Not My Brother's Keeper

(S, long version)/Shades Of Green (S)/Deserted Village (S)/Ding Need Dong

(To Ding-A-Ling-A-Ding-Dong) (S) I'm sure there's plenty of addition to above.

[Larsc]

45's discography here:

https://www.seabear.se/detroit2.htm