Here's a profile and an interview Henry sent me sometime ago. I've a few other bits somewhere he sent. Henry also has his own website ands still in the business, plenty of cds on his site on offer....
https://www.henrystonemusic.com/
Industry Profile: Henry Stone
" By Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
Henry Stone has long been known around the world as one of the pioneers of the record industry. After working with vinyl, cassettes and CDs, Henry is now moving into music's digital era with worldwide digital distribution of his product on The Legendary Henry Stone label to all of the most popular digital services in the world.
In his almost six decades in the business, Henry has discovered talents that have sold millions of records and become international stars. He has formed record companies with hits so big and meaningful that they created new categories in music. Henry was born in the Bronx, N.Y. He played the trumpet, and after a stint in the Army he moved to Los Angeles where, in 1946, he started his career by selling records to jukebox operators from the trunk of his car. In 1948 he moved to Miami, Fla. and started to record and distribute the abundance of Miami doo-wop, blues, gospel and R&B artists. Henry says he "wanted to funk up the world," and he started doing just that via his own Chart, Rockin' and Glory labels.
Dabbling in production, Henry was one of the first to record Ray Charles, James Brown, Wilbert Harrison, Sam & Dave and Hank Ballard and The Midnighters. Hank Ballard and The Midnighters scored with "The Twist." In 1954 Henry entered into a deal with King Records as a 50% owner of the Deluxe Label. His first million-selling hit was The Charms' "Hearts of Stone" in 1955. Other records from that era include Otis Williams and the Charms on Rockin' Records with "Ling, Ting, Tong," "Bazoom (I Need Your Lovin')" and "Two Hearts Two Kisses;" and Nat Kendrick and The Swans (James Brown's Band) on Dade with "(Do The) Mashed Potatoes."
Henry soon launched a dozen more Miami based record labels such as Dade, Glades, Marlin and Scott in the '50s. He also founded Tone Distributors in that same year. Tone became one of the most successful independent record distribution companies, working with Atlantic Records, Motown Records, MGM, and Warner Brothers.
Regarded as brilliant at discovering and nurturing new talent, Henry's biggest worldwide successes came during the '70's with Tone Distributors and a small label called TK Records that was built into a row of warehouses in Hialeah, Fla., an industrial area west of Miami, far from the major record business centers. There he exploded with what became the number one independent record label in the world.
Henry had let two kids who were working in the warehouse experiment in the recording studio: Harry Wayne Casey, who became known as KC, and Rick Finch. They wrote the number one "Rock Your Baby," which George McCrae sang, and soon, as KC and The Sunshine Band, released their own string of number one hits such as "Get Down Tonight" and "That's The Way I Like It." With hits that kept dance floors and film soundtracks hopping, Henry and TK Records helped create and lead the disco phenomenon.
At the same time that he spearheaded the disco era, Henry and label vice president Steve Alaimo, himself a former teen idol and hit recording artist, had created another new category in music that took the world by storm: "The Miami Sound." In addition to KC and The Sunshine Band and George McCrae on the TK label, Henry's other labels included Betty Wright ("Clean Up Woman") on Alston, Timmy Thomas ("Why Can't We Live Together") on Glades , Clarence Reid ("Nobody But You Babe" on Alston, Little Beaver ("Party Down") on Cat, Peter Brown ("Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me", "Dance With Me") on Drive, Bobby Caldwell ("What You Won't Do For Love") on Cloud, Anita Ward ("Ring My Bell") on Juana, Beginning of the End ("Funky Nassau") on Alston, Foxy ("Get Off") on Drive, T-Connection ("Do What You Wanna Do") on Dash, Gwen McCrae ("Rockin Chair") on Cat, and Latimore "Let's Straighten It Out," and "Keep the Home Fire Burnin") on Glad.
Regarded as a living legend, Henry is one of the last, still active independent label executives who was one of the heavyweights with artists from the '40's, '50's and '60's, with label heads like Syd Nathan, George Goldner, the Bihari Brothers, Ewart Abner, the Erteguns, Jerry Wexler, Hy Weiss, and Morris Levy.
For decades, followers of Henry and his music from all over have made pilgrimages to Florida to meet the man who has uniquely worked with so many greats, and so many genres, for so many years. In fact, it is with the help of some of his loyal admirers that Henry has been able to find and digitize some of the old and lost rare classic records by artists like Ray Charles, James Brown, Earl Hooker, Steve Alaimo, Nat Kendrick and The Swans, Yvonne Fair, Lightnin' Hopkins and many more. On his new label, The Legendary Henry Stone Presents, many of the rare and cherished classics created by Henry are available on his site at www.henrystonemusic.com and distributed by the Orchard to all digital and mobile services around the world.
Henry recently won his claim in court that he is the owner of four original Ray Charles master recordings that were cut at his Miami studio in 1951. Henry's claim was challenged by Joe Adams, representing the estate of Ray Charles, but the estate never responded to the legal questions of ownership and the court awarded Henry the final judgment.
Henry said that back then Ray Charles was just another young musician in need of work. Though he was very good, he had not yet made a name for himself, and Henry gave him time in the studio to make the four recordings, "I Found My Baby," "Walkin' and Talkin,'" "Why Did You Go," and "I'm Wondering and Wondering."
"As was customary in those years for studio musicians," says Henry, "there were no contracts, musicians were paid as work-for-hire, and the record label owned the music recorded. There were no mega music companies and no mega music law firms; deals were man to man between honorable men in the business. The studio musicians were grateful for the work."
In 2005 Henry was awarded the first-ever Pioneer Award for the Dance Music Hall of Fame, which was presented in New York City at Spirit Nightclub. He also received the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award for the Winter Music Conference in Miami.
Why did you have so many different record labels at the same time?
When I started TK Records, I had George McCrae and KC & The Sunshine Band on the label. I started to make quite a few records and found that if I put them all on TK there would be a problem with the radio stations playing numerous TK hits, so I decided to use different labels i.e. Timmy Thomas on Glades, Betty Wright on Alston, Gwen McCrae on Cat, Peter Brown on Drive, Bobby Caldwell on Clouds and numerous other hit records on various labels. This way I was able to have five, six or seven hit records on the radio charts at the same time.
How important is dance/disco music in the history of American music?
One of the first disco hit records was the song "Rock You Baby" by George McCrae on TK. This song was number one in every disco club in the world, followed by KC & The Sunshine Band and over 20 gold and platinum disco records. So, of course, with this kind of impact and popularity, the 70's were very instrumental in making history in the music business where TK was a leader in this era. Disco left its mark not only in the music but also was part of a cultural revolution. Disco took on a life of its own and became a part of American music history.
What was it like working with Ray Charles, James Brown, Sam & Dave and Hank Ballard and the Midnighters before they were well known?
Ray Charles - In 1950 I met Ray at a hotel in Miami's Overtown. I liked how he sounded and asked him to come by my little studio and cut a few sides. He came by and at first he played and sounded a lot like Nat King Cole, and I suggested that we try and record more blues type material. He was very cooperative and said, yes, he would. And we recorded four sides, "St. Pete Florida Blues", "I'm Walkin' and Talkin'," "Wondering and Wondering" and "Why Did You Go."
James Brown - I met him in Augusta, Ga. around 1954 when I went to sign him to be on King Records, where we recorded "Please, Please, Please," which was James Brown's first hit record. He was very enthusiastic, and a dynamic performer. He was very easy to work with in the early years though he was always a perfectionist when it came to his music. We became very good friends and remain so today.
Sam & Dave - In the early 1960's in Miami there were two young guys, Sam Moore and Dave Prater, who got together and called themselves Sam & Dave. I heard them in a club in Miami and fell in love with their sound. They were eager to get a hit record and were very easy to work with. Later on I put them on Atlantic/Stax Records, where they were produced by Isaac Hayes and Dave Porter, and where they had many hits.
Hank Ballard - During my stint with Deluxe/King records I did some recording with Hank Ballard and The Midnighters. When his contract with King was up, he came to me for some advice, asking me what label I thought he should sign with. He wanted to be on a major independent label--either Chess or V-Jay. I worked out a deal for Hank to record for V-Jay Records. They asked if I would record him, and I agreed. While doing the session one of the songs he played was a blues version of "The Twist." I suggested that he put a dance beat to it which he did, and the rest is history.
Why did you sign Sam & Dave to Stax rather than one of your labels?
I made a deal with Atlantic Records to sign Sam & Dave for national release. Atlantic informed me that they would like to put Sam & Dave on the newly formed Stax Label. I agreed with the stipulation that Issac Hayes and David Porter produced it.
What did you do after TK Records' golden years?
I formed SunnyView Records and had quite a few hits. "Funky Little Beat" by Connie and the group Newcleus with their hit "Jam On It," which sold over a million records. These were two of the biggest charted records on SunnyView.
What music are you putting on the web now?
The songs and music that I'm putting on the web now are songs and masters that I recorded in the '50's,' 60's and early '70's. The artists that I have released so far are Benny Latimore, Steve Alaimo, Sam & Dave, Bobby Byrd, J.P. Robinson, David Hudson, Jimmy Bo Horne, Ray Charles, Nat Kendrick and the Swans, Miami Funk Vol. 1 and Miami Funk Vol.2, Clarence Reid, Roach Thompson as well as a collection of Blowfly CDs. These are old masters and tracks that were originally on 45's or LP's. We have digitized them for the web where I'm selling them on my website/store. And, thanks to my old business friend and industry veteran Janet Oseroff, I'm also distributing the tracks globally through the Orchard to digital download services such as iTunes, eMusic, etc.
It's very exciting seeing this great old music being released on CD through the web, where it can be accessed throughout the world. This is music that would otherwise be lost or available to only a few collectors. They're now available for all to enjoy.
How do you feel about free internet downloads?
It's terrible. It's as though you own something and someone comes along and takes it for nothing. It's not fair to the artist, the owner of the master, the writers. When people walk into a restaurant and order a cup of coffee, they pay for it. Why should they get free music? This music is how people make their living.
Why did you call your label The Legendary Henry Stone Records?
Because for many years people have called me a legend in my own lifetime for my 50+ years of work in the music business. I thought it would be a good idea to let people know that these productions were created by me and rather than just putting out another oldies CD, I thought it would hold a special interest to people to know that this is part of a collection of music that I've been a part of.
Do you plan to go back to a traditional means of distributing music with new artists and sales in stores?
At the present time I want to concentrate on my website/store and digital distribution, but I'm keeping the doors open for any future hits that may cross my path. The original Ray Charles record of "Walking' and Talkin'" that I recorded on the Rockin Records label in the 1950's is being brought into the 21st Century with a great dance remix by Christian Dio, one of the industry's top mixers. Dio has mixed for artists as like Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys and Angie Stone.
While veteran music man Sam Weiss and I were sunning ourselves in Florida, our son's Joe Stone and Michael Weiss were brought together by record industry A&R man Hosh Gureli. They joined forces and put this great project together. The remix will be released on Nervous Records for worldwide distribution. Look for this ground-breaking remix to hit the street immediately.
First concert attended
James Brown in 1955 at The Palm's Of Hallandale in Hallandale, Fla.
First concert worked
In 1958 I promoted a James Brown concert in Miami, Fla.
First industry job
In 1947, when I was discharged from the army, I went to work for the Bihari Brothers' Modern Records in California in sales and promotion.
Career highlights
In 1954 I produced my first million-selling record with the Charms on my Deluxe Label, "Heart's Of Stone." In the 1960's I owned and operated Tone Distribution. I was an independent distributor, and I distributed Atlantic Records, Motown Records, MGM, and Warner Bros. These companies were all independent companies at the time.
I also recorded pre TK several labels such as: Rockin, Chart, Dade, Dash, Alston, etc. I recorded Ray Charles, Sam & Dave, Funky Nassau, Betty Wright and many more. In the 1970's I founded TK where I produced KC and the Sunshine Band, George McCrae's "Rock Your Baby," Peter Brown, T. Connection, Foxy, Anita Ward's "Ring My Bell", and many more. All in all I had 23 gold and platinum records worldwide in the 1970's. In the 1980's I had the group Newcleus "Jam On It" and the Dance Classic "Fascinated" by Company B. In the early 1990's I had another success with my group Two Live Jews created by my son Joe Stone with the album "As Kosher As They Want To Be."
Now in the seventh decade of my career, I'm re-releasing my pre TK catalog of R&B and funk classics for its entrance into the new frontier of digital music through the Orchard the largest distributor of independent digital music. They distribute to iTunes, Napster, EMusic and many more, making my product available worldwide. I also have my own website /store where all of my product is available with artwork, stories and photos.
Career disappointments
The collapse of disco, which TK was a big part of. Disco was denounced by the media unfairly. In 1978-1979 TK Records was flying high with disco. Disco music was everywhere, and I was enjoying the sound that my label was helping to spread. Practically every disco record that I put out, whether you want to call them disco or dance, I put on the pop charts. I crossed every one of those records over from the R&B stations to the pop charts. Quite a few number ones. The disco backlash happened in 1979-80 when TK was strong, going along with hit after hit. Then came the anti-disco movement over in Chicago and that spread around the country. Then the CBS-TV news program "60 Minutes" picked up on it and said," Disco is Dead" and mentioned my company TK Records and Casablanca. The Wall Street Journal had a headline, "Disco Is Dead..." It was terrible, really. At that time I had the number one record in the world with KC's first ballad "Please Don't Go." I was just freaking out because the feedback came financially. It hurt my company, every company. The whole industry collapsed.
Greatest challenge
Taking my R&B records that I believed in and crossing them over to the pop charts.
Best business decision
In the early 1970's Jerry Wexler, vice president of Atlantic Records, informed me that Tone Distribution, along with all the other independent distributors, would no longer be distributing the Atlantic, Warner Bros. and Electra Records, which were all owned by Warner Bros. They were going to form their own WEA Distribution Company and would no longer use independent companies to distribute their product. Upon hearing this information I made the decision to go 100% into the manufacturing business and form TK Records.
Best advice you received
Stay focused on what you're doing and be aware of change.
Best advice to offer
If you believe in what you're doing, stick with it, follow your gut and do what you love to.
Most memorable industry experience
There are many. One among those is in the 1970's, receiving 23 gold and platinum records.
Favorite team/athlete
Miami Dolphins/Dan Marino because he was a great quarterback and through the years that he played, I always enjoyed watching him. He stuck with his team and always played to win.
What friends would be surprised to learn about you
That after 55 years in the record industry I'm still active and have gone into the digital world.
Industry pet peeve
When people started to download records for free, which hurts the industry.
Office paraphernalia
Most important is my computer.
If I wasn't doing this, I would be....
...still be in the music business. Music is my passion.
Industry mentor
Berry Gordy.
