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{{Short description|American record label founded 1962}}
{{Short description|American record label founded 1962}}
{{Multiple issues|
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{{More citations needed|date=March 2013}}
{{Advert|date=May 2024}}
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{{More citations needed|date=March 2013}}}}
{{Infobox record label <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Music -->
{{Infobox record label <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Music -->
| name = Malaco Records
| name = Malaco Records
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| founder = Tommy Couch<br />Mitchell Malouf
| founder = Tommy Couch<br />Mitchell Malouf
| distributor = Malaco Music Group
| distributor = Malaco Music Group
| genre = [[Gospel music|Gospel]], [[R&B]], [[soul music|soul]], southern soul, blues, Americana, country
| genre = [[Gospel music|Gospel]], [[R&B]], [[soul music|soul]], [[southern soul]], [[blues]], [[funk]], [[roots music]]
| country = U.S.
| country = U.S.
| location = <!-- headquarters city and state -->
| location = <!-- headquarters city and state -->
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}}
}}


'''Malaco Records''' is an American [[independent record label]] based in [[Jackson, Mississippi]], United States,<ref name="LarkinBlues">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Blues]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1995|edition=Second|isbn=0-85112-673-1|pages=253/4}}</ref> that has been the home of various major [[blues music|blues]] and [[gospel music|gospel]] acts, such as [[Johnnie Taylor]], [[Bobby Bland]], [[Mel Waiters]], [[Z. Z. Hill]], [[Denise LaSalle]], [[Latimore (musician)|Latimore]], [[Dorothy Moore]], [[Little Milton]], [[Shirley Brown]], [[Tyrone Davis]], [[Marvin Sease]], and the [[Mississippi Mass Choir]]. It has received an historic marker issued by the Mississippi Blues Commission to commemorate its important place on the [[Mississippi Blues Trail]].<ref name="Trail">{{Cite web|url=http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/malaco-records|title=Malaco Records|website=Msbluestrail.org|access-date=2020-03-06}}</ref>
'''Malaco Records''' is an American [[independent record label]] based in [[Jackson, Mississippi]], United States,<ref name="LarkinBlues">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Blues]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1995|edition=Second|isbn=0-85112-673-1|pages=253/4}}</ref> that has been the home of various major [[blues music|blues]] and [[gospel music|gospel]] acts, such as [[Johnnie Taylor]], [[Bobby Bland]], [[Latimore (musician)|Latimore]], [[Z. Z. Hill]], [[Denise LaSalle]], [[Dorothy Moore]], [[Little Milton]], [[Shirley Brown]], [[Tyrone Davis]], [[Marvin Sease]], and the [[Mississippi Mass Choir]]. It has received an historic marker issued by the Mississippi Blues Commission to commemorate its important place on the [[Mississippi Blues Trail]].<ref name="Trail">{{Cite web|url=http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/malaco-records|title=Malaco Records|website=Msbluestrail.org|access-date=2020-03-06}}</ref>


A [[Tornado outbreak of April 14–16, 2011|tornado]] on April 15, 2011, destroyed much of the company's main building and studio at 3023 West Northside Drive in Jackson, Mississippi, which have since been re-built.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=14457925 |title=Storm destroys Malaco Records - MSNewsNow.com |website=Wlbt.com |date=2013-03-22 |access-date=2013-03-27}}</ref>
A [[Tornado outbreak of April 14–16, 2011|tornado]] on April 15, 2011, destroyed much of the company's main building and studio at 3023 West Northside Drive in Jackson, Mississippi, which have since been re-built.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=14457925 |title=Storm destroys Malaco Records - MSNewsNow.com |website=Wlbt.com |date=2013-03-22 |access-date=2013-03-27}}</ref>
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Another Malaco gamble in the late 1970s was targeting the gospel market again with the [[Jackson Southernaires]]. The gamble paid off, and other premium gospel artists signed on, including the [[Soul Stirrers]], [[The Sensational Nightingales]], [[The Williams Brothers (gospel group)|The Williams Brothers]], The Truthettes, Willie Banks and the Messengers and the [[Angelic Gospel Singers]].<ref name="LarkinBlues"/> The Southernaires's Frank Williams became Malaco's Director of Gospel Operations, producing virtually every Malaco gospel release until his death in 1993. By 1977, songwriters, artists, and producers from the defunct Stax Records were knocking on Malaco's doors, including [[Eddie Floyd]], [[Frederick Knight (singer)|Frederick Knight]], The Fiestas, and [[David Porter (musician)|David Porter]].<ref name="Source"/>
Another Malaco gamble in the late 1970s was targeting the gospel market again with the [[Jackson Southernaires]]. The gamble paid off, and other premium gospel artists signed on, including the [[Soul Stirrers]], [[The Sensational Nightingales]], [[The Williams Brothers (gospel group)|The Williams Brothers]], The Truthettes, Willie Banks and the Messengers and the [[Angelic Gospel Singers]].<ref name="LarkinBlues"/> The Southernaires's Frank Williams became Malaco's Director of Gospel Operations, producing virtually every Malaco gospel release until his death in 1993. By 1977, songwriters, artists, and producers from the defunct Stax Records were knocking on Malaco's doors, including [[Eddie Floyd]], [[Frederick Knight (singer)|Frederick Knight]], The Fiestas, and [[David Porter (musician)|David Porter]].<ref name="Source"/>


By this time, Malaco had stopped trying to compete with mainstream labels. However, Malaco could make a tidy profit selling between 25,000 and 50,000 units.<ref name="Source"/> Starting with [[Z. Z. Hill]], Malaco became the center for old-time blues and soul artists.<ref name="LarkinBlues"/> Hill released the single "Cheating in the Next Room", which reached R&B No. 19 in 1982.<ref>[http://www.discogs.com/ZZ-Hill-Cheating-In-The-Next.../235 ]{{dead link|date=July 2016}}</ref> Hill's album, ''Down Home Blues'', sold over 500,000 copies, before he suddenly died in 1984.<ref name="LarkinBlues"/> Hearing [[Johnnie Taylor]] sing at the funeral service, Tommy Couch invited Taylor to become Malaco's new flagship artist.<ref name="Source"/>
By this time, Malaco had stopped trying to compete with mainstream labels. However, Malaco could make a tidy profit selling between 25,000 and 50,000 units.<ref name="Source"/> Starting with [[Z. Z. Hill]], Malaco became the center for old-time blues and soul artists.<ref name="LarkinBlues"/> Hill released the single "Cheating in the Next Room", which reached R&B No. 19 in 1982.<ref>[http://www.discogs.com/ZZ-Hill-Cheating-In-The-Next.../235]{{dead link|date=July 2016}}</ref> Hill's album, ''Down Home Blues'', sold over 500,000 copies, before he suddenly died in 1984.<ref name="LarkinBlues"/> Hearing [[Johnnie Taylor]] sing at the funeral service, Tommy Couch invited Taylor to become Malaco's new flagship artist.<ref name="Source"/>


[[Denise LaSalle]] charted fourteen times in the 1970s. After 29 chart entries for other labels, blues guitarist [[Little Milton]] signed with Malaco in 1984.<ref name="Source"/> Little Milton's first Malaco single "The Blues is Alright" re-established his presence as a major blues artist, and solidified Malaco's reputation as the contemporary southern blues company.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} In 1985, Malaco signed [[Bobby Bland]]. He had notched up 62 ''Billboard'' R&B chart records in 25 years.
[[Denise LaSalle]] charted fourteen times in the 1970s. After 29 chart entries for other labels, blues guitarist [[Little Milton]] signed with Malaco in 1984.<ref name="Source"/> Little Milton's first Malaco single "The Blues is Alright" re-established his presence as a major blues artist, and solidified Malaco's reputation as the contemporary southern blues company.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} In 1985, Malaco signed [[Bobby Bland]]. He had notched up 62 ''Billboard'' R&B chart records in 25 years.
Line 43: Line 45:
Bobby Bland had a hit album, ''Midnight Run'', on the US soul album chart in 1989. Johnnie Taylor had his final hit on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Black Singles]] chart in 1990. In 1996, the label signed the Chicago-based soul singer, [[Tyrone Davis]] to the label, almost 30 years after his first major hit "[[Can I Change My Mind]]", an [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|R&B]] No. 1.<ref name="Source"/>
Bobby Bland had a hit album, ''Midnight Run'', on the US soul album chart in 1989. Johnnie Taylor had his final hit on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Black Singles]] chart in 1990. In 1996, the label signed the Chicago-based soul singer, [[Tyrone Davis]] to the label, almost 30 years after his first major hit "[[Can I Change My Mind]]", an [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|R&B]] No. 1.<ref name="Source"/>


In 2005, the owners decided to sell this studio because they were having difficulty keeping the studio booked. The building was bought by a film and television production company.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/64002/historic-muscle-shoals-sound-studios-closes |title=Historic Muscle Shoals Sound Studios Closes |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=February 23, 2005 |website=Billboard.com|access-date=January 17, 2017 |quote=the last four years saw a sharp decline in outside projects. When computer and hard-disk recording really got cheap and better at the same time, it just knocked the socks off a lot of studios, [Muscle Shoals] included," he says. It was just a very difficult thing to compete with.}}</ref>
In 2005, the owners decided to sell the studio in Sheffield because they were having difficulty keeping it booked. The building was bought by a film and television production company.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/64002/historic-muscle-shoals-sound-studios-closes |title=Historic Muscle Shoals Sound Studios Closes |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=February 23, 2005 |website=Billboard.com|access-date=January 17, 2017 |quote=the last four years saw a sharp decline in outside projects. When computer and hard-disk recording really got cheap and better at the same time, it just knocked the socks off a lot of studios, [Muscle Shoals] included," he says. It was just a very difficult thing to compete with.}}</ref>


==Malaco studio destroyed==
==Malaco studio destroyed==
Line 49: Line 51:


==Gospel==
==Gospel==
Clearly the dominant contemporary southern blues label, Malaco purchased the gospel division of Savoy Records in 1986. Now, Malaco was also the preeminent black gospel company in North America. The Savoy acquisition brought a vast catalog of recordings, including albums by [[Shirley Caesar]], Rev. [[James Cleveland]], [[Albertina Walker]], [[The Caravans]], and [[Inez Andrews]]. In further expansion moves that year, Malaco entered the world of [[telemarketing]]. Malaco's gospel labels under Jerry Mannery, and Savoy Records under Milton Biggham, earned multiple honors, including Billboard designations as Top Gospel Label and Top Gospel Distributor, while the artists received numerous awards (Grammy, Stellar, Soul Train, and Gospel Music Workshop), as well as Billboard Top Gospel Artist of the Year designations.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} The company also dominated Billboard Gospel charts, achieving No. 1 rankings by [[Keith Pringle]], [[Walter Hawkins]], Rev. James Moore, The [[Mississippi Mass Choir]], and [[Dorothy Norwood]].
Clearly the dominant contemporary southern blues label, Malaco purchased the gospel division of Savoy Records in 1986. Now, Malaco was also the preeminent black gospel company in North America. The Savoy acquisition brought a vast catalog of recordings, including albums by [[Shirley Caesar]], Rev. [[James Cleveland]], [[Albertina Walker]], [[The Caravans]], and [[Inez Andrews]]. In further expansion moves that year, Malaco entered the world of [[telemarketing]]. Malaco's gospel labels under Jerry Mannery, and Savoy Records under Milton Biggham, earned multiple honors, including Billboard designations as Top Gospel Label and Top Gospel Distributor.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} The company also dominated Billboard Gospel charts, achieving No. 1 rankings by [[Keith Pringle]], [[Walter Hawkins]], Rev. James Moore, The [[Mississippi Mass Choir]], and [[Dorothy Norwood]].


==Malaco Music Group==
==Malaco Music Group==
Malaco's market focus widened dramatically in 1995. Songwriter/producer Rich Cason cut "Good Love" with Johnnie Taylor. In 1996, Taylor's eighth album for Malaco, ''Good Love!'', reached number one on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Top Blues Albums]] chart (No. 15 R&B), and was the most commercially successful album in Malaco's history.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
Malaco's market focus widened dramatically in 1995. Songwriter/producer Rich Cason cut "Good Love" with Johnnie Taylor. In 1996, Taylor's eighth "album" for Malaco, ''Good Love!'', reached #15 on [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] R&B album chart.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}


In 1997, Malaco was without a distribution deal and formed Malaco Music Group, which consists of Malaco Records and its subsidiaries. The company continued its steady, prudent expansion, purchasing half of the Memphis-based distributor [[Select-O-Hits]] and also making inroads into the [[urban contemporary]], [[jazz]], and contemporary [[Christian music|Christian]] markets.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
In 1997, Malaco was without a distribution deal and formed Malaco Music Group, which consists of Malaco Records and its subsidiaries. The company continued its steady, prudent expansion, purchasing half of the Memphis-based distributor [[Select-O-Hits]] and also making inroads into the [[urban contemporary]], [[hip hop]], and contemporary [[Christian music|Christian]] markets.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}


Malaco Records has been designated as a marker on the [[Mississippi Blues Trail]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues_marker_list|title=List of Blues Trail Markers|website=Msbluestrail.org|access-date=January 31, 2010}}</ref> The company continue to release records in the 21st century.
Malaco Records has been designated as a marker on the [[Mississippi Blues Trail]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues_marker_list|title=List of Blues Trail Markers|website=Msbluestrail.org|access-date=January 31, 2010}}</ref> The company continue to release records in the 21st century.


==Labels under Malaco==
==Labels under Malaco==
*[[Atlanta International Records]]
*[[Chimneyville Records]]
⚫
*Freedom Records
*J-Town Records
*Malaco Jazz Records
*Muscle Shoals Sound
*Muscle Shoals Sound Gospel
*Gospel Savoy Records
*Waldoxy Records
*Mainstreet Records
*Jambalya Music
*[[Savoy Records]]
*[[Savoy Records]]
*[[Juana Records]]
*[[Apollo Records (1944)|Apollo Records]]
*[[Apollo Records (1944)|Apollo Records]]
*[[Onyx Records]]
*[[Shurfine Records]]
*[[Shurfine Records]]
⚫
*[[Juana Records]]
*[[601 Records]]
*[[601 Records]]
*[[Onyx Records]]
*[[Atlanta International Records]]


==Artists==
==Artists==
Line 72: Line 84:
{{col-3}}
{{col-3}}
*[[Angelic Gospel Singers]]
*[[Angelic Gospel Singers]]
* [[Anita Ward]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.madeinmississippi.us/malaco-music-group/|title=Malaco Music Group|website=Madeinmississippi.us|date=12 August 2014|access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>
*[[Anita Ward]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.madeinmississippi.us/malaco-music-group/|title=Malaco Music Group|website=Madeinmississippi.us|date=12 August 2014|access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>
*[[Blind Boys of Alabama]]
*[[Blind Boys of Alabama]]
*[[Bobby Bland]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Bobby Bland]]<ref name="Source"/>
Line 79: Line 91:
*[[The Caravans]]
*[[The Caravans]]
*[[Clara Ward]] & The Famous Ward Singers
*[[Clara Ward]] & The Famous Ward Singers
* Clyde Bradley Singers
*[[The Controllers (R&B band)|The Controllers]]
*[[The Controllers (R&B band)|The Controllers]]
*[[The Davis Sisters]]
*[[The Davis Sisters]]
*[[Denise LaSalle]]
*[[Denise LaSalle]]<ref name="Source"/>
* Dolores Barrett & Her Sisters
*[[Dondria]]
*[[Dondria]]
*[[Dorothy Moore]]<ref>Carpenter, Bil. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/misty-blue-mw0000074799 Review for ''Misty Blue'']. ''Allmusic''. Retrieved February 21, 2020.</ref>
*[[Dorothy Moore]]<ref>Carpenter, Bil. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/misty-blue-mw0000074799 Review for ''Misty Blue''] Allmusic. Retrieved February 21, 2020</ref>
*[[Dorothy Norwood]]
*[[Dorothy Norwood]]
*[[Dottie Peoples]]
*[[Dottie Peoples]]
*[[Eddie Floyd]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Eddie Floyd]]<ref name="Source"/>
* Ernie Johnson
*[[Fern Kinney]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Fern Kinney]]<ref name="Source"/>
* Floyd Taylor<ref name="Trail"/>
* Floyd Taylor<ref name="Trail"/>
* Formula 5
*[[Mississippi Fred McDowell]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Mississippi Fred McDowell]]<ref name="Source"/>
* Freedom<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/freedom-mn0001239328 Freedom(funk band)] allmusic Retrieved 17 October 2024</ref>
* Freedom
*[[G. C. Cameron]]
*[[G. C. Cameron]]
*[[George Jackson (songwriter)|George Jackson]]
*[[George Jackson (songwriter)|George Jackson]]
{{Col-3}}
{{Col-3}}
*[[Grady Champion]]
*[[Grady Champion]]
* Imperial Gospel Singers
*[[Jackson Southernaires]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Jackson Southernaires]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[James Cleveland]]
*[[James Cleveland]]
*[[James Moore (singer)|James Moore]]
*[[James Moore (singer)|James Moore]]
* Jason Turner
*[[Jean Knight]]
*[[Jean Knight]]
*[[Jekalyn Carr]]
*[[Jekalyn Carr]]
* Jewel Gospel Signers
* Jimmy Jones & The Sensationals
*[[Johnnie Taylor]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Johnnie Taylor]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Keith Pringle]]
*[[Keith Pringle]]
* Keri Leigh
*[[King Floyd]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[King Floyd]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[LaShun Pace]]
*[[LaShun Pace]]
* La' Keisha
*[[Larry Hamilton (musician)|Larry Hamilton]]
*[[Larry Hamilton (musician)|Larry Hamilton]]
*[[Latimore (musician)|Latimore]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soul-patrol.com/newsletter/2006/news3/latimore.html|title=Soul-Patrol Salutes Soul Music Icon Benny Latimore & his New CD: The Early Years|website=Soul-patrol.com|access-date=20 February 2020}}</ref>
*[[Latimore (musician)|Latimore]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soul-patrol.com/newsletter/2006/news3/latimore.html|title=Soul-Patrol Salutes Soul Music Icon Benny Latimore & his New CD: The Early Years|website=Soul-patrol.com|access-date=20 February 2020}}</ref>
* Lil' Nikki
*[[Little Milton]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Little Milton]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Luther Ingram]]
*[[Luther Ingram]]
Line 126: Line 127:
*[[Mel Waiters]]
*[[Mel Waiters]]
{{Col-3}}
{{Col-3}}
⚫
* [[Mississippi Mass Choir]]
* Mosley and Johnson
* Mosley and Johnson<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mosley-johnson-mn0000927797 Mosley and Johnson] allmusic Retrieved 21 October 2024</ref>
* Natural High
* Natural High (band)<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/album/last-soul-company-box--mw0000044337 Last Soul Company (Box)] allmusic Retrieved 19 October 2024</ref>
*[[Pilgrim Jubilees]]
*[[Pilgrim Jubilees]]
* Power (band)<ref>[https://www.malaco.com/product/power/ Power] allmusic Retrieved 17 October 2024</ref>
* Power
*[[Robert Anderson (singer)|Robert Anderson]]
*[[Robert Anderson (singer)|Robert Anderson]]
*[[The Roberta Martin Singers]]
*[[The Roberta Martin Singers]]
Line 135: Line 137:
*[[Ruby Wilson]]
*[[Ruby Wilson]]
*[[Shirley Brown]]<ref name="Trail"/>
*[[Shirley Brown]]<ref name="Trail"/>
* Sho-Nuff<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sho-nuff-mn0000752732 Sho-Nuff] Allmusic Retrieved 23 October 2024</ref>
* Sho-Nuff
*[[Slim & the Supreme Angels]]
*[[Slim & the Supreme Angels]]
*[[Sounds of Blackness]]
*[[Sounds of Blackness]]
* The Florida Mass Choir
⚫
*[[Mississippi Mass Choir]]
*[[The Sensational Nightingales]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[The Sensational Nightingales]]<ref name="Source"/>
* The Violinaires
*[[The Williams Brothers (gospel group)|The Williams Brothers]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[The Williams Brothers (gospel group)|The Williams Brothers]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Tina Campbell]]
*[[Tommy Tate (musician)|Tommy Tate]]
*[[Tommy Tate (musician)|Tommy Tate]]
*[[Tyrone Davis]]<ref name="Source"/>
*[[Tyrone Davis]]<ref name="Source"/>
* Vick Allen
*[[Willie Banks (musician)|Willie Banks]]
*[[Willie Banks (musician)|Willie Banks]]
*[[Willie Clayton]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-and-blues-mw0000801455/releases |title=Soul and Blues - Willie Clayton : Releases |website=[[AllMusic]] |date=2008-11-04 |access-date=2013-03-27}}</ref>
*[[Willie Clayton]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-and-blues-mw0000801455/releases |title=Soul and Blues - Willie Clayton : Releases |website=[[AllMusic]] |date=2008-11-04 |access-date=2013-03-27}}</ref>

Latest revision as of 08:07, 23 October 2024

Malaco Records
Parent companyMalaco Music Group
Founded1962 (1962)
FounderTommy Couch
Mitchell Malouf
Distributor(s)Malaco Music Group
GenreGospel, R&B, soul, southern soul, blues, funk, roots music
Country of originU.S.
Official websitewww.malaco.com

Malaco Records is an American independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi, United States,[1] that has been the home of various major blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, Latimore, Z. Z. Hill, Denise LaSalle, Dorothy Moore, Little Milton, Shirley Brown, Tyrone Davis, Marvin Sease, and the Mississippi Mass Choir. It has received an historic marker issued by the Mississippi Blues Commission to commemorate its important place on the Mississippi Blues Trail.[2]

A tornado on April 15, 2011, destroyed much of the company's main building and studio at 3023 West Northside Drive in Jackson, Mississippi, which have since been re-built.[3]

Company history

[edit]

Beginnings: 1962–1975

[edit]

Malaco (/ˈmæləkoʊ/ MAL-ə-koh) Inc. was founded in 1962 by Tommy Couch and Mitchell Malouf,[1] initially as a booking agency.[4] In 1967, the company opened a recording studio in a building that remains the home of Malaco. Experimenting with local songwriters and artists, the company began producing master recordings. Malaco needed to license their early recordings with established labels for national distribution. Between 1968 and 1970, Capitol Records released six singles and a Grammy Award-nominated album by Mississippi Fred McDowell. Revenue from record releases was minimal, however, and Malaco survived doing jingles, booking bands, promoting concerts, and renting the studio for custom projects.[4]

In May 1970, a bespectacled producer-arranger changed the struggling company's fortune. Wardell Quezergue made his mark with New Orleans stalwarts Fats Domino and Professor Longhair, among others. Quezergue offered to supply Malaco with artists in return for studio time and session musicians.[4] Quezergue brought five artists to Jackson in a borrowed school bus for a marathon session that yielded two hits – King Floyd's "Groove Me" and Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff." But the tracks met rejection when submitted to Stax and Atlantic Records for distribution. Frustrated, Malaco released the King Floyd tracks on its own Chimneyville label. When "Groove Me" started radio play and sales, Atlantic picked the record up for distribution after all, giving Malaco a label deal for future Chimneyville product.[4] "Groove Me" entered the national charts in October, going to No. 1 on the US Billboard R&B chart and No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1971, Chimneyville scored again with King Floyd's "Baby Let Me Kiss You" (No. 5 R&B and No. 29 Pop). Meanwhile, Stax decided to take a chance on "Mr. Big Stuff", selling over two million copies on the way to No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 2 pop.[4]

Malaco's studio and session musicians were now in demand. Drummer James Stroud, bassist Vernie Robbins and guitarist Jerry Puckett were the nucleus of the Malaco Rhythm Section, later joined by keyboardist Carson Whitsett. Atlantic sent the Pointer Sisters among others for the Malaco touch; Stax sent Rufus Thomas and others. In January 1973, Paul Simon recorded "Learn How to Fall" for his There Goes Rhymin' Simon album. Later that year, Malaco released its first gospel record, "Gospel Train" by the Golden Nuggets on Atlantic's Cotillion label. Also in 1973, King Floyd's "Woman Don't Go Astray" made No. 5 R&B.[4]

When Dorothy Moore recorded "Misty Blue" in 1973, Malaco got rejection slips trying to shop the master to other labels. Two years later, Malaco was just about broke and desperate for something to sell. With just enough cash to press and mail out the record, "Misty Blue" was released on the Malaco label just before Thanksgiving.[4][1]

Golden era: 1976–1985

[edit]

Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue" earned gold records around the world, peaking at No. 2 R&B and No. 3 pop in the US, and No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart in 1976.[4] This was followed by thirteen chart records. Moore got four Grammy Award nominations in her career. Other signings to the label included funk bands such as Freedom, Natural High, Power, and Sho-Nuff.[5]

Another Malaco gamble in the late 1970s was targeting the gospel market again with the Jackson Southernaires. The gamble paid off, and other premium gospel artists signed on, including the Soul Stirrers, The Sensational Nightingales, The Williams Brothers, The Truthettes, Willie Banks and the Messengers and the Angelic Gospel Singers.[1] The Southernaires's Frank Williams became Malaco's Director of Gospel Operations, producing virtually every Malaco gospel release until his death in 1993. By 1977, songwriters, artists, and producers from the defunct Stax Records were knocking on Malaco's doors, including Eddie Floyd, Frederick Knight, The Fiestas, and David Porter.[4]

By this time, Malaco had stopped trying to compete with mainstream labels. However, Malaco could make a tidy profit selling between 25,000 and 50,000 units.[4] Starting with Z. Z. Hill, Malaco became the center for old-time blues and soul artists.[1] Hill released the single "Cheating in the Next Room", which reached R&B No. 19 in 1982.[6] Hill's album, Down Home Blues, sold over 500,000 copies, before he suddenly died in 1984.[1] Hearing Johnnie Taylor sing at the funeral service, Tommy Couch invited Taylor to become Malaco's new flagship artist.[4]

Denise LaSalle charted fourteen times in the 1970s. After 29 chart entries for other labels, blues guitarist Little Milton signed with Malaco in 1984.[4] Little Milton's first Malaco single "The Blues is Alright" re-established his presence as a major blues artist, and solidified Malaco's reputation as the contemporary southern blues company.[citation needed] In 1985, Malaco signed Bobby Bland. He had notched up 62 Billboard R&B chart records in 25 years.

In 1985, the principals at Malaco, Tommy Couch, Wolf Stephenson and Stewart Madison bought Muscle Shoals Sound Studios which, by that time, was located at 1000 Alabama Avenue in Sheffield, Alabama.[4]

1986–2010

[edit]

Bobby Bland had a hit album, Midnight Run, on the US soul album chart in 1989. Johnnie Taylor had his final hit on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart in 1990. In 1996, the label signed the Chicago-based soul singer, Tyrone Davis to the label, almost 30 years after his first major hit "Can I Change My Mind", an R&B No. 1.[4]

In 2005, the owners decided to sell the studio in Sheffield because they were having difficulty keeping it booked. The building was bought by a film and television production company.[7]

Malaco studio destroyed

[edit]

On April 15, 2011, the company's Jackson studio and offices were hit by a tornado that caused major damage and destruction. Thousands of master tapes from recording sessions survived intact in a separate concrete vault. The company decided to re-build the damaged offices and recording studio on the same site and the new buildings were opened in the fall of 2012.[8] This storm came six years after Hurricane Katrina also hit the area, causing some damage to the Malaco premises.

Gospel

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Clearly the dominant contemporary southern blues label, Malaco purchased the gospel division of Savoy Records in 1986. Now, Malaco was also the preeminent black gospel company in North America. The Savoy acquisition brought a vast catalog of recordings, including albums by Shirley Caesar, Rev. James Cleveland, Albertina Walker, The Caravans, and Inez Andrews. In further expansion moves that year, Malaco entered the world of telemarketing. Malaco's gospel labels under Jerry Mannery, and Savoy Records under Milton Biggham, earned multiple honors, including Billboard designations as Top Gospel Label and Top Gospel Distributor.[citation needed] The company also dominated Billboard Gospel charts, achieving No. 1 rankings by Keith Pringle, Walter Hawkins, Rev. James Moore, The Mississippi Mass Choir, and Dorothy Norwood.

Malaco Music Group

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Malaco's market focus widened dramatically in 1995. Songwriter/producer Rich Cason cut "Good Love" with Johnnie Taylor. In 1996, Taylor's eighth "album" for Malaco, Good Love!, reached #15 on Billboard R&B album chart.[citation needed]

In 1997, Malaco was without a distribution deal and formed Malaco Music Group, which consists of Malaco Records and its subsidiaries. The company continued its steady, prudent expansion, purchasing half of the Memphis-based distributor Select-O-Hits and also making inroads into the urban contemporary, hip hop, and contemporary Christian markets.[citation needed]

Malaco Records has been designated as a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail.[9] The company continue to release records in the 21st century.

Labels under Malaco

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Artists

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 253/4. ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
  2. ^ a b c d "Malaco Records". Msbluestrail.org. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  3. ^ "Storm destroys Malaco Records - MSNewsNow.com". Wlbt.com. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "History". Malaco.com. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  5. ^ "Sho Nuff Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  6. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  7. ^ "Historic Muscle Shoals Sound Studios Closes". Billboard.com. February 23, 2005. Retrieved January 17, 2017. the last four years saw a sharp decline in outside projects. When computer and hard-disk recording really got cheap and better at the same time, it just knocked the socks off a lot of studios, [Muscle Shoals] included," he says. It was just a very difficult thing to compete with.
  8. ^ Lee, Garrad (June 20, 2012). "How Malaco Got Its Groove Back". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  9. ^ "List of Blues Trail Markers". Msbluestrail.org. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  10. ^ "Malaco Music Group". Madeinmississippi.us. 12 August 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  11. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Bobby Rush". Allmusic. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  12. ^ Carpenter, Bil. Review for Misty Blue Allmusic. Retrieved February 21, 2020
  13. ^ Freedom(funk band) allmusic Retrieved 17 October 2024
  14. ^ "Soul-Patrol Salutes Soul Music Icon Benny Latimore & his New CD: The Early Years". Soul-patrol.com. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  15. ^ Mosley and Johnson allmusic Retrieved 21 October 2024
  16. ^ Last Soul Company (Box) allmusic Retrieved 19 October 2024
  17. ^ Power allmusic Retrieved 17 October 2024
  18. ^ Sho-Nuff Allmusic Retrieved 23 October 2024
  19. ^ "Soul and Blues - Willie Clayton : Releases". AllMusic. 2008-11-04. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
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