When Terry Kane - a sound engineer who was barely twenty
years old at the time - built an 8-track recording studio above Henry Stone's
office space in the Hialeah area of Miami, he probably never envisaged that he
was laying the bedrock for a creative hub that would spawn over 25 gold records
and over 100 million record sales worldwide. In the process, it would help to
make Henry Stone a legend of American music.
At one end of the spectrum, warehouse boy turned global
superstar Harry Wayne Casey - better known as leader of K.C. & The Sunshine
Band - was pumping out disco classics on a massive scale with ubiquitous
airplay and sell-out shows. At the other, Rodney Matthew and his group Formula
1, were relying on the might of the T.K. distribution machine to propel them
into the spotlight. As remarkable as their 1977 masterpiece on Du-Vern records
was, it inevitably failed to have the seismic impact of The Sunshine Band's
commercial dance pop.
For every success story like T-Connection, with their
firebrand funk-disco fusion and major label achievements, there were equally
talented acts such as Stevens And Foster who also called on Stone's services to
showcase their vision: judging by the scarcity of original copies of their
self-written and produced modern soul jewel on Jerri Records, they also failed
to reach beyond the Sunshine state, save for the rarified ears of collectors
and connoisseurs.
The sheer amount of records that came out of those modest
premises at 495 SE 10th Court - about 8km from Downtown Miami (as the pink
flamingo flies) - is mind boggling. With a huge roster of in-house labels as
well as production and distribution deals, label boss Henry Stone was a
passionate, busy, and exceptionally well connected man.
Stone would nurture the early careers of the likes of
million seller Betty Wright, as well as provide a platform for Milton Wright
and Leno Phillips (her older brothers) to express their creativity. Clarence
Reid (AKA Blowfly) and Willie Clark penned a raft of amazing tracks for acts
such as Jimmy 'Bo' Horne and Little Beaver (AKA Willie Hale, who would also
write a wealth of material for others), while T.K. in-house band Miami's own
Robert Moore also released records on yet another T.K. imprint; Blue Candle.
The music scene in Miami and indeed, Florida, at the time
was fertile and moved quickly with the times; there were hit-makers and
risk-takers, shining stars and those who never went far.
As a living document of Henry Stone's remarkable legacy, the
diverse styles and ideas coming out of Miami-Dade County and beyond, as well as
a glimpse at the successes and near-misses achieved by a dazzling array of
artists at the time, this collection serves as an invaluable insight. This collection includes tracks by Little
Beaver, Milton
Wright, Lynn Williams, Raphael Munnings, Wildflower, Jimmy 'Bo' Horne, Leno Phillips, Phillip Wright, Willie Johnson, Johnny K, Funky Nassau, Formula 1, Stevens & Foster, Oceanliners, Brand New, T-Connection, Beginning of the End, Robert Moore, and Friday Saturday &
Sunday.
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