| Hi Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | ABS Entertainment Inc. |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Ray Harris, Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell,Quinton Claunch |
| Distributor(s) | Fat Possum Records (in the US, Canada, Australia) Crimson Productions (in the UK) |
| Genre | Rhythm & blues,soul |
| Country of origin | US |
| Official website | hirecords |
Hi Records is an Americansoul music andrhythm & blues label founded inMemphis, Tennessee, in 1957 by singerRay Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell andQuinton Claunch (formerlyproducers forSun Records), and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce.[1]
Hi Records' first big hit was "Smokie Part 2", an instrumental byBill Black's Combo, released in 1959.[2] Black was abass player withElvis Presley and a long-time friend of Ray Harris. Founder Claunch was forced out of the label, selling his share in 1960 toCarl McVoy (a cousin ofJerry Lee Lewis), who had been involved with the label since its first recording and had worked with Bill Black.Willie Mitchell joined the label that year as a recording artist.[2] In 1968 he began to produceAl Green.[2] Bill Black's saxophonist,Ace Cannon, landed a hit with the single "Tuff" in 1961.[1]
In 1970, when founder Joe Cuoghi died and Ray Harris retired, Nick Pesce became president; Willie Mitchell became vice-president.[1] Hi Records' commercial peak was in the early 1970s, mainly due to the innovative and highly successful work of Al Green,[1] whose hits on the label included "Tired of Being Alone", "Let's Stay Together", "I'm Still in Love with You", and "Call Me". Other artists on the label includedO. V. Wright,Don Bryant,Otis Clay, andAnn Peebles. None reached the same level of success.[2]
The label's music was mostly recorded at Willie Mitchell'sRoyal Studios, located in a renovated movie theater inSouth Memphis.[3] The label was distributed nationally byLondon Records. On its numerous hit recordings of the 1970s, the label used a house backing band of localsession musicians known as theHi Rhythm Section. The popularity ofdisco music in the late 1970s led to a decline in the popularity ofsouthern soul music.[4]
Licensed distribution is by Crimson Productions (a division ofDemon Music Group) in Europe;EMI licensed the catalog in Canada and the United States until 2009, whenFat Possum Records began distributing for the United States, Canada and Australia.[5] Before EMI,Motown Records distributed Hi's back catalog from the 1980s to the mid-1990s, consisting mostly Green's and Mitchell's albums.
The Royal Recording Studios, also Hi Recording Studio, was located at an old movie theatre, at 1320 South Lauderdale Street, founded by the owners of Hi Records; several hit singles were recorded here.
