Soul-Patrol Features Henry Stone Music
“SPN: Soul/Funk Latimore, Ray Charles, Henry Stone, Payola, Miami Honors TK Records Legacy”
On June 9th, Soul-Patrol, one of the leading online music magazines, produced a large feature on Henry Stone Music, including the new Latimore Remembers Ray Charles CD release, the new Henry Stone e-book “The Stone Cold Truth on Payola”, and the news about the upcoming Henry Stone Collection at HistoryMiami.
June 3, 2013
Henry Stone
Celebrates 92nd Birthday
Still Working
Wish Henry
A Happy Birthday
On Facebook
Latimore
Remembers Ray Charles
The Hit Single “Hit the Road, Jack!”
Miami New Times Features Plans for Henry Stone Collection at HistoryMiami
On Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Dawn Hugh and John Shubin from HistoryMiami visited the Henry Stone Music offices to discuss plans for a Henry Stone Collection at the Museum.
Click Here to Read the Miami New Times Article
Sam & Dave
Ask any real soul connoisseur who their favorite group is and Sam & Dave will likely be in their top 5. Likewise, ask anybody age 5 to 95 if they’ve ever heard the song “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” or “Soul Man,” and they’ll probably sing you the words.
That’s because Sam & Dave are one of the most successful pop duos in the history of recorded music. From 1964-70 they ruled the Hot 100 with 13 straight appearances and two top 10 singles.
But most people don’t know that the group hails from Miami and were discovered by, and first recorded for Henry Stone and Steve Alaimo.
There was a little club in the heart of the Liberty City projects called the King Of Hearts owned by one John Lomelo. In later years he would become ‘mayor for life’ of the small burg of Sunrise, FL before eventually being indicted for corruption and then being re-elected.
Steve Alaimo used to work the club sometimes as a singer, and Henry used to hang out there a couple nights a week. “John Lomelo was a great guy. I used to love that place,” says Stone.
Sam & Dave were on the talent show circuit of the era, and were known for an explosive live performance that brought the church-feel to the nightclub, and through a combination of powerful singing, dance moves, and on-stage chemistry, they would turn the club out every time they hit the stage.
Alaimo produced and Stone released a few sides on his Marlin and Alston labels. Then he leased a couple of em’ to Roulette Records produced by Henry Glover. They sold what they sold, which wasn’t much, but the group’s talent would not be denied.
One night Henry Stone took Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records to watch them play at King Of Hearts and he was blown away. Soon Sam and Dave signed a recording contract with Atlantic.
Wexler asked Stone what he thought of his recording them through STAX, and Stone suggested he have a couple of young producers he’d been keeping tabs on produce the records. So Isaac Hayes and David Porter took on the project, had Booker T & The MGs back the group, and the rest is history.
James Brown talks to Larry King about his friendship with Henry Stone.
Henry Stone and James Brown through the years:
Me and James Brown were great friends since about 1954. At the time I was working with Syd Nathan of King Records on a label we had a 50-50% deal on called DeLuxe Records. I was working a record called “Hearts Of Stone” by Otis Williams and The Charms that would go on to be the first million selling r&b record to cross over into the pop charts. Anyway, I was sitting in my office in Miami when I got a call from Syd. He said, “Henry, there’s guy in Macon, Georgia by the name of James Brown whos got a hot acetate for this song “Please, Please, Please.” I want you to get your ass up there as fast as you can and sign him to DeLuxe.”
So right away I hopped in my little blue Buick and drove up the coast of Florida as fast as I could. Meanwhile, Syd had made a very similar phone call to his A&R for Federal Records, the legendary Ralph Bass. Well Ralph was just one state over from Georgia at the time, so he ended up beating me to Macon by a day. He offered James a recording contract, and he took it and signed to Federal Records.
Early photo of James Brown and Henry Stone c. 1968
So, I got there a day later and met the guy, and ya know what, we really hit it off. I listened to his song and I said “Man this is a hit. I’m gonna take it on the road with me while I’m promoting Hearts Of Stone and give it some DJs I know.” He was real cool and appreciative, and of course his King recordings really started to take off.
James Brown hanging out in Henry Stone’s office.
When I got back to Miami I had a conversation with my buddy Ernie Busker who ran a concert hall called the Million Dollar Palms of Hallandale. It was just barely north of Miami, a nice big outdoorish venue with a huge long bar off a dirt road almost in the middle of nowhere like. Ernie used to throw these huge dances with all the big R&B acts of the time from Wynonie Harris to Willis “Gator Tail” Jackson. ANyway, he asked me if I had a lead on any new talent and I told him all about James Brown. He booked him for a weekend of gigs and made a lot of money. He asked me about booking him again so I said “Listen, Ernie, this kid is gonna be a big star, you saw how he performed out there. You better give him a couple thousand bucks now so you can get him back later.” He agreed, and I took James Brown a nice big wad of cash, and James Brown had a great memory. He never forgot that.
James Brown and Henry Stone out on the town.
We were really tight throughout the years and he wouldn’t sign a contract or put out an album without letting me read every word and hear every song first. When Poygram wanted to sign him, I told them they had to give him a private jet. And they did! All through my TK years he used to call me all the time, and come down to Miami to hang out every few weeks.
We also had a record label together called BrownStone.
James Brown was great friend and I still miss our conversations to this day. I can picture it so perfectly in my mind, sending young KC to M&M Liquors any time James came through, and drinking Cognac with him in the bar I had in my office at TK Records.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Teams with industry veteran Henry Stone for album salute that will be released April 16th, “Hit The Road Jack” hits radio
Miami, FL (28 March 2013): With a booming voice untouched by time, soul singer-keyboardist Latimore unleashes his gravely blues vocals to pay tribute to legend Ray Charles on “Latimore Remembers Ray Charles,” his 25th album that will be released April 16th by Henry Stone Music. Record industry veteran Henry Stone produced the 10-song set of tunes made famous by Charles, including the sassy soulified single, “Hit The Road Jack,” which is currently receiving airplay at classic soul, blues and adult R&B radio stations.
There is plenty of history entrenched in “Latimore Remembers Ray Charles.” Latimore and Stone first connected in the mid-60s, which led to the release of Latimore’s self-titled debut album 40 years ago on Stone’s Glades imprint. Going back further, the now 91-year-old Stone first recorded Charles in 1951 in his Miami warehouse.
Stone recalls, “I first recorded Ray Charles in the back of my little distribution warehouse on Flagler Street after Sam Cooke introduced me to him at the Mary Elizabeth Hotel in Overtown in 1951. Possessing distinctive artistry that is instantly identifiable, Latimore is a uniquely gifted artist in his own right capable of interpreting Ray’s music. This album could propel Latimore back into the national consciousness.”
Latimore’s weathered, soulful blues baritone commands the spotlight on “Latimore Remembers Ray Charles.” Like Charles, his rural Southern upbringing and churchgoing roots enhance the raw emotion poured from his impassioned vocals. You can hear the urgency in his fiery guttural growls on boisterous rockers like “Unchain My Heart,” “What’d I Say” and “I Got A Woman” and feel his vulnerability on heart-wrenching ballads such as “Drown In My Own Tears,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and “Crying Time.” Stone penned “St. Pete Florida Blues,” a scorching Southern fried blues joint that opens the album. Latimore preaches from the pulpit on the gospel spiritual “Hallelujah” and carves his own name onto Charles’ signature hit, “Georgia On My Mind.”
“I always liked what Ray Charles did. When I first heard his playing, it really knocked me out. He definitely influenced me early on. It was fun paying tribute to the artist and the songs that he made famous while putting my own twist on them,” says Latimore.
Born Benjamin “Benny” Latimore in Charleston, TN, Latimore’s breakthrough single was 1973’s “Stormy Monday.” He rose to #1 the following year with “Let’s Straighten It Out” and cemented his presence in the R&B top 10 with “Somethin’ ‘Bout ‘Cha” and “Keep The Home Fire Burning,” all of which were released on Stone’s Dade and Glades labels. To date, Latimore has released 24 albums and charted 12 singles. His considerable keyboard skills graced multimillion-selling hits on Stone’s TK Records label such as Betty Wright’s “Cleanup Woman,” Gwen McRae’s “Rockin’ Chair,” and Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love.” More recently, he played on three albums by blue-eyed soul singer Joss Stone – her 2003 debut “The Soul Sessions,” the 2004 follow-up “Mind, Body & Soul” and 2011’s “LP1.” Additional information about Latimore is available at www.henrystonemusic.com.
“Latimore Remembers Ray Charles” contains the following songs:
“St. Pete Florida Blues”
“Unchain My Heart”
“Hit The Road Jack”
“What’d I Say”
“Georgia On My Mind”
“Drown In My Own Tears”
“I Got A Woman”
“Hallelujah”
“I Can’t Stop Loving You”
“Crying Time”
About Henry Stone Music
Henry Stone Music is the Miami, FL-based record label and catalogue presided over by Henry Stone, a pioneering record man who has been at the forefront of musical tastes and trends decade after decade for more than 60 years. One of the first to record Ray Charles, Stone worked closely with James Brown for many years. His various record labels, including Alston, Brownstone, Cat, Chart, Dade, Dash, Glades, Glory, Hot Productions, Marlin, Rockin’, TK and Weird World, were formative in the creation of the Miami Sound, Southern Soul, Disco, and Miami Bass with roots firmly planted in R&B, blues and gospel. TK Records was arguably disco’s most successful label, which amassed more than 20 gold and platinum albums and catapulted the careers of KC & The Sunshine Band, Peter Brown, Foxy, Anita Ward, George McRae, Gwen McRae, Bobby Caldwell, and Betty Wright. Music from the vast Henry Stone Music catalogue is frequently licensed for use in motion picture and television soundtracks and commercials. For more information, please visit www.henrystonemusic.com.
# # #
The gathering of some of the greatest artists in history was captured by Jake Katel of the Miami Miami New Times. Many of the greats were in attendance, including George McCrae, Timmy Thomas, Latimore, Little Beaver, Chocolate Perry, Clarence Reid, Willy Clarke, Steve Alaimo, Joe Stone, and of course, the man himself, Henry Stone. The award-winning director of the film, Mark Moormann, was there with the whole Beacon Films crew.
Click the Image Below for the Full Story!
Before Chubby Checker’s version of The Twist took the world by storm, spawning a Dick Clark fueled dance craze, and a series of answer records that continues till today, it was just another record cut by Henry Stone and Hank Ballard (of The Midnighters fame) at the North Miami Armory. The back story is little known outside the music industry, but is a documented fact in a recent book called “Peppermint Twist: The Mob, Music, and The Most Famous Dance Club of the ’60s” by John Johnson Jr., Joel Selvin, and Dick Cami.
It all started when Henry took a Chitlin Circuit run with Hank Ballard and The Midnighters. He remembers, “I got a call around ’61 or ’62 to go on the road with The Midnighters for like 2 weeks. I was out promoting my records and the Midnighters records along with em’. I was the white man, so I had to buy food for the band and bring it to the car. While we were on the road Hank said, “My contract is about to be up with King. I wanna get with either Veejay or Chess.” I said no problem. I called Ewart Abner and said “How would you like to sign Hank Ballard?” He said “Record him now, and I’ll give you 5,000 free records and half the publishing on the song. I didn’t have a studio yet, but Mack Emmerman (Criteria Recording Studios) had a lot of portable recording equipment. I brought Hank up to the Armory in North Miami and he came up with The Twist, but like a blues grind. It was originally gonna be a blues numba. Hank’s guitar player Cal Green was tuning up his guitar and I said how bout we do it like a dance song and that’s how we recorded it. I sent the masters up to Ewart at Veejay, but somehow, Syd Nathan found out about it. He said ‘Oh that sonofabitch Henry Stone…Hank still owes me $300 on his contract! You better give me that master or I’m gonna sue your ass off.’ Ewart didn’t wanna do anything with the courts so he just sent him the tapes and it came out as a B-Side on Federal.
“Later, Cameo-Parkway sent Chubby Checker down to perform at one of my sock hops I used to run with DJ Bob Green. Chubby came by the studio when I was cutting James Brown doin the “Mashed Potato.” I told Chubby that if he’s looking for a song, to go look at this little B Side that came out on Federal Records, and so I’m the man responsible for “The Twist.” But these were just things I did to make a living, I never thought twice about it at the time. –And thats how history is made.
Henry Stone was featured in the “Miami People” section of the November 22 Miami New Times. Article below. You can also read it online by clicking here.
If you are in the south Florida area, please join us at the Miami Art Museum on April 5th as Henry Stone is featured on the panel for “Miami Vinyl: Part one (1960s-early 70s)”.
Miami Art Museum
101 West Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33130
Thursday, April 5, 2012
6:00pm until 9:00pm
Part one of this three-part series, hosted by Andrew Yeomanson, producer, Miami music historian and DJ Le Spam of Spam Allstars, examines the years preceding the rise of the disco era in the early 1970s. Pioneers of the local music scene will discuss soul, funk and other genres, to the soundtrack of pivotal tracks from the era. Following the panel discussion, guest DJ Mr. Brown will spin the best of ’60s-’70s soul and funk. Cocktails by Smirnoff and Perrier.
Panel discussion begins 6:30pm, doors open 6pm (limited seating):
• Willie J. Clarke – legendary Miami producer and songwriter
• Jeff Lemlich – Music historian; author of Savage Lost: Florida Garage Bands, The ’60s and Beyond; founder of Limestone Lounge Florida Music Forum
• Henry Stone – founder and owner of the famed TK Records, home of disco stars KC and the Sunshine Band; known for defining the “Miami sound” since the 1960s.
MAM members free, non-members $8 (general museum admission, guest passes cannot be used)
Specialty cocktails by Smirnoff and Société Perrier
Secure garage parking $5 at 50 NW 2nd Ave.
Events@miamiartmuseum.org / 305.375.1704
TWITTER: #MAMMiamiVinyl | @MiamiArtMuseum
The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl was organized by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and is curated by Trevor Schoonmaker, Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Curator of Contemporary Art.
The Miami presentation is supported by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as part of its Knight Arts Challenge. Additional support is provided by DJ Le Spam, JW Marriott Marquis, Ocean Drive Magazine, Scratch Academy, Smirnoff, Société Perrier, Stanton, Winter Music Conference, The Workshop, WPBT Channel 2 and WVUM-FM. The official cultural partners for The Record are: Grand Central, Lester’s, Rhythm Foundation and Sweat Records.
$12.98
TRACKLISTING
1. Betty Wright – Clean Up Woman 
Sample
2. Jimmy Bo Horne – Spank Sample
3. Little Beaver – Party Down Sample
4. Gwen McCrae – Rockin’ Chair Sample
5. Steve Alaimo & Betty Wright – The Smoke Is Gone Sample
6. Latimore – Let’s Straighten It Out Sample
7. Peter Brown – Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me Sample
8. The Charms – Hearts Of Stone Sample
9. Timmy Thomas – Why Can’t We Live Together Sample
10. Foxy – Get Off Sample
11. T-Connection – Do What You Wanna Do Sample
12. Clarence Reid – Nobody But You Babe Sample
13. Wilson Pickett – The Best Part Of A Man Sample
14. Miami f/ Robert Moore – Party Freaks Sample
15. James Brown – Rapp Payback Sample
* WHO IS HENRY STONE?
Henry Stone is noted as one of the handful of individuals that started the independent movement in the music business. His involvement was key in bringing the music industry to the world. Henry Stone, dubbed the Godfather of Florida & Miami Soul, R&B, Blues, & Dance, has been an instrumental part of the music industry in Miami and throughout the world as both an independent record label owner and distributor. Stone found his niche after WW II by selling records from the trunk of his car.
In the early 1950s he was one of the first to record Ray Charles. He found and recorded James Brown as early as 1955. Also in 1955 he had his first million selling record with the Charms singing “Hearts of Stone”. In the 1960s Stone became the largest independent record distributor in the Southeast, distributing for Atlantic, Warner Bros., Motown, Stax and many more. At the time these were all independent record labels. Stone started the Miami Music craze in the late 1960s with million sellers from artists like Beginning of the End “Funky Nassau”, Clarence Reid “Nobody But You Babe”, Betty Wright “Clean Up Woman” and others. Stone’s biggest label, TK Records, was founded in the 1970s and charted 23 gold and platinum records worldwide. He discovered KC & The Sunshine Band and other million sellers including George McCrae, Gwen McCrae, Latimore, Timmy Thomas, Peter Brown and many more.
Hidden Treasures is a collection of some of the Legendary Henry Stone’s favorite songs from his labels 1950 – 1980. Vol. 1.
To Order: Click the RED “Add To Cart” button below. Then, proceed to checkout.
