Avco Records was a
record label
"Big Three" music labels
A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
started by music producers/composers
Hugo Peretti and
Luigi Creatore together with film and TV producer
Joseph E. Levine
Joseph Edward Levine (September 9, 1905 – July 31, 1987) was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the ...
in 1968 as Avco Embassy Records.
History
Hugo and Luigi had previously worked together from the late 1950s for a number of labels, including Mercury, Roulette, and RCA Victor, where they were involved with acts such as Elvis Presley, the Tokens, and Sam Cooke. Levine was the head of Avco Embassy Pictures following a long career in the film industry.
Avco's best-known artists were the R&B/soul groups
the Stylistics
The Stylistics are an American Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All ...
, who had a series of major hits in the pop and R&B charts mainly produced by Thom Bell, and
Little Anthony & the Imperials
Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt
* ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film
*The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
. One of the most memorable albums recorded for Avco was 1975's ''Disco Baby'' by top producer/arranger/writer
Van McCoy
Van Allen Clinton McCoy (January 6, 1940 – July 6, 1979) was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and singer. He is known for his 1975 internationally successful hit " The Hustle". He has approximately 700 song copyrights to his c ...
. This featured the classic disco hit "The Hustle", a million-seller that topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B chart, as well as charts worldwide (#3 in the UK). The release was the company's only Number 1 success in the US, although the Stylistics' "You Make Me Feel Brand New" stayed at #2 for two weeks in the Hot 100 in 1974. In the UK, the same group's "Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" was a #1 hit in mid-1975.
Early on, the other artists released on the label covered a wide range of music. Of the many soul acts on their roster, they included Donnie Elbert, the Softones, Maxine Brown, Chocolate Syrup, Limmie & the Family Cookin'. Pop song stylist turned actress and talk show hostess
Della Reese
Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early; July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017) was an American singer, actress, television personality, author and ordained minister. As a singer, she recorded blues, gospel, jazz and pop. Several of her singl ...
had a disco-styled outing on the label with "If It Feels Good".
The label was named simply Avco Records when the 'Embassy' part was dropped in 1971. In 1976, with Avco deciding to exit the record business, Hugo & Luigi bought out the label & renamed it to
H&L Records. In 1978, H&L Records filed for bankruptcy, soon after opening their own new studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. In 1984,
Amherst Records of
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
, acquired the Avco/H&L Records catalog.
Avco Embassy/Avco/H&L Album Discography
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References
Defunct record labels of the United States
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