Calla Records was a small, New York City-based independent black owned

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

record label run by Nate McCalla (1930-1980) and active from approximately 1965 to 1977. McCalla was an associate and bodyguard for Morris Levy who headed

Roulette Records Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed d ...

which had known ties to the mob. Artists recording for the label include J.J. Jackson, Jimmie Raye, The Sandpebbles, Little Jerry Williams (aka Swamp Dogg), Jean Wells,

The Emotions ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

, The Fuzz, Lonnie Youngblood, The Persuaders, and

Geraldine Hunt Geraldine Hunt ( Milligan; February 10, 1945 – October 27, 2022) was an American R&B singer best known for the 1980 No. 1 Hot Dance Music/Club Play hit "Can't Fake the Feeling". Early life Hunt's parents are Rosie Lee Vickers and Frank Mill ...

among others. Initially distributed by Cameo-Parkway Records, the label became part of

. The label was subsequently distributed by Shakat Records, a United States disco label and Epic Records. In 1968, the Calla Records catalogue was acquired by Warner Bros. Records. The label nonetheless continued, developing new artists, such as The Fuzz, into the early 1970s, and then releasing a number of disco-oriented albums in 1975 and 1976.David Edwards and Mike Callahan
Calla Album Discography
Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved 2017-09-22. Calla Records ceased operations in 1977. McCalla was found murdered, execution style, in 1980, allegedly on the orders of Morris Levy.Scott M. Burnstein
The Music Concert Murders: Four On The Floor Following Mob-Backed Maryland Concert Almost 40 Yrs. Ago
The Gangster Report, April, 2016. Retrieved 2017-09-22.

Recordings released under on Calla label

*1965 - " Let Me Down Easy" / "What I Don't Know" - Betty LaVette (Calla C-102) *1965 - "I Feel Good (All Over)" / "Only Your Love Can Save Me" - Betty LaVette (Calla C-104) *1965 - "Baby, You're My Everything" / "Just What Do You Plan to Do about It" - Little Jerry Williams (Calla C-105) *1965 - "Stand Up Like A Man" / "I'm Just A Fool For You" - Betty LaVette (Calla C-106) *1966 - "Baby, Bunny (Sugar Honey)" / "Philly Duck" - Little Jerry Williams (Calla C-109) *1966 - "If You Ask Me (Because I Love You)" / "Yvonne" - Jerry Williams (Calla C-116) *1966 - "Boogaloo Baby" / " But It's Alright" - J.J. Jackson (Calla C-119) *1967 - "What's the Matter with You Baby" / "What Do You Plan to Do about It" - Jerry Williams (Calla C-121) *1967 - "Love Power" / "Because of Love" - The Sand Pebbles (Calla C-141) *1967 - "Run Run Roadrunner" / "I'm in the Danger Zone" - Jerry Williams (Calla MU 1285) *1968 - "That'll Get It" / "It's Written All Over Your Face" - Jimmie Raye (Calla) MS 6705A *1968 - "Oh Lord, Why Lord?" - Los Pop Tops (Calla C-154) *1970 - "

I Love You for All Seasons "I Love You for All Seasons" is a song written by Sheila Young and performed by The Fuzz. The song was featured on their 1971 album, '' The Fuzz''. The song was produced by Carr-Cee Productions. Chart performance It reached #10 on the U.S. R&B ...

"/"I Love You for All Seasons" (Instrumental) - The Fuzz (Calla C-174) *1971 - "

Like an Open Door "Like an Open Door" is a song written by Sheila Young and performed by The Fuzz. It reached #14 on the U.S. R&B chart and #77 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1971. The song was featured on their 1971 album, '' The Fuzz''. The song was produced ...

"/"Leave It All Behind Me" - The Fuzz (Calla C-177) *1971 - "I'm So Glad"/"All About Love" - The Fuzz (Calla C-179) *1971 - '' The Fuzz'' - The Fuzz (Calla SC-2001) *1996 - ''Soul of the '60s: Vol. 1''

References

External links

Calla album discography from BSN Pubs
{{Authority control American record labels