Ed Chalpin (January 16, 1935 – October 1, 2019 ) was a record executive and producer. He is most remembered for his association with

Curtis Knight and the Squires Curtis Knight and the Squires were a New York band that was fronted by singer and guitarist Curtis Knight in the mid-1960s. Both Jimi Hendrix and sax player Lonnie Youngblood were members for a while. Background The band is referred to as a wo ...

which caused problems for

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

throughout his career. Chalpin is responsible for the recordings from that period, some of which appear on '' You Can't Use My Name: The RSVP/PPX Sessions''. Originally from New York City, Chalpin began his career in the music business in 1956. He was referred to by ''Billboard'' as a pioneer producer of cover records. Chalpin was a producer of cover versions of Top 40 hits, released under the "Twin Hits" label. Today these would be regarded as

Exploito Exploito is a term generally given to describe cover version or sound-alike recordings that capitalize on the official recordings of artists. Typically they are of the Budget album, budget release type of album. Often the buying public would think ...

releases.''The Green Left Weekly'', Saturday, September 11, 2010
The machine that killed Hendrix David T. Rowlands
/ref> Up to 1966, a good deal of the records that his PPX Enterprises produced were cover versions. Around 25% of his cover recordings were overseas hits.''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', October 1, 1966
Page 8 ''Chalpin Eyes U.S. Market With Launching of Chalco''
/ref>

Career

1960s

Chalpin formed PPX Enterprises in 1961. In 1962, he had signed contracts with RCA Mexicana and Gamma Records to promote his pre-recorded tapes catalogue. In 1964, "Summer In Sweden (Sabeline)" b/w "Endless Sleep" by

The Spotnicks The Spotnicks were an instrumental rock band (music), group from Sweden that formed in 1961. They were known for wearing "space suit" costumes on stage (theatre), stage and for their innovative electronic guitar sound. They released 43 albums. Hi ...

was released. Chalpin was the producer for both tracks. Also that year, he produced '' Mis Siete Novios'' for

Vianey Valdez Vianey Valez is a Mexican singer who recorded for the Peerless, Eco, Oasis and Musart labels. She had a number of top ten hits in her country. Background Vianey Valdez was discovered by Peerless Records. Years later she was recognized for her mu ...

which was released on Eco Eco-262. In 1965, he was the producer on "She Can Make Me Cry" b/w "I'll Be There" by Mark Richards. The PPX Studio single was released on ABC-Paramount 45-10654. "

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

" by

Bernd Spier Bernd Spier (6 April 1944 – 30 December 2017) was a German schlager singer and record producer. He later was a real estate broker. Biography Spier was born in Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg and is the son of Robby Spier, who was the conductor o ...

was released on CBS and made it to number 1 in Germany. In October 1965,

was introduced to Chalpin by

Curtis Knight Curtis Knight (May 9, 1929November 29, 1999), born Mont Curtis McNear, was an American musician who is known for his association with Jimi Hendrix. In his Hendrix biography, David Moskowitz notes: "Curtis Knight was born in Fort Scott, Kansas, ...

. Hendrix and Knight soon recorded a session for Chalpin, despite Hendrix having already signed a two-year deal with Sue Records in July 1965. Chalpin signed Hendrix to a 3-year recording contract and was given one dollar to make the contract legal. The sessions resulted in the first releases under Hendrix's own name. The act of signing the contract with Chalpin would be a cause of concern for Hendrix when he found fame in 1966, as he was still actually contracted to Chalpin. In 1966, ''Billboard'' announced that Chalpin in partnership with Douglas "Jocko" Henderson from Philly radio station

WHAT What or WHAT may refer to: * What, an English interrogative word * "What?", one of the Five Ws used in journalism Film and television * ''What!'' (film), also known as ''The Whip and the Body'', a 1963 Italian film directed by Mario Bava * ...

, was launching a new label called Chalco Records. The first release was to be "Suey" which featured

Jayne Mansfield Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, ''Playboy'' Playmate, and sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was known for her numerous publicity stunts and open personal life. He ...

. The recording was made at Studio 76 aka Dimensional Sound, and it featured Hendrix on the instrumental backing. Around June 1968 Chalpin had signed up Rickie Mason, a Canadian singer who he referred to as a white James Brown and whom he would produce for the British Decca label In February 1969 Chalpin went to Argentina with

Anthony Swete Anthony Swete was an American Soul music, soul and Popular music, pop singer who for a long time was associated with Ed Chalpin and his PPX (record company), PPX record label. Recording in the 1960s and throughout the 1970s, he had a multitude of ...

, who had scored his second Top Ten hit in the country with " Hold Me Tight".

1970s

Chalpin produced the Curtis Knight solo album ''Down in the Village'' which was released in 1971 on

Paramount Records Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson (guitarist), Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Early years Paramoun ...

PAS 5023. Some 47 years later Dave Segal of the ''

Portland Mercury ''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''. History A prior version of ''The Mercury'' was ...

'' said that the album deserved "its own damn reissue". In 1971, Chalpin worked with

Chubby Checker Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including the Twist, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' R&B song " The Twis ...

on a

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

album, which was released under a variety of titles including ''Slow Twistin' ''. In addition to the budget labels it was released on, the album was also released on

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

in 1971. In 2007 a CD of the album was released on the Underground Masters label with the title ''Chubby Checker Goes Psychedelic!!''. In addition to crediting Chalpin as the producer, it included an extra track called "The Ballad of Jimi" which was also included on an earlier Chalpin production, the Jimi Hendrix & Curtis Knight album '' Get That Feeling''. It was announced in the May 12, 1973 edition of ''

'' that Chalpin was now the manager of singer

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hol ...

and had signed deals with Warner Brothers and EMI. As of 1980, Chalpin was the owner of Dimensional Sound and Echo Studios, a 24-track facility in New York.

PPX artists

The Hubs were a group of studio musicians who recorded instrumental cover versions for PPX. They also used the names The Downbeats and The Contrasts. One recording they did for PPX was "Memphis" which was on the B-side of "Ring of Fire" by Dan Gaynes.

had chart success in Argentina during the 1960s with his versions of "

Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" is a song that was a No. 1 hit for the Louisiana-based John Fred & His Playboy Band in late 1967. It was jointly composed by Fred and bandmate Andrew Bernard. ''Billboard'' magazine noted that it was recorded no ...

" and " Hold Me Tight". He also had top twenty success there with his ''

Abrázame Fuerte "Abrázame Fuerte" (English: ''Hold Me Tight'') is a ballad written by Jorge Luis Piloto, produced by Rudy Pérez and performed by Puerto Rican-American singer Lourdes Robles. The song was released as the second single from Robles' second stud ...

'' album. Swete recorded " La La La (If I Had You)" b/w " Up on Cripple Creek" which was released on RCA Twin Hits PPX 1005. He also recorded his version of " Backfield in Motion" which was released in Australia on RCA 101882. A PPX production, it was released in the UK on RCA Victor RCA 1905 before the original hit was picked up for release. It was noted by ''Billboard'' in the May 9, 1970 issue that three PPX artists ''–'' Curtis Knight, Ella Moore, and Anthony Swete ''–'' had signed with

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

label. A more in-depth explanation of the deal was noted by ''Cash Box'' in their publication on the same date. Paramount had been going through a process of revamping, and the PPX artists were added to the Paramount roster as a result of a deal between Bill Gallagher of Famous Music (Paramount's parent company) and Ed Chalpin. Promo campaigns for the three artists were planned with Gallagher overseeing the process. Anthony Swete recorded on an album for the PPX label and contributed songs to the 1979 ''Roller Disco Dip'' album. The record was aimed at roller skating venues across the United States.

Death

Ed Chalpin died in Boca Raton, Florida on October 1, 2019. He was surrounded by his two daughters, a sister, and several nieces and nephews. His funeral was held at October 6, 2019 at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.Legacy
EDWARD CHALPIN Obituary
/ref>

References