Megatone Records was an independent music label specializing in disco and created in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in 1981 by Patrick Cowley and Marty Blecman. The label name was derived from Cowley's 1981 high energy disco song, " Megatron Man". In 1983, musician

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...

became a partner of Megatone Records. Some of the artists involved include: Patrick Cowley, Jeanie Tracy,

, Modern Rocketry, Sarah Dash,

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

, and Paul Parker.

History

Megatone owned two sub-labels Megatone House Records and Mega-Tech Records. Megatone House Records, active from 1988 to 1991, specialized in

House music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

. Mega-Tech Records, was active in 1992, specialized in house music with breakbeat. Megatone brought several high energy disco singles to the U.S. Dance Charts in the early 1980s. All cuts from Sylvester's "All I Need" LP peaked at number 2 on the club charts in 1982, Paul Parker made number 1 with his single "Right On Target" that same year, and Sarah Dash took her single "Lucky Tonight" to the Top 20 with Sylvester and Patti LaBelle on backing vocals. Musical project Modern Rocketry was also a notable act on the label, combining the flavors of high energy and rock music, they became an underground club success in San Francisco but never charted. Patrick Cowley's Jo-Lo singers did vocal work for this group frequently, but the two women also had a success with the single "Last Call". Jo-Lo member Jo Carol performed in San Francisco past the Megatone records craze, even doing a few shows where she performed several rock classics. After Cowley's death in 1982, Blecman was head of the label until he died of AIDS in 1991. In 1992, John Hedges and Terrence Brown took over Megatone. In 1995, Megatone closed down & its back catalog was sold to

Unidisc Music Unidisc Music is a Canadian independent record label. The label is known for releasing rare music, that was made between the mid-1960s and late 1980s. Genres include rock music, rock, electronic music, electronic, funk, Soul music, soul, hip hop ...

Notable artists

* Patrick Cowley *

* Paul Parker * Jeanie Tracy * Sarah Dash * Queen Samantha *

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richa ...

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

References

{{Authority control American independent record labels Record labels established in 1981 LGBTQ-related record labels Post-disco record labels Companies based in San Francisco

History

Notable artists

See also

References