History
In 1975, Soul Train Records was founded by Dick Griffey, Don Cornelius, Leon Sylvers III and producer Gary Silverman and Soul Train television show host and creator Don Cornelius. Griffey formed a collective called Shalamar—using a host of session singers to record "Uptown Festival," which was a disco-length medley of early Motown hits. After scoring a hit with the recording, he looked to Cornelius to help him put together an actual group to maintain the impact. In 1977, Soul Train dancers Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel and singer Gerald Brown (who was eventually replaced by Howard Hewett) were recruited to form the new Shalamar, which would become the fledgling label's centerpiece. Cornelius decided (amicably) to shut down Soul Train Records as Cornelius wanted to focus his energies on the television show, which was a monster hit and required his full attention to keep it so. With legalities now taken care of, Griffey reorganized Soul Train Records into the newly founded SOLAR label in late 1977. Griffey and Cornelius remained good friends, and as a result, SOLAR maintained close ties to the Soul Train show.
Shalamar became one of the label's best selling and most influential acts; scoring nearly 20 hit singles and classics such as: "Right in the Socket", "The Second Time Around", "Make That Move", "A Night to Remember (Get Ready Tonight)" and "This Is For The Lover In You". SOLAR's signature act above all was The Whispers, whose distinct harmonies and carefully detailed musical and vocal arrangements defined and emphasized the "SOLAR sound". The Whispers, who began in 1964, were famous for being Soul Train/SOLAR artists, as all of their biggest hits came from the label, including "And The Beat Goes On", "It's A Love Thing", "Chocolate Girl", "Lady", and "Rock Steady" among others. Not only did Mr. Griffey have the eye to spot creative talent, he was also masterful at hiring executive talent. Starting with him were his General Manager Clyde Wasson; assistant and National Promotion rep Cheryle Appling and his A & R, Publishing and Production Director Dina Ruth Andrews. Later somewhere around 1981 Edna Collison joined the team as the National Pop Promotion Rep.
Read more about this topic: SOLAR Records
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