Big Chief was an American funk rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan. [1]
Big Chief was founded in 1989 by several veterans of the Michigan hardcore punk scene, including Barry Henssler, who had been a member of Necros. [1] They began attracting major label attention even before releasing any songs. [2] After the release of their debut seven-inch record, "Brake Torque", Sub Pop offered to put out another seven-inch single. After several more single releases, the group compiled them on Drive It Off, released on Get Hip Recordings in 1991. [1] Later that year, the group released its debut album, Face, [1] in Germany; Sub Pop issued the album for the American market in mid-1992. In 1993, Sub Pop released their sophomore album, Mack Avenue Skullgame, after which the group switched to major label Capitol Records, who released the group's third and final LP, Platinum Jive , in 1994. [1] The group disbanded in 1996, though it kept up a fanzine, called Motorbooty, until the end of the decade; Motorbooty featured illustrations by guitarist Mark Dancey. [2] Bassist Mark O'Brien became a member of Numbers; vocalist Barry Henssler worked in Chicago clubs as DJ Chamberweed; and Phil Durr played with the groups Five Horse Johnson, Giant Brain, Luder, and Variac. [2]
On January 11, 2019, Phill Durr died of a heart attack at age 53 while visiting family in Germany. [3]
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Arista Records, and Epic Records. The label has released multiple genres of music, including pop, classical, rock, hip hop, afrobeat, electronic, R&B, blues, jazz, and country. Its name is derived from the initials of its defunct parent company, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). RCA Records was fully acquired by Bertelsmann in 1987, making it a part of Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and became a part of Sony BMG Music Entertainment after the 2004 merger of BMG and Sony; it was acquired by the latter in 2008, after the dissolution of Sony/BMG and the restructuring of Sony Music. RCA Records is the corporate successor of the Victor Talking Machine Company, founded in 1901, making it the second-oldest record label in American history, after sister label Columbia Records, founded in 1889.
Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, and dance acts in the 1980s and 1990s, along with teen pop and boy bands during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Necros was an early American hardcore punk band from Maumee, Ohio, although they are usually identified with the Detroit music scene. They were the first band to record for Touch and Go Records.
Ocean Avenue is the fourth studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. It was released on July 22, 2003, through Capitol Records. After touring to promote their third studio album One for the Kids in 2001, the band signed to the label in early 2002. Following this, bassist Warren Cooke left the band in mid-2002, and was replaced by Inspection 12 guitarist Peter Mosely. In February and March 2003, the band recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California, with Neal Avron. Ocean Avenue is a pop-punk and punk rock album, which was compared to Blink-182 and Simple Plan.
Étienne Daho is a French singer. He has released a number of synth-driven and rock-surf influenced pop hit singles since 1981.
Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice-T, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Big L, Silkk the Shocker and Westside Connection. It also distributed hip hop record labels including Death Row Records, Hoo-Bangin' Records, No Limit Records, Posthuman Records, Rap-A-Lot Records, Rawkus Records, Roc-A-Fella Records, Ruthless Records and Wu-Tang Records. According to Billboard, "few record labels were as important to the rise of West Coast hip hop as Priority Records."
Blackground Records 2.0 is an American record label founded and owned by Jomo and Barry Hankerson. Initially named Blackground Enterprises, the label switched its name to Blackground Entertainment then later Blackground Records in 2000, and now Blackground Records 2.0 as it revives its company and catalogue onto streaming services, with a partnership with Empire Distribution. It co-operated with a publishing company founded by Hankerson, named Black Fountain Music.
Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s.
Velocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland and active in the Washington, D.C. area. The band released three albums before splitting up in 1996.
Sonicflood is an American contemporary worship music band from Nashville, Tennessee, that has been touted as "The Fathers of the Modern Worship Movement." The group took the name "Sonicflood", a reference to a line in the Book of Revelation, chapter 19, verse 6.
Red Guitars were an English indie rock band active from 1982 to 1986. Based in Hull, Red Guitars' first single "Good Technology" was a minor hit, selling 60,000 copies. Their singles "Marimba Jive" and "Be With Me" both reached number one on the UK Indie Chart.
Liberator is the ninth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 14 June 1993 by Virgin. Recorded by OMD frontman Andy McCluskey along with musicians enlisted for the multi-million selling Sugar Tax (1991), the album ventures further into the dance-pop style explored by its predecessor.
Mark Anthony Morales, better known by the stage name Prince Markie Dee, was an American rapper, songwriter, producer, actor, and radio personality. Morales was a member of the Fat Boys, a pioneering hip hop group that gained fame during the 1980s. Morales was the vice-president of Uncle Louie Music Group.
Jeff Golub was an American jazz guitarist who had a solo career and who led the band Avenue Blue. He worked as a sideman for a number of rock and pop musicians. He was arguably best known for his work with Rod Stewart 1988-95.
Barry Weiss is an American music executive and producer who is currently an executive with RECORDS, a label he co-founded. He got his start at Clive Calder's Jive Records before working his way up to the head of the RCA/Jive Label Group. While at Jive, Weiss fostered artists like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, NSYNC, Chris Brown, Backstreet Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, and many others. He left the organization in 2011 to join the Universal Music Group prior to co-founding RECORDS in 2015.
Red House Painters were an American rock band, formed in San Francisco, California in 1988. They were one of the most prominent acts associated with the slowcore/sadcore subgenre. Fronted by primary songwriter Mark Kozelek, the band also included drummer Anthony Koutsos and bass guitarist Jerry Vessel. Guitarists Gorden Mack and Phil Carney both performed with the band during separate six-year tenures.
Battery Records was an American record label that served as the dance sublabel of Jive Records, and was active for a short time during the mid-1990s. The label was mostly known for releasing music by the Swedish Eurodance group Rednex in North America, namely its novelty hit "Cotton Eye Joe", as well as Insane Clown Posse's third studio album, Riddle Box. The Battery Records name was later revived by Sony Music Entertainment in 2008 with a focus on hip hop music.
Dave McMurray is an American jazz musician. His primary instrument is saxophone.
Platinum Jive is an album by the American alternative rock band Big Chief, released in 1994. Subtitled "(Greatest Hits 1969-1999)", the band presented it as a greatest hits collection, although it is made up entirely of original songs. Released by Capitol Records, Platinum Jive was the band's major label debut, and also their final album.
Sunday Morning Music is the debut album by the American blues rock singer Thornetta Davis, released in 1996. Davis was the first Black artist signed to Sub Pop, a label initially known for its grunge releases.