Millennium Records

Last updated
Millennium Records
Founded1976
Founder Jimmy Ienner
Defunct1983
Distributor(s) Casablanca Records (1976-1979)
RCA Records (1979-1983)
Genrevarious
Country of originUSA

Millennium Records is a defunct record label run by record producer Jimmy Ienner from 1976 to 1983. During its RCA-distributed years, a significant portion of its output was content licensed from Canadian record labels. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Hits

The label's best-selling artist was electronic music pioneer Meco, whose disco cover of John Williams' "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" cues from Star Wars was a number 1 hit in 1977.[ citation needed ] In 1978, Meco followed up with two more movie-inspired hits for the label: a number 25 hit "Theme From Close Encounters" and a number 35 hit "Themes From The Wizard of Oz".[ citation needed ]

In 1981, Don McLean had three hits on the Millennium label: "Crying" which peaked at number 5; a number 23 song, "Since I Don't Have You" and a number 36 song, "Castles in the Air". [5]

Between 1981 and 1982, the band Franke & the Knockouts had three top 100 hits on Millennium: "Sweetheart" at number 10, "You're My Girl" at number 27, and "Without You" at number 24.[ citation needed ]

Millennium is noteworthy for having passed on signing Madonna in 1981. [6]

Artists

Related Research Articles

Don McLean American singer-songwriter

Donald McLean III is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1971 hit song "American Pie", an 8.5-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early rock and roll generation.

Lamont Dozier American singer, songwriter and record producer

Lamont Herbert Dozier is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, born in Detroit, Michigan. He has co-written and produced 14 US Billboard number 1 hits and 4 number ones in the UK.

Freddie Jackson American rhythm and blues singer

Frederick Anthony "Freddie" Jackson is an American singer. Originally from New York, Jackson began his professional music career in the late 1970s with the California funk band Mystic Merlin. Among his well–known R&B/Soul hits are "Rock Me Tonight " (1985), "Have You Ever Loved Somebody" (1986), "Jam Tonight" (1986), "Do Me Again" (1990), and "You Are My Lady" (1985). He contributed to the soundtrack for the 1989 film, All Dogs Go to Heaven with the Michael Lloyd-produced duet "Love Survives" alongside Irene Cara. He also appeared in the movie King of New York.

Boardwalk Records is a record label founded by Neil Bogart in 1980, after PolyGram acquired Casablanca Records from him.

<i>Chicago 16</i> 1982 studio album by Chicago

Chicago 16 is the thirteenth studio album by the American band Chicago, released on June 7, 1982. It is considered their "comeback" album because it was their first album to go platinum since 1978's Hot Streets, it made it into the top ten of the Billboard 200, and it produced their second number one single in the United States, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry." The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August, 1982, two months after its release, and platinum in December, 1982, six months after its release. The song, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Stephanie Mills American musician

Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American singer and songwriter. Mills rose to stardom as "Dorothy" in the original 7 Time Tony Award Winning Broadway run of the musical The Wiz from 1974 to 1979. The song "Home" from the show later became a Number 1 U.S. R&B hit for Mills and her signature song. During the 1980s, Mills scored five Number 1 R&B hits, including "Home", "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love", "I Feel Good All Over", "(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me" and "Something in the Way ". Mills won a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her song "Never Knew Love Like This Before" in 1981.

Carol Douglas American singer

Carol Douglas is an American singer whose hit "Doctor's Orders" (1974) was a pioneering track in the disco genre.

Jon Robert Gibson is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Originally a blue-eyed soul singer, he switched to contemporary Christian music in the late-1980s. Gibson scored a number of hit singles, including "Jesus Loves Ya", "Love Come Down" (1990) and "Friend in You" (1988).

Domenico Monardo, known as Meco, is an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of his band or production team. Meco is best known for his 1977 space disco version of the Star Wars theme from his album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk; both the single and album were certified platinum in the US.

Regina Belle American singer–songwriter and actress

Regina Elaine Belle is an American singer-songwriter who started her career in the mid-1980s. Known for her singles "Baby Come to Me" (1989) and "Make It Like It Was" (1990), Belle's most notable for two hit duets, both with Peabo Bryson: "Without You", the love theme from the comedy film Leonard Part 6, recorded in 1987 and "A Whole New World", the main theme of the Disney's animated feature film Aladdin, recorded in 1992, with which Belle and Bryson won the Grammy award. The theme song "Far Longer than Forever" from the animated movie The Swan Princess, performed with Jeffrey Osborne, was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1995 for Best Original Song.

Franke Jon Previte is an American singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning composer. He was the lead singer of the 1980s pop rock band Franke and the Knockouts.

(Ive Had) The Time of My Life Theme song of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" is a 1987 song composed by Franke Previte, John DeNicola, and Donald Markowitz. It was recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, and used as the theme song for the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. The song has won a number of awards, including an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band 1977 single by Meco

"Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" is a song recorded by Meco, taken from the album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 1, 1977, holding on to the spot for two weeks and peaked at no. 7 on the UK Singles Chart, remaining in the charts for nine weeks. The single was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, having sold a million units.

Leon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, disc-jockey, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid-1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR Records. Artists such as J Dilla, Dr. Dre, and Madlib have sampled songs written and produced by him.

Linda Clifford

Linda Clifford is an American R&B, disco and house music singer and actress, who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "Bridge over Troubled Water", "Runaway Love" and "Red Light".

Leon Sperling Polish footballer

Leon Sperling was a Polish Olympic footballer.

Franke and the Knockouts was an American pop rock band, formed in New Jersey and fronted by singer/songwriter Franke Previte.

Select-O-Hits

Select-O-Hits is an American independent record label distributor of music based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. They have been in business for almost 60 years, and distribute artists that include Johnnie Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Three 6 Mafia, Colt Ford, Diana Reyes, and The Texas Tenors.

Sweetheart (Franke and the Knockouts song) 1981 single by Franke and the Knockouts

"Sweetheart" is a 1981 song by Franke and the Knockouts. It was their debut single and greatest hit, reaching the U.S. Top 10 during the spring of that year. It spent 19 weeks on the charts and is ranked as the 50th biggest hit of 1981.

The Godz are an American hard rock band from Columbus, Ohio, United States, that formed in 1976.

References

  1. Davis, Clive; DeCurtis, Anthony (February 19, 2013). The Soundtrack of My Life. Simon and Schuster. p. 356. ISBN   9781476714783 . Retrieved December 15, 2018 via Google Books.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. Romanowski, William (July 28, 2017). Risky Business: Rock in Film. Routledge. ISBN   9781351492843 . Retrieved December 15, 2018 via Google Books.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. "News Briefs". Stereo Review. CBS Magazines. 48: 76. 1983. Retrieved December 15, 2018 via Google Books.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. Christman, Ed (April 26, 2003). "Lenner Ascends at Restructured Sony Music". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 115 (17): 4. Retrieved December 15, 2018 via Google Books.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. "Chart info from The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 7th Edition - Meco Pg 420 and Don McLean Pg 418"
  6. "8 rejection letters that will inspire you to not give up". BBC. October 9, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2019.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)