Ric Records

Last updated

Ric Records, along with sister label Ron Records, were American record labels formed by Joe Ruffino in 1959. [1] Although most of Ric's releases did not rise above regional hits, the label was active during the golden era of New Orleans R&B and was an incubator for many artists who are now recognized as definers of the style.

Example of Ric Records 45 label Ric Records label example.jpg
Example of Ric Records 45 label

After his first taste of the music industry at A-1 Distributors, [2] Joe Ruffino set out on his own with the Ric and Ron imprints, headquartered at 630 Baronne Street in New Orleans. [1] The labels were named after Joe's two sons. [1] Ric Records was focused exclusively on releasing local New Orleans talent. Edgar Blanchard was brought in to help with studio arrangements, and supervised all early Ric studio sessions. [1] He was later replaced by Harold Battiste. [1] Mac Rebennack (later "Dr. John") was also brought on as label president and helped with writing and producing. [3]

Artists on the label included Eddie Bo, Johnny Adams, [4] Lenny Capello, Al Johnson, Tommy Ridgley and Joe Jones. Jones provided Ric with its only sizeable hit, "You Talk Too Much", which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1960. [1] This record was the cause of legal issues with New York City-based outfit Roulette Records, for which Joe Jones previously recorded a version of the tune. [5] [6]

Sister label Ron Records had a similar focus on local talent. Artists released include Professor Longhair (local favorite "Go to the Mardi Gras" [7] ), Irma Thomas, Bobby Mitchell, Eddie Lang (not to be confused with the jazz guitarist Eddie Lang) and Martha Carter. After being discovered in a local club by Tommy Ridgley, Irma Thomas recorded her first single "(You Can Have My Husband but) Don't Mess with My Man" for Ron within a week. [1] She is now recognized as an important American singer, [8] and was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007. [9]

The Ric and Ron labels became dormant in 1962 when Joe Ruffino died. [1] Ruffino's brother in law Joe Assunt, owner of the One Stop Records store procured the Ric and Ron tapes and reissued various popular titles for the next decade, adding a couple of Johnny Adams 45s to the label listings. [10] On Assunto's death in August 1981 the tapes passed to his daughter Joel Ann Mcgregor. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. John</span> American singer-songwriter (1941–2019)

Malcolm John Rebennack Jr., better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music combined New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.

Maison de Soul is a Louisiana-based Zydeco and blues record label. It was founded in 1974 in Ville Platte, Louisiana by Floyd Soileau and remains under his ownership. It is one of four record labels under Soileau's Flat Town Music Company umbrella, and combined the Flat Town labels make up "the largest body of Cajun, zydeco, and swamp music in the world". Living Blues magazine has called Maison de Soul "the country's foremost zydeco label".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Adams</span> American singer (1932–1998)

Laten John Adams Jr., was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, known as "The Tan Canary" for the multi-octave range of his singing voice, his swooping vocal mannerisms and falsetto. His biggest hits were his versions of "Release Me" and "Reconsider Me" in the late 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irma Thomas</span> American soul, rhythm and blues, and gospel singer

Irma Thomas is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Bo</span> Musical artist

Edwin Joseph Bocage, known as Eddie Bo, was an American singer and pianist from New Orleans. Schooled in jazz, he was known for his blues, soul and funk recordings, compositions, productions and arrangements. He debuted on Ace Records in 1955 and released more single records than anyone else in New Orleans other than Fats Domino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Ridgley</span> American R&B singer (1925–1999)

Thomas Herman Ridgley was an American R&B singer, pianist, songwriter and bandleader in New Orleans, Louisiana. In a musical career lasting half a century Ridgley was a stalwart of the New Orleans rhythm and blues scene. Although he never had a national hit, unlike several of his contemporaries, he made numerous, popular recordings that sold mainly in New Orleans and Louisiana beginning in 1949 with a final release in 1995. His voice was variously described as similar to Roy Brown and Bull Moose Jackson and thus able to adapt to a variety of styles: blues, jump blues, rhythm and blues and soul. In the late 1950s, he became bandleader of The Untouchables with whom he held residencies at important night venues often backing visiting artists. His recording career consisted of over forty singles and three albums. Most of his recordings have been anthologised on compilations in vinyl and CDs.

"Junco Partner", also known as "Junco Partner (Worthless Man)", is a blues song first recorded by James Waynes in 1951. It has been recorded and revised by many other artists over several decades, including Louis Jordan, Michael Bloomfield, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, James Booker, Hugh Laurie, and The Clash. It has been covered in various genres of music including blues, folk, rock, reggae, and dub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Blues Festival</span> American annual music festival

The San Francisco Blues Festival was active from 1973 until 2008, and was located in San Francisco, California. It was the one of the longest running blues festival in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al "Carnival Time" Johnson</span> American singer and piano player (born 1939)

Al "Carnival Time" Johnson is an American singer and piano player best known for the Mardi Gras song "Carnival Time".

"You Talk Too Much" is a 1960 single by New Orleans singer Joe Jones.

Dorothy LaBostrie, later Dorothy LaBostrie Black, was an American songwriter, best known for co-writing Little Richard's 1955 hit "Tutti Frutti".

<i>Heart & Soul</i> (Johnny Adams album) 1969 compilation album by Johnny Adams


Heart & Soul is a compilation album by American blues musician Johnny Adams. Released in 1969 by SSS International, the record was produced by Shelby Singleton and contains much of Adams' 1960s output.

Eddie Lee Langlois, known professionally as Eddie Lang, was an American R&B and soul singer and guitarist.

Edgar Vernon Blanchard was an American R&B guitarist, bandleader and arranger who was prominent in the musical life of New Orleans between the 1940s and 1960s.

"Carnival Time" is a New Orleans Mardi Gras-themed R&B song that was performed by Al Johnson and recorded in 1960. The song's composition was originally credited to Al Johnson and Joe Ruffino, though Johnson now holds exclusive rights. It is now considered an iconic festive song of the New Orleans Carnival season.

"Go to the Mardi Gras" or "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" is a New Orleans Mardi Gras-themed R&B song that was performed by Professor Longhair and recorded several times since 1949. He co-wrote the song with Theresa Terry. The song was covered by Fats Domino and released as a single in 1953. It is now considered an iconic festive song of the New Orleans Carnival season.

The George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation was created by George Buck in the 1980s to maintain the catalog of his jazz record labels. The catalog includes dixieland jazz, swing, blues, rhythm and blues, gospel, and cabaret music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Boudreaux</span> American drummer

John Mortimer Boudreaux, Jr. was an American drummer who was active in jazz, soul, and rhythm & blues idioms.

Samuel Ridgley, aka Sammy Ridgley, was a R&B artist associated with New Orleans. His recorded output was slight just two 45 s and an album but he was a regular on the New Orleans' music circuit for over thirty years. He was also a committed civil rights activist who represented his community of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senator Nolan Jones</span> American musician

Senator Nolan Jones was an American record company owner, producer, singer, and songwriter who worked in R&B and blues. He recorded and promoted Louisiana and Mississippi performers and songs for more than four decades.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Broven, John (1978). Rhythm and blues in New Orleans. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. pp.  170–77. ISBN   0-88289-433-1.
  2. ↑ Slaven, Neil. "The Instant & Minit Story". Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  3. ↑ Rebennack, Mac; Jack Rummel (1994). Under a hoodoo moon: the life of Dr. John the Night Tripper. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press. pp.  81. ISBN   0-312-13197-6.
  4. ↑ Dahl, Bill. "Johnny Adams Biography". Allmusic . Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Roulette Buys Jones Master From Ric" (PDF). Billboard: 4, 33. October 10, 1960.
  6. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Joe Jones Biography". Allmusic . Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  7. ↑ Nadal, James. "Professor Longhair Biography" . Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  8. ↑ Block, Melissa (August 23, 2010). "Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen Of New Orleans". NPR . Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  9. ↑ Aswell, Tom. "Irma Thomas page at Louisiana Music Hall of Fame" . Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  10. 1 2 Kelly, Red. "The Ric and Ron Labels". The Cosimo Code. Soul Detective. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.