| Steed Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1967 |
| Founder | Jeff Barry |
| Distributor(s) | Dot Records, Famous Music Group |
| Genre | Bubblegum pop |
Steed Records was a record label founded by songwriter-record producer Jeff Barry in 1967 in New York City. The label was active until 1971. It was first distributed by Dot Records, then by Gulf+Western's Famous Music Group after it absorbed Dot.
Steed's main artist was singer-songwriter Andy Kim, whose biggest hit for the label was "Baby, I Love You" (co-written and produced by Barry) in 1969. Other artists on the label included Robin McNamara ("Lay a Little Lovin' On Me") and The Illusion ("Did You See Her Eyes"). Other Steed acts included Louis St. Louis and Jacqueline Carol (St. Louis would later produce the "Grease" and "Grease II" soundtracks), The Playhouse, Hank Shifter, Keepers of the Light featuring Alzo Fronte (who also recorded as Alzo + Uddin) and The Rich Kids featuring Danny Belline. Most of Steed's recording sessions took place at Century Sound Studios in NYC. Jeff Barry and Andy Kim's songwriting partnership was a cornerstone of the label's fortunes. Steed Records rode the wave of bubblegum pop in the late Sixties and early Seventies (although many of its releases were not bubblegum). When musical trends changed, Steed's sales fell off. Paramount Records took over the label with Famous Music taking over distribution.
Jeff Barry discontinued Steed Records when he relocated to California in 1971. Kim's last two hits, "Rock Me Gently" and "Fire, Baby, I'm on Fire", appeared on Capitol Records in 1974. The Steed catalogue is today controlled by Universal Music Group.
Tommy James and the Shondells is an American rock band formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. They had two No. 1 singles in the U.S. – "Hanky Panky" and "Crimson and Clover" – and also charted twelve other top 40 hits, including five in the Hot 100's top ten: "I Think We're Alone Now", "Mirage", "Mony Mony", "Sweet Cherry Wine" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion".
Bertrand Russell Berns, also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include "Twist and Shout", "Piece of My Heart", "Here Comes the Night", "Hang on Sloopy", "Cry to Me" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", and his productions include "Baby, Please Don't Go", "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Under the Boardwalk".
The Archies are an American fictional rock band featured in media produced by, and related to, Archie Comics. They are best remembered for their appearance in the animated TV series The Archie Show. In the context of the series, the band was founded by guitarist/vocalist Archie Andrews, drummer Jughead Jones, bassist Reggie Mantle, percussionist/vocalist Betty Cooper and keyboardist/vocalist Veronica Lodge.
Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In its early years, Dot specialized in artists from Tennessee. Then it branched out to include musicians from across the U.S. It recorded country music, rhythm and blues, polkas, waltzes, gospel, rockabilly, pop, and early rock and roll.
Kim Carnes is an American singer and songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles. She began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a session background singer with the famed Water Sisters. After she signed her first publishing deal with Jimmy Bowen, she released her debut album Rest on Me in 1971. Carnes' self-titled second album primarily contained self-penned songs, including her first charting single "You're a Part of Me", which reached No. 35 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1975. In the following year, Carnes released Sailin', which featured "Love Comes from Unexpected Places". The song won the American Song Festival and the award for Best Composition at the Tokyo Song Festival in 1976.
Androwis Youakim, better known as Andy Kim, is a Canadian pop rock singer and songwriter. He grew up in Montreal, Quebec. He is known for hits that he released in the late 1960s and 1970s: the international hit "Baby, I Love You" in 1969, and "Rock Me Gently", which topped the U.S. singles chart in 1974. He co-wrote "Sugar, Sugar" in 1968 and sang on the recording as part of the Archies; it was #1 for four weeks in the USA and was "Record of the Year" for 1969.
Jeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer. Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Then He Kissed Me", "Be My Baby", "Chapel of Love", and "River Deep - Mountain High" ; "Leader of the Pack" ; "Sugar, Sugar" ; "Without Us", and "I Honestly Love You".
Changes is the ninth studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 1970 by Colgems Records. The album was issued after Michael Nesmith's exit from the band, leaving only Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones to fulfill the recording contract they had signed in the mid-1960s. Changes was their last new album for Colgems Records and the group's last album of all new material until Pool It!, released in 1987.
"Sugar, Sugar" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, produced by Barry and recorded by The Archies, a fictional bubblegum pop band from Archie Comics. It was released as the group's third single on the Calendar Records label on May 24, 1969, rereleased on the Kirshner Records label in July 1969, and included on their second album, Everything's Archie. In the autumn of 1969, it topped both Billboard's Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, ranking number one for the year in both America and the UK. It is the most successful bubblegum pop single of all time, and is widely regarded as the apotheosis of the late-1960s/early-1970s bubblegum music genre. In mid-1970, R&B/soul singer Wilson Pickett achieved success on both the US soul and pop charts with a cover version.
Robert Bloom was an American singer-songwriter. He is known best for the upbeat 1970 hit, "Montego Bay", which was co-written with and produced by Jeff Barry. It may be that his success with "Montego Bay" has overshadowed other aspects of his career. There is some conflicting information surrounding the circumstances of his death.
Gimme Dat Ding is a split album by The Sweet and The Pipkins, released on EMI's budget record label, MFP in 1970. It is named after the 1970 song "Gimme Dat Ding" by the Pipkins. In the US, The Pipkins released a full album of the same name, consisting of the six songs here and an additional four. It charted at No.132.
Eleanor Louise Greenwich was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Be My Baby", "Maybe I Know", "Then He Kissed Me", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Christmas ", "Hanky Panky", "Chapel of Love", "Leader of the Pack", and "River Deep – Mountain High", among others.
John William Bristol was an American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a native of Morganton, North Carolina, about which he wrote an eponymous song. His composition "Love Me for a Reason" saw global success when covered by The Osmonds including a number 1 in the UK charts in 1974. His most famous solo recording was "Hang On in There Baby" recorded in 1974, which reached the Top Ten in the United States and number 3 in the United Kingdom. Both singles were in the UK top 5 simultaneously.
Steve Barri is an American songwriter and record producer.
The Illusion were an American psychedelic hard rock band from Long Island, New York. They released three albums in the United States, the first of which was also issued in the United Kingdom. All three albums were produced by Jeff Barry. They are best known for their single "Did You See Her Eyes", which reached #32 in the US in mid-1969.
Sheldon David "Scott" English was an American songwriter, arranger and record producer. He is best known as the co-writer of "Brandy" which he wrote with Richard Kerr. The song became a No. 1 hit for Barry Manilow in 1974, with the title changed to "Mandy". English had also released a single of "Brandy" which reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1971, and entered the US charts in March 1972.
"It's Getting Better" is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was a sunshine pop hit single in 1969 for Mama Cass.
Baby I Love You is an album by Andy Kim released by Steed Records.
"Who's Your Baby?" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, produced by Barry and recorded by The Archies, a fictional bubblegum pop band from Archie Comics. It is a non-album single, released on the Kirshner Records label on February 28, 1970. Its B-side, "Senorita Rita", was included on the group's third album, Jingle Jangle. It peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is their last top 40 hit.
"Do It in the Name of Love" is a song written by Bobby Bloom and Neil Brian Goldberg.
