Super K Productions

Last updated


Super K Productions was a 1960s American recording production company under Buddah Records, headed by producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz, whose groups specialized in bubblegum pop. Their biggest successes were The Ohio Express, The 1910 Fruitgum Company, Crazy Elephant and The Music Explosion. Super K also had its own label of the same name in 1969, operated under Buddah Records, but it did not last as the bubblegum genre had already started to decline in popularity. [1]

Not a company to depend on double-sided hits, many (but not all) Super K-produced singles were pressed with B-sides of either tracks recorded backwards or studio group instrumentals. This method was also employed earlier by producers Phil Spector and Joe Meek as a way of pointing a radio DJ to the "right" side of the singles.

In the 1970's, they had a small Recording Studio and Production office in Great Neck, NY, on East Shore Drive, just north of Northern Blvd. on Long Island.

Super K Production groups

Related Research Articles

Bubblegum is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a more specific rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States in the late 1960s, that evolved from garage rock, novelty songs, and the Brill Building sound, and which was also defined by its target demographic of preteens and young teenagers. The Archies' 1969 hit "Sugar, Sugar" was a representative example that led to cartoon rock, a short-lived trend of Saturday-morning cartoon series that heavily featured pop rock songs in the bubblegum vein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Levine</span> American singer

Joey Levine is an American singer, songwriter and record producer of pop music, who has been active since 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Express</span> American bubblegum pop band

The Ohio Express is an American bubblegum pop band formed in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1967. Though marketed as a band, it would be more accurate to say that the name "Ohio Express" served as a brand name used by Jerry Kasenetz's and Jeffry Katz's Super K Productions to release the music of a number of different musicians and acts. The best known songs of Ohio Express were actually the work of an assemblage of studio musicians working in New York, including singer/songwriter Joey Levine. Other recorded "Ohio Express" work included material recorded by an early group of Joe Walsh, as well as a later single written and sung by Graham Gouldman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddah Records</span> American record label

Buddah Records was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding. Buddah handled a variety of music genres, including bubblegum pop, folk rock (Melanie), experimental music, and soul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lemon Pipers</span> American rock band

The Lemon Pipers were a short-lived 1960s American rock band from Oxford, Ohio, United States, known chiefly for their song "Green Tambourine", which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1968. The song has been credited as being the first bubblegum pop chart-topper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotlegs</span> English band

Hotlegs was a short-lived English band best known for their hit single "Neanderthal Man" in 1970. The band consisted of Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, Lol Creme and – briefly – Graham Gouldman. In 1972, the band re-branded themselves as 10cc.

Crazy Elephant was an American bubblegum pop band noted for their 1969 hit single, "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Music Explosion</span> American garage rock band

The Music Explosion was an American garage rock band from Mansfield, Ohio, discovered and signed by record producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz.

The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus was a bubblegum "supergroup" created by record producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz, consisting of various Super K Production groups.

Jeffry Katz is an American music producer, one of the first exponents of bubblegum pop.

Jerry Kasenetz is an American bubblegum pop producer who worked with Jeffry Katz, the two working together as the Super K Productions company, to manufacture and produce bands such as Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus, The Music Explosion, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Crazy Elephant, and The Ohio Express.

<i>Simon Says</i> (album) 1968 studio album by 1910 Fruitgum Company

Simon Says is the debut album by the American bubblegum pop group the 1910 Fruitgum Company on the Buddah Records label. Released in 1968, it included two songs that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100—the most from any of the group's albums—although it was not their highest-charting album. It's been debated whether or not the members of the band actually played on the album since the Ohio Express, another band put together by Super K Productions, actually consisted of two groups: one that produced the records and another that toured and promoted the name. This claim is disputed by original drummer Floyd Marcus, who has stated that all five men listed really were behind the instruments.

<i>1, 2, 3, Red Light</i> 1968 studio album by 1910 Fruitgum Company

1, 2, 3 Red Light, the second album by American bubblegum pop group the 1910 Fruitgum Company, was released six months after their debut album, Simon Says. The title song written by Sal Trimachi and Bobbi Trimachi, was the albums' only hit single for the band, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, with both the album and the single just barely missing the success of their first release.

Kenneth Benjamin Laguna is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, best known for his work with Joan Jett.

"Simon Says" is a bubblegum pop song written by Elliot Chiprut and originally recorded in 1967 by the 1910 Fruitgum Company, becoming their most successful chart hit.

<i>Indian Giver</i> (album) 1969 studio album by 1910 Fruitgum Company

Indian Giver, the fourth studio album by American bubblegum pop group the 1910 Fruitgum Company, was released in 1969. The title song written by Bobby Bloom, Ritchie Cordell, and Bo Gentry peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song "Special Delivery" went to #38 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album went to 147 on the Billboard 200.

"Indian Giver" is a song written by Bobby Bloom, Ritchie Cordell, and Bo Gentry. It was first recorded by 1910 Fruitgum Company for their 1969 album, Indian Giver. Its B-Side, "Pow Wow", was actually a song called "Bring Back Howdy Doody" deliberately pressed backwards as a way of deterring radio stations from playing the B-Side, which was later recorded by another Buddah bubblegum music group produced by Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz called Flying Giraffe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ritchie Cordell</span> American songwriter and record producer (1943–2004)

Ritchie Cordell was an American songwriter, singer and record producer. He wrote and produced several hits for Tommy James and The Shondells, including "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony", and co-produced Joan Jett's I Love Rock 'n' Roll.

<i>Shadows of Knight</i> (album) 1969 studio album by The Shadows of Knight

Shadows of Knight is the third studio album by American garage rock band The Shadows of Knight, and was released on Super K Productions, SKS 6002, in 1969. Recording for the album came after lead vocalist Jim Sohns revamped the Shadows of Knight's line-up and signed with Super K. Although Shadows of Knight did not chart and was the last album featuring new material by the group until A Knight to Remember, a single taken from the effort, "Shake", became a moderate national success in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moonflight (song)</span> 1969 single by Vik Venus

"Moonflight" is a song written and originally recorded by Vik Venus in 1969. It is a 'break-in' song, with popular hits of the day interspersed at humorous points throughout the song in response to spoken-word prompts, in the style of Dickie Goodman, who had many such hits. "Moonflight" became a hit during the summer of '69, reaching #38 U.S. Billboard and #23 Cash Box. It also charted in Canada, where it reached #20. It did best in South Africa, however, where it reached #7.

References

  1. "Super K Album Discography". www.bsnpubs.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.