Mel Cheren
Former Financial Backer of The Paradise Garage
C.E.O. West End Records
Owner Colonial House Inn
Founder and President 24 Hours For Life Foundation
Painter
Mel Cheren began his career in the music business in 1959 at ABC/Paramount Records where he eventually became head of the label's production department. Hot acts on ABC/Paramount included Ray Charles, Lloyd Price, Paul Anka and B.B. King. At one point ABC bought Dunhill Records which allowed Cheren to work with artists like The Mamas and the Papas, Three Dog Night and Richard Harris (the artist behind the original version of "MacArthur Park"). When the company moved operations to Los Angeles in 1970, Cheren left to become head of production for Scepter Records.
Back when the majority of record companies were not willing to make a commitment to Disco Music, Mel Cheren was one of the first music industry insiders to promote and support the emerging Dance Music genre, which continues to be popular to this day. Acknowledged to be one of the original driving forces behind the creation of the Disco movement, he early on gained the nickname "The Godfather of Disco" because of his innovative ideas and the trends he helped to set. With a career spanning almost five decades, Cheren’s many accomplishments over the years have clearly proven him to be one of the most important and passionate figures in Dance Music history. He has demonstrated the same commitment and dedication to his AIDS charity work from the early days of the crisis. His countless contributions to the fight against AIDS have become as legendary as his music industry landmarks and his iconic status within the evolution of New York City nightlife.
It was at Scepter that his career really took off. Cheren was ahead of the curve with the emerging “Disco Era” because he was on both the producing and the receiving ends of Dance Music. By being out dancing in the clubs in New York and on Fire Island he had an inside track to what was hot and what was not. With his finger on the pulse of what was becoming popular with the DJ’s and the dancers, Cheren forged new territory. He was instrumental in Scepter being the first record company to create a 12 inch single for DJ’s, knowing that the DJ’s would welcome these records both for their enhanced sound quality and for the opportunities they provided for more creative mixing. The response was immediately positive and practically overnight a revolution swept through the record business as Dance Music labels abandoned the 7 inch format for this influential new concept. He was also one of the original contributors to the first record pool for DJ’s, which went on to become the still successful For The Record Record Pool. One of Cheren’s most important innovations occurred when he convinced Scepter to release the first instrumental mix on the B-side of a 12 inch single with "We're On The Right Track" by Ultra High Frequency. This novel idea earned Scepter the 1974 Billboard Trendsetter Award and soon set the standard for an industry-wide practice. Some of the biggest hits that Scepter released under Cheren’s guidance include B.T. Express' "Do It ‘Til You're Satisfied," Patti Jo’s "Make Me Believe in You" and "Nice And Slow" by Jesse Green, which earned nominations for Billboard’s Disco Single of the Year and Disco Artist of the Year. Mel Cheren's own remix of this song won him a nomination for Billboard's Best Disco Edit of the Year.
West End Records Hot Shot
When Scepter closed in 1976, Mel co-founded West End Records and soon after signed Karen Young, whose single "Hot Shot" sold 800,000 copies making it one of the biggest selling 12" in history. The label went on to release a string of smash R&B and dance hits including, among many, The Bombers "(Everybody) Get Dancin'," Taana Gardner's "Work That Body," "Heartbeat," Raw Silk's "Do It to The Music," NYC Peech Boys "Don't Make Me Wait," and Loose Joints "Is it All Over My Face."
The Paradise Garage
Cheren, though respected for his record label, is loved by many for making possible one of the world's most revered nightclubs, The Paradise Garage. He was the financial backer for the club which was owned and operated by his former partner, Michael Brody. During the Garage years, Cheren's relationship with the club's influential DJ Larry Levan blossomed, resulting in some of the most memorable records to come out of the late Seventies and early Eighties.
One of Mel Cheren’s most lasting contributions to dance culture is the seminal role he played in the creation of one of the most influential clubs of all time – The Paradise Garage. He was the financial backer for the legendary club, which was owned and operated by his former partner, Michael Brody. Beginning in 1976 the Garage established itself as a membership club through a series of “Construction Parties.” Over the years, Brody continued to expand and improve his exceptional dance space above an actual garage on King Street in the West Village. Cheren was not only involved in the Paradise Garage financially but also in a mentoring and promotional capacity. The club was built upon a distinctive sound created by designer Richard Long and resident DJ Larry Levan. During the Garage years, Cheren developed a strong personal and professional relationship with Levan. Their musical collaborations led to the creation of some of the most memorable dance anthems of the 1970’s and 1980’s. Cheren and Levan’s music fostered such a symbiotic connection between the Paradise Garage and West End Records that the club and record label will forever have a lasting association. The Garage not only set a new standard in music and sound production but also in the creativity employed throughout the evolution of its space and the décor designed for its many special themed parties. For all its artistic distinction, the Garage is primarily revered as a uniquely safe and accepting environment for a multi-ethnic gay and straight membership who were treated more like family members than mere club patrons. At the end of September of 1987, Mel Cheren was part of the grieving clan that ascended the chaser-lit ramp for the last time to gather for one final weekend-long party that brought the era of the Paradise Garage to a close. More than anyone else, Cheren has kept the Garage legend alive. Larry Levan passed away in 1992 and yet Mel Cheren continues to sponsor Larry Levan/Paradise Garage tribute parties featuring DJ’s spinning music in the Garage tradition. Cheren holds the trademark for the Garage’s famous muscled dancer logo and has a sizable Paradise Garage archival collection that includes the sign that once hung outside the mythic club on King Street.
In the summer of 1976 Cheren started his own record label, West End Records, with a former colleague from Scepter Records. West End quickly became one of the foremost producers of Dance Music in the late 1970’s. According to Grand Master Flash, West End’s first release, “Sessomatto,” was also the first record that the early rappers used before Sugarhill came out with “Rapper’s Delight.” West End Records hit pay dirt with Karen Young’s single, "Hot Shot," which sold more than 800,000 copies. West End went on to release a string of smash R&B and dance hits including the Bombers’ "(Everybody) Get Dancin'," Taana Gardner's "Work That Body," "Raw Silk's "Do It to The Music," Mahogany’s “Ride on the Rhythm,” Julius Brown’s “Party,” India’s “Stay With Me,” Bettye Lavette’s “Doin’ the Best That I Can,” Loose Joints’ "Is it All Over My Face?" and the New York City Peech Boys’ "Don't Make Me Wait." Undoubtedly, West End’s biggest hit and the song for which it is most famous is Taana Gardner’s “Heartbeat.” Selling close to a million copies, “Heartbeat” is one of the most successful 12 inch releases in record history. It has become an enduring classic, sampled more than 65 times, a favorite of the Hip-Hop generation and still played in clubs all around the world.
In 1998 Mel Cheren bought out his former partner in West End Records, Ed Kushins, and gained sole control of his record company. In 2002 he brought on Blaze producer and recording artist, Kevin Hedge, as President of West End Records. Together they continued West End’s tradition of specializing in "danceable R&B" CD’s and singles, as well as classic compilation projects. Two of their most popular collections are “Larry Levan's Classic West End Records Remixes [Made Famous at the Legendary Paradise Garage]” and “Larry Levan Live at the Paradise Garage,” a double CD set made directly from remastered reel-to-reel tapes recorded live at the Garage in 1979 and which includes a 6-panel insert with never-before-seen photographs. To celebrate West End’s 25th Anniversary, Masters At Work (Louie Vega and Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez) created a 2-CD non-stop mix of remastered, re-equalized, re-edited and remixed West End Records classics. This “25th Anniversary Edition Mastermix” continues to be one of West End’s most successful releases. In addition to their classics series, West End has created new releases with Taana Gardner, Linda Clifford, Marty Thomas, Cazwell and Dawn Tallman. Cheren acquired the rights to the classic Gay Pride anthem, “I Was Born This Way” and released a 12-inch with brand new mixes by Gomi and Junior Vasquez of this Gospel-infused Dance Music masterpiece. In 2007 with diverging visions for the future, Mel Cheren decided to take control of all of the West End classic material, while Kevin Hedge retains ownership of the new material generated during his time at West End for his newly formed Blaze Imprints. With Cheren once again solely at the helm of his record company, West End Records will continue to remaster and re-release their rare classics, produce remixes of other timeless standards and collaborate with other producers and artists to create new and exciting music in the tradition of the cutting-edge West End legacy.
Be Blessed Mel. And Thank You So Much....
0 comments:
Post a Comment