Profile Records

Profile Records was a record label that specialized in urban-oriented music such as hip hop. It was active until 1996.

History

In 1980 Cory Robbins, who was then 23 and had working briefly for MCA, wanted to start a record label. He invited his songwriter friend Steve Plotnicki to be a partner. They each borrowed $17,000 from their parents and Profile Records was born. Their tiny office opened at 250 West 57th street in NYC on May 1, 1981. Contrary to the Urban myth that has existed for decades, Robbins and Plotnicki did not buy Profile Records from MCA Records, nor was it the child of any other label. The label started as and remained an independent company created by Robbins and Plotnicki.

With the success of “Genius Rap” by Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde they escaped financial ruin by a mere $2,000. From there it was Gidea Park's “Seasons of Gold” that brought more commercial and financial success, becoming Profile Records’ first hit to make the Billboard Hot 100. In 1982 the fledgling label gained international recognition with the club hit I Specialize in Love, recorded by Sharon Brown (singer), licensed to Virgin Records in the U.K. The label continued its commercial success, with gold and platinum sales with artists such as Dana Dane, Twin hype, Run DMC, Poor Righteous Teachers, Nemesis, and Paul Hardcastle to name a few.

Chief Records

Chief Records, together with its Profile and Age subsidiaries, was an independent record label that operated from 1957 to 1964. Best known for its recordings of Chicago blues artists Elmore James, Junior Wells, Magic Sam, and Earl Hooker, the label had a diverse roster and included R&B artists Lillian Offitt and Ricky Allen.

Chief Records was founded in Chicago in 1957 by Mel London, a 25-year-old R&B entrepreneur. London served as producer and wrote several of the label's best-known songs. Earl Hooker, one of the most well-regarded blues guitarists of his era, was an important contributor to the label. He worked closely with London and "was involved in over a dozen recording sessions, and his playing was featured on some forty titles and twenty-five singles, a dozen of which were released under his own name, the rest being ascribed to Junior Wells, A.C. Reed, Lillian Offitt, and Ricky Allen". Among Hooker's recordings are several slide-guitar instrumentals, including the 1961 Age single "Blue Guitar", on which Muddy Waters would later overdub a vocal and call it "You Shook Me".