Okeh Records

OKEH RECORDS
 
 
Okeh Records  was founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918.  Since 1926, it has been a subsidiary of Columbia Records, now itself a subsidiary of Sony Corporation.  Today, Okeh is an imprint of Sony Masterworks, a specialty label of Columbia.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

Though not nearly so well known as Jerry ButlerBilly Butler was also a professional musician who was mainly active in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  Curtis Mayfield supervised his first session at Okeh Records, and that label released his first album, Right Track (1966).  He later formed a vocal group called Infinity, which released a 1973 album called Hung up on You.  

 

In 2007Kent Records put together a CD called The Right Tracks, covering 29 of the recordings that Billy Butler made at Okeh Records.  Writing for AllmusicRichie Unterberger gives the CD 4½ stars and says:  “First and foremost, [Billy] Butler, though far less celebrated than his older brother Jerry Butler, was a fine singer and songwriter in his own right, producing consistently good pop-soul discs that were rather reminiscent of the Impressions (and, at times, Major Lance, another Chicago soul artist with strong connections to Curtis Mayfield).  In addition, if you are a fan of Mayfield’s mid-’60s work with the Impressions and as a songwriter/producer, this has some of his best overlooked work in the latter capacity.”  

 

(July 2014)

 

Last edited: March 22, 2021