Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence. Ampex Records started in 1970. Its biggest hit was “We Gotta Get You A Woman” by Todd Rundgren (as “Runt”), reaching #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1970. Ampex also originated two subsidiary labels, Bearsville and Big Tree. Ampex Records ceased around 1973, and Bearsville and Big Tree switched distribution to Warner Bros. Records and Bell Records, respectively. (More from Wikipedia)
After moving to Sheraton, Wyoming, Cris Williamson began performing on a local radio station. Three listeners who were impressed with her remarkable talent spearheaded the formation of a small record company, Avanti Records that released her first album in 1964, The Artistry of Cris Williamson when she was just 16. After all 500 copies were sold out, two more albums followed, A Step at a Time (1965) and The World Around Cris Williamson (1966). Her full-fledged debut album, Cris Williamson was released on Ampex Records in 1971; her vocal stylings were so similar to those of Judy Collins that Cris was sometimes called “Judy Jr.”. After Cris Williamson acknowledged that she was a lesbian, however, she was quickly relegated to the sidelines.
(January 2014)
