Eventually he convinced his accountant brother-in-law, Mitchell Malouf, to join him, combining the first letters of their names to form Malaco Attractions. A native of Alabama, Couch was familiar with musicians like guitarist Jimmy Johnson, bass player David Hood, and songwriter Dan Penn, all of whom became fixtures on the Muscle Shoals, AL recording scene. Seeing there was money to be made, he started his own booking business. The saga starts with Tommy Couch, who was tasked with booking bands for his fraternity at the University of Mississippi at the age of nineteen. His insights throughout the book help readers gain greater appreciation for all that the label has accomplished, and his personal favorites among the label’s many releases will have you checking songs out on your favorite music service as you enjoy the book. In 2020, his body of work was recognized by the Blues Foundation in Memphis with their “Keeping The Blues Alive” Lifetime Achievement Award. The author, Rob Bowman, wrote the definitive book, Soulsville U.S.A: The Story of Stax Records, in addition to contributing liner notes for more than 250 recordings, winning a Grammy Award in the process. The compelling tale is the focus of this handsome tabletop book loaded photographs of the label’s amazing roster of artists and many of the key employees central to the label’s success. From its beginning as booking agency, Malaco grew to be a force in the soul blues arena, and perhaps even more importantly, in the gospel music industry. And all of those labels eventually faded away, victims of bad business decisions or a tempting offer to sell their catalog.Īs labels are bought and sold, often ending up in the hands of a huge entertainment conglomerate, one company has managed to survive for fifty years as a true independent entity. In the realm of blues and soul music, independent labels like Chess, Stax, Hi, Modern, Excello, and Specialty Records put out many records that are now considered classics in those genres. Over the last 75 years, the world has seen hundreds of record companies rise up, only to fade away, sometimes in the proverbial “blink of an eye”. The Malaco Press, a Division of Malaco, Inc. I have a feeling, however it will not be their last.Rob Bowman – The Last Soul Company: The Malaco Records Story Unfortunate, yes, but this is a just another chapter in the Last Soul Company’s book. “It’s just a…it is a very sad feeling to see 44 years of work 44 years of my life out here gone in 15 seconds, but we’ll clean up come back to cry another day. It’s a real tricky question as to whether or not it’s worth rebuilding.”, said Stephenson. Founder Wolf Stephenson said: “Well, the buildings are old. Their warehouses cam out basically untouched, but the main portion of the Malaco compound took the brunt of the extreme weather. Buildings that housed master tapes and the record and royalties building were reduced to rubble. The legendary Mississippi record company Malaco’s home offices were hit hard this weekend by a tornado. Clearly the Last Soul Company, they were doing it their way, succeeding, and it showed. They were in the Gospel game, and later reissued great live Jazz from Jazz greats such as Duke Ellington and more. Malaco would pick up older artists still playing like Tyrone Davis, Bobby Bland, and Shirley Brown and release records from these past giants. At one point they even purchased the Muscle Shoals Studio and publishing company, adding to their empire od Southern Soul, R & B, and Blues. Add on luminaries such as ZZ Hill, Benny Lattimore, and Denise LaSalle, and Malaco became a go to record company for great artists and hits. They even hit up the Disco market and had players on Anita Ward’s smash “Ring My Bell”. “Misty Blue” by Dorothy moore was recorded and released from Malaco, her biggest hit. When Stax Records folded, people like Eddie Floyd and David Porter among others were breaking down Malaco’s door to get in there to record. Other notables looking to be touched by Malaco were Rufus Thomas, Paul Simon and the Pointer Sisters. Not bad for a little recording studio from Mississippi. Big Stuff” by Jean Knight was picke dup by Stax and went on to sell over 2 million records. It was released on their own Chimneyville label, and when the single took off, it was then that Atlantic came back knocking to pick it up. They recorded “Groove Me” by King Floyd which got rejected by Stax and Atlantic for distribution. Started by Wolf Stephenson and Tommy Couch and billed as the “The Last Soul Company”, Malaco got recognized by a side that went on to become a huge hit. Founded in 1962, Malaco Records has had it’s offices on Northside Drive in Jackson, Mississippi since 1967.
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