Henry Stone facts for kids

Henry Stone (born Henry David Epstein on June 3, 1921, died August 7, 2014) was a very important person in the American music industry. He was a record producer and ran many record labels. His career lasted from the 1950s, when R&B music was popular, all the way through the disco craze of the 1970s. Henry Stone was most famous for being the co-owner and president of TK Records. He started over 100 different record labels and helped sell more than $100 million worth of music worldwide. He was known as a smart businessman who helped many artists become famous.

Henry Stone's Early Life

Henry David Epstein was born in the Bronx, a part of New York City. As a teenager, he lived in an orphanage in Pleasantville, New York. There, he started playing the trumpet.

In 1943, Henry joined the US Army. He played in a band that included musicians of different races. This experience helped him learn about and appreciate "race records," which was a term for music made by Black artists at the time. After leaving the army in 1945, he changed his last name to Stone. He moved to Los Angeles and began working in sales for music companies like Jewel Records. In 1947, he and his family moved to Miami, Florida.

Making and Sharing Music in the 1950s and 1960s

In 1947, Henry Stone settled in Miami, Florida. He started his own company called Seminole, which helped distribute records. Soon after, he opened a recording studio called Crystal. In 1951, he recorded music for famous artists like Ray Charles.

By 1952, Henry Stone had started two new record labels. One was called Rockin', which focused on blues music. The other was Glory, which released gospel songs. Both labels quickly became successful. He also worked with King Records. Through this partnership, he helped release "Hearts of Stone" by Otis Williams and the Charms. This song became a number one R&B hit in 1954. Henry Stone was also key in getting James Brown to sign with King Records. He helped record Brown's first big hit, "Please, Please, Please."

In 1955, Henry Stone created his own independent music publishing companies. He also started more record labels, including Chart and Dade. These labels mainly recorded local blues artists. In 1960, Stone recorded "(Do The) Mashed Potatoes" for the Dade label. This song was actually performed by James Brown's backing band, called "Nat Kendrick and the Swans."

He also set up Tone Distribution, which became a very successful company. Tone Distribution worked with major labels like Atlantic, Motown, and Stax. Henry Stone's skill in distributing music helped spread these labels' songs around the world. At its busiest, Tone Distribution took up a whole city block in Hialeah, Florida. It had a large warehouse and employed over 100 people.

Even though he focused on distribution in the 1960s, Henry Stone kept recording R&B artists. One of these artists was Betty Wright. Her song "Clean Up Woman" was a huge hit in 1971. It was released on the Alston label, which Stone owned with Steve Alaimo. Stone also started the Glades label. This label released the song "Why Can’t We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas, which sold over a million copies. Henry Stone created many different labels. He believed it was easier to get songs played on the radio if stations didn't realize they all came from the same company.

TK Records and Disco Success

In 1972, Henry Stone learned that Warner Records would start handling its own distribution. This meant they would no longer use his company, Tone. So, he decided to focus on recording and making his own music. He formed a new record company called TK Records with Steve Alaimo. TK Records was based in Hialeah and brought Henry Stone his greatest success. The "TK" in the name came from Terry Kane, who designed the studio's recording console.

In 1973, Henry Stone introduced his warehouse worker, Harry Wayne “KC” Casey, to recording engineer Richard Finch. Stone let them use the recording studio after hours to experiment. This led to the creation of KC and the Sunshine Band. They released many hit songs on Stone's TK label, including "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way I Like It," and "Shake Your Booty." The band had five number one pop songs and won three Grammy awards.

Before KC and the Sunshine Band became famous, Casey and Finch wrote and produced "Rock Your Baby" for George McCrae. This song is known as the very first disco hit record.

Henry Stone's companies produced many other hits during the 1970s. These included "Funky Nassau" by The Beginning of the End (on Alston Records). Other hits were "Let's Straighten It Out" by Latimore (on Glades) and "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward (on Juana Records). He also released "Party Down" by Little Beaver and "Rockin’ Chair" by Gwen McCrae (both on Cat). "Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me" by Peter Brown (on Drive) and "What You Won't Do for Love" by Bobby Caldwell (on Clouds) were also big successes.

Later Years and Legacy

By the late 1970s, TK Records and its other labels were very popular in the dance and pop music world. However, they faced challenges when the anti-disco movement began. TK Records stopped operating by 1981.

Henry Stone then partnered with other music executives to form the Sunnyview label. This label released music by funk and rap artists like Newcleus. Later, Stone helped re-release classic dance songs on CD through a company called Hot Productions. In his final years, he continued to re-release R&B and dance tracks on his own label, called The Legendary Henry Stone Presents...

Honors and Awards

In 2004, Henry Stone received the first-ever Pioneer Award from the Dance Music Hall of Fame. This award was given to him in New York City. When he went on stage to accept his award and give a speech, the audience gave him a long standing ovation.

Death

Henry Stone passed away from natural causes in Miami on August 7, 2014. He was 93 years old. He is buried at Riverside-Gordon Memorial Gardens in North Miami Beach.

Henry Stone's Music Publishing

Henry Stone owned a music publishing company called Sherlyn Music. He named it after his first two daughters, Sheri and Linda, combining their names to create "Sherlyn." He also had three other children: Crystal, Kim, and David.