Hot Wax Records

Hot Wax Records was a Detroit, Michigan-based record label, created by producers/songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland (Eddie Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland) in 1968 when they left Motown Records. Hot Wax Records recorded female vocal groups such as The Honey Cone, as well as soul singers like Freda Payne and the blue-eyed soul band The Flaming Ember. Their records were distributed by Buddah Records.cite book
first=Charlie
last=Gillett
year= 1996
title= The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll
edition= (2nd Ed.)
publisher= Da Capo Press
location=New York, N.Y.
pages= p. 218, 323
id= ISBN 0-306-80683-5]

The first Hot Wax label was black and white with flames coming out of the record turntable at the top. The second Hot Wax label was white with orange swirling flames and black print. In 1973, when Hot Wax finally folded due to cash flow problems, Holland, Dozier and Holland moved their remaining artists to their newly formed Invictus Records label. [cite web
url=http://www.iconnect.net/home/bsnpubs/buddah/hotwax.html
title=Hot Wax Album Discography
publisher=
accessdate=2006-12-11 ]

History

Until 1967, Holland, Dozier, and Holland were the top composers and producers for Motown, establishing acts like the Supremes and Four Tops with many major hits in the mid-1960s. Looking for more control and greater rewards, they left Motown in 1968 to launch Hot Wax Records, along with Invictus Records.

The Hot Wax label, distributed by Buddah Records, was in full operation for about four years, racking up a series of successful records, such as Honey Cone's "Want Ads" (a number 1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard R&B Singles charts), "Stick Up", and "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show"; "Somebody's Been Sleeping in My Bed" by 100 Proof (Aged in Soul); "Westbound Number 9" by Flaming Ember; and "Rip Off" by Laura Lee.

For contractual reasons, the names "Holland/Dozier/Holland" were not used on releases until 1970Fact|date=June 2007, (songs were initially credited to "(Ronald) Dunbar and (Edythe) Wayne").Fact|date=June 2007 Other writers/producers for the label included Greg Perry, William Weatherspoon, Angelo Bond, and General Johnson, who was also lead singer with the Invictus group Chairmen of the Board.Fact|date=June 2007

See also

* List of record labels

Notes