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Fania Records#History

{{Short description|American record label}}

{{infobox record label

| name = Fania Records

| image = 250px

| image_caption = Fania Records logo

| founded = 1964

| founder = {{hlist|Johnny Pacheco|Jerry Masucci}}

| parent = Concord

| distributor = Universal Music Group

| genre = {{hlist|Salsa|Latin}}

| location = New York City, Miami, Florida

| url = [http://www.fania.com www.fania.com]

}}

Fania Records is a New York–based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964.{{cite news |last1=Cobo |first1=Leila |title=The Wild & Improbable Journey of Fania Records |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/fania-records-label-anniversary-6229032/ |publisher=Billboard |date=August 22, 2014}}{{cite book |last1=Negrón |first1=Marisol |title=Made in NuYoRico: Fania Records, Latin Music, and Salsa's Nuyorican Meanings |publisher=Duke University Press |date=2024 |doi=10.1215/9781478059875 |isbn=978-1-4780-5987-5 |url=https://doi.org/10.1215/9781478059875 }} The label took its name from a popular luncheonette frequented by musicians in Havana, Cuba that Masucci frequented when he worked for a public relations firm there during the pre-Castro era. Fania is known for its promotion of salsa music.{{Cite web|last=Waring|first=Charles|date=2019-09-26|title=Fania Records: How A New York Label Took Salsa To The World|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/fania-records-story/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=uDiscover Music|language=en-US}}

History

Frustrated by the meager amount of money he was receiving for his recordings, Johnny Pacheco started Fania in 1964 and sold records to music stores out of the trunk of his car.{{Cite web|title=Fania All-Stars and Johnny Pacheco {{!}} The Legends {{!}} Latin Music USA|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/latinmusicusa/legends/fania-all-stars-and-johnny-pacheco/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430081044/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/latinmusicusa/legends/fania-all-stars-and-johnny-pacheco/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 30, 2017|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Fania All-Stars and Johnny Pacheco {{!}} The Legends {{!}} Latin Music USA}} To help finance the business, he consolidated with his Brooklyn-born Italian lawyer and promoter Jerry Masucci, and in 1964 founded the Fania label to produce, promote and market the music of Latinos in New York. The label started out as a small venture, but gained popularity after the success of Johnny Pacheco's first official record, Cañonazo (Fania 321), leading to the expansion of its talent base that Pacheco envisioned.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fania.com/historia.php |title=Fania.com |access-date=2008-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828182901/http://www.fania.com/historia.php |archive-date=2008-08-28 |url-status=dead }} Among Fania's signature stars are Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez, Hector Casanova, Rey Reyes, Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, Eric Gale, Larry Harlow, Ray Barretto, Ralfi Pagan, Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Bobby Valentín, Rubén Blades, Héctor Lavoe, Cheo Feliciano, Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Miranda and many others.{{Cite web|title=Fania {{!}} Credits|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/fania-mn0001220563|access-date=2020-10-07|website=AllMusic|language=en-us}}

In 1968, Pacheco created a supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars that brought together the elite of his salsa musicians and singers for joint performances and recording.{{Cite web|title=Fania All Stars|url=https://concord.com/artist/fania-all-stars/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Concord|language=en-US}} They made their debut at the Red Garter club located in New York's Greenwich Village, but it was their 1971 performance at the Cheetah, a club in Midtown Manhattan, which became legendary. Pacheco was music director and guided the band on stage. The Fania All-Stars were filmed for the documentary Our Latin Thing released a year later.{{Cite web|title=Info Page - Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa)|url=http://www.strut-records.com/ourlatinthing/info.html|access-date=2020-10-07|website=www.strut-records.com}}

In 1970 Masucci and Pacheco launched Fania's sub-label Vaya Records. In the first years of the Vaya label, Masucci and Pacheco signed the duo Ricardo "Richie" Ray and Bobby Cruz, along with Celia Cruz, Mongo Santamaria and Cheo Feliciano.Julyssa Lopez, 'udiscovermusic,' October 29, 2023, "Vaya Records: Fania Records’ Inspiring Sub-Label" https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/vaya-records-fania-records-feature/ In the following year, Vaya acquired Cotique Records.Fania Records: History https://fania.com/history/

In 1973, Fania All-Stars performed at Yankee Stadium to a stadium with 45,000 attendees. Pacheco directed the band to an excited crowd who cheered on each Fania All-Star member.

As of 2007 all that is left is "Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends of Fania". In 2003, the 1975 Fania release Live at Yankee Stadium was included in the second set of 50 recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry.{{Cite web | url= https://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/registry/nrpb-2003reg.html | title=The National Recording Registry 2003 | publisher=Library of Congress | access-date=2011-07-25}} Masucci, who had bought out Pacheco's share of the company around 1967, became the sole owner of Fania Records and the numerous other labels and umbrella labels in South America that he acquired and created.{{Cite web|last=Peisner|first=David|date=2014-06-05|title=Digital Salsa: The Surprising Rebirth Of Legendary Latin-Music Label Fania Records|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3031260/digital-salsa-the-surprising-rebirth-of-legendary-latin-music-label-fania-records|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Fast Company|language=en-US}} Masucci died in 1997, and for the next eight years Fania and all of its assets were tied up in probate court while various parties battled over its ownership.

In September 2005, Fania's assets were sold to V2 Records and Miami-based label Emusica, and by early 2006, the new owners began to reissue material from Fania's backlog catalog (some of which has never appeared on CD before) with enhanced sound and liner notes.{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1407697/emusica-acquires-fania-assets|title = Emusica Acquires Fania Assets|magazine = Billboard|date = 18 August 2005}} In an effort to create additional content, Código Records, a subsidiary of the Emusica label, allowed DJs and producers to remix original material.{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2018/08/03/634611443/fania-records-legacy-lives-on-with-new-owners-it-s-the-culture|title=Fania Records' Legacy Lives On With New Owners: 'It's The Culture'|last=Contreras|first=Felix|date=2018-08-03|work=National Public Radio|access-date=2018-09-19}}

As of July 27, 2018, Fania is owned by Concord, which acquired the label from Codigo Entertainment. Fania's catalogue included 19,000 master recordings and 8,000 compositions.{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/concord-acquires-independent-latin-music-company-fania/|title=Concord acquires independent Latin music company Fania|date=July 27, 2018|website=Music Business Worldwide}}

List of artists

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Official website}}
  • {{AllMusic}}
  • {{Discogs label}}
  • {{SoundCloud}}

{{Concord Music Group}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:American record labels

Category:Record labels established in 1964

Category:Record labels disestablished in 2005

Category:Latin American music record labels