Treat Records
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R&B and pop record label
Treat Records was an American record label founded in March 1955 by Murray Katz. It was based in New York City at 236 West 55th Street. Larry Newton, formerly of Derby Records, was the general manager.[1] The label produced R&B and pop records. The label folded later in 1955, but all of its recordings have been re-released.
Treat had 8 releases, each on both 45 and 78 rpm. The initial artists under contract with the label were:
| Artists | Notes |
|---|---|
| Terri Lee | Female vocalist |
| The Five Diamonds |
|
| The Inspirators |
The Inspirators on Treat Records and Old Town are the same group as The Five Stars: (i) Cleo Perry (1936–1993)[a] (lead), (ii) William Massey (1st Tenor), (iii) Clifton Johnson (2nd Tenor), (iv) Barney Fields (baritone), and (v) Buster Boyce (bass);[2] Over the years, the Inspirators recorded several other songs for Treat, none of which were ever released. In 1958, while still under contract to Newton, the Inspirators became part of a deal that Newton made with Hy Weiss, under which two songs were recorded for Old Town, "Starlight Tonight"[i] and "Oh What a Feeling."[i] Both were released June 1958. As was the case with their recordings with Treat, the two singles didn't amount to much in terms of sales. Around that time, the group began to disintegrate. "There were personal problems with drinking and women," according to Cleo Perry, and Perry decided to go out on his own[3] |
| Sonny Benton | |
| Hen Gates Combo |
The Hen Gates recordings were actually 1940s Freddie Mitchell (1922–1995) masters from the Derby label, and all the songs were renamed. There never was a "Hen Gates." The pseudonym was also used for Jimmy Foreman, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker.[4] |
| Blind Boy Fuller |
Pseudonym for Brownie McGhee (blues singer) |
| The Five Stars |
A male quintet, that, essentially for Treat and Old Town, were The Inspirators; the members — all from the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn — were (i) Cleo Perry (1936–1993)[a] (lead), (ii) William Massey (1st tenor), (iii) Clifton Johnson (2nd tenor), (iv) Barry Fields (baritone), and (v) Buster Boyce (bass); this group was not to be confused with The Five Stars of Detroit (mid-1958), which consisted of (a) Joseph Murphy, (b) John Raymond Dorsey, (c) Walter Gaines, (d) Crathman C.P. Spencer, and (e) Henry Jones[2][3] |
Extant discography
Original releases
- Treat (no catalog number)
The Five Diamonds
With the Hen Gates Orchestra
T-9: "The Night"T-10: "My Love"
- Treat 501
Five Diamonds
Released 1954
T-11: "The Ten Commandments of Love""I Cried and Cried"
- Treat 502
The Inspirators
With Orchestra
Released April 1955
T-3: "Three Sixty"T-4: "If Loving You Is Wrong" (© 1955)
- Treat 503
Hen Gates
And Orchestra
Released 1955
T-21: "Flash"
T-13: "Loose" - Treat 504
Terri Lee with the
Reg Ashby Orchestra[c]
T-25: "My, My, My" (© 1955)T-26: "I'm No Good To You"
- Treat 505
The Five Stars
Released June 1955
T-1: "Let's Fall in Love" (© 1933; renewed 1961)- From the 1933 film Let's Fall in Love
- Ted Koehler (words)
- Harold Arlen (music)
- ASCAP: Bourne, Inc.
T-2: "We Danced in the Moonlight"
- By Alton Earl Collier
- Alan Music Co.
- BMI: Allan Music Co.
- Treat 506
Buddy Lowe
T-27: "Goodbye Baby"T-28: "Run Fast, Don't Walk"
- Treat 507
Frankie Day
Released July 1955
T-30: "When I Dream of Home"- With the Ray Charles Singers
- ASCAP: Box & Cox
- OCLC 81245831
T-31: "Don't Forget"
Selected re-issues
References
General
- 1 2 Cleo Ricardo Perry, born 31 Aug 1936 Kings County, New York, died 4 February 1993
- ↑ Barnhill Music Corp. was formed by Dave Dreyer in 1950 to serve what then was an emerging hillbilly market
- ↑ Reg Ashby (né Reginald Theodore Ashby; 1921–2002) was born in Brooklyn and, around 1938, graduated from the Brooklyn Automotive High School, having played in its dance band; from about 1947 to 1955 he was the pianist for Doc Pomus; he was also the pianist on Pete Brown's 1959 album, From the Heart (A Rocket in My Pocket: The Hipster's Guide to Rockabilly Music, by Max Décharné, Serpent's Tail, 2010, pg. 194; OCLC 440186937)
Discography notes
- 1 2 Old Town 1053: The Inspirators
Released June 1958
901: "Starlight Tonight" (© 1958)
(audio on YouTube)
Cleo Perry (w&m)
Sam Weiss (w&m)
BMI: Twin Music Corp.
(Twin Music, Inc.) 902: "Oh What a Feeling" ("In My Heart") (© 1958)
(audio on YouTube)
Cleo Perry (w&m)
John Hill (w&m)
John Richborg (w&m)
BMI: Twin Music Corp.
(Twin Music, Inc.)
Inline citations
- ↑ "Larry Newton is Gen. Man. of Treat," Billboard, March 19, 1955, pg. 16
- 1 2 Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups, by Mitchel Stuart (Mitch) Rosalsky (1943–2008), Scarecrow Press (2002), pps. 240, 324, 325; ISBN 978-0-8108-4592-3.
- 1 2 Marv Goldberg, DISCoveries (magazine), August 1996
- ↑ "Jazz Musician Pseudonyms," Archived 2005-01-09 at the Wayback Machine by Flibbert J. Goosty, compiled by Jack Woker, All About Jazz (2011)