Jackson, MS. March 18, 2008 –
The primary project of The Mississippi Blues Commission is The Mississippi State Blues Trail which honors a variety of institutions, individuals and locations rooted in the history of making blues music, not the least of which is Malaco Records. The trail is noted by special markers placed by each chosen location. The marker placed in front of the Malaco Music Group, home of Malaco Records, will be unveiled on April 8, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. Malaco Executives have asked attendees to please be in place by 2:30 so as not to miss the beginning of the event and to locate parking.
The unveiling promises to be a festive affair with plenty of southern soul cookin’ and a large helping of Malaco Blues music presented by Malaco’s blues artists. Malaco Records is located at: 3023 W. Northside Drive, Jackson, MS, 39213. For more information about this event, please call: 601-982-4522.
With roots dating back to the early 1960s, Malaco’s beginnings were almost accidental. A young college student and Alabama native, Tommy Couch (Malaco’s co-founder and President), discovered that booking rhythm and blues acts could be a profitable business venture. As a sophomore at Ole Miss., Couch was asked to help a friend’s band get bookings. Promised a commission, Couch took on the challenge and quickly realized that not only was booking bands fun, but it provided steady cash flow. Throughout the sixties, Couch continued booking bands, expanding his business little by little. With his new bride, Mayme Malouf, he settled in Jackson, MS and, hooked by the promise of making big bucks in a fun way by working with bands such as the Del-Rays, Couch and fraternity brother Gerald ‘Wolf’ Stephenson built up their booking roster to include artists such as: Carson Whitsett, Jimmy Johnson, Ray Stevens, Charlie Rich, the Sir Douglas Quintet, the Dave Clark 5, Herman’s Hermits and the Animals.
Turning their hobby into a true business venture, Couch and Malouf created the company ‘Malaco Attractions’ by joining their last names and booking these and other artists into the newly constructed Mississippi Coliseum. Against all odds, this young and burgeoning company, in the small town of Jackson, MS, has survived and thrived for more than four decades.
Transformed into the Malaco Music Group and given the moniker “The Last Soul Company,” Malaco has outlasted every other early blues label including Chess and Stax Records. Malaco Records and sister labels have won many awards, enjoyed numerous hit records and its artists have won top honors in every area of record production and performance. Blues artists and writers have included: Willie Clayton, Tyrone Davis, Bobby Rush, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Little Milton, Johnnie Taylor, Rich Cason, and its labels are: Ace Records, Malaco Records, Waldoxy Records, 601 Records, Savoy Records, Freedom Records, and Muscle Shoals Sound Records.
For more information about the history of Malaco Records and its contributions to blues (and other) music, please visit http://www.malaco.com/ and click on The Malaco Story link.
For more information regarding the upcoming Mississippi State blues Trail marker unveilings, please go to: www.msbluestrail.org or call Jim O'Neal, Research Director, Mississippi Blues Trail, e-mail: bluesoterica@aol.com, phone: (816) 931-0383.
The primary project of The Mississippi Blues Commission is The Mississippi State Blues Trail which honors a variety of institutions, individuals and locations rooted in the history of making blues music, not the least of which is Malaco Records. The trail is noted by special markers placed by each chosen location. The marker placed in front of the Malaco Music Group, home of Malaco Records, will be unveiled on April 8, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. Malaco Executives have asked attendees to please be in place by 2:30 so as not to miss the beginning of the event and to locate parking.
The unveiling promises to be a festive affair with plenty of southern soul cookin’ and a large helping of Malaco Blues music presented by Malaco’s blues artists. Malaco Records is located at: 3023 W. Northside Drive, Jackson, MS, 39213. For more information about this event, please call: 601-982-4522.
With roots dating back to the early 1960s, Malaco’s beginnings were almost accidental. A young college student and Alabama native, Tommy Couch (Malaco’s co-founder and President), discovered that booking rhythm and blues acts could be a profitable business venture. As a sophomore at Ole Miss., Couch was asked to help a friend’s band get bookings. Promised a commission, Couch took on the challenge and quickly realized that not only was booking bands fun, but it provided steady cash flow. Throughout the sixties, Couch continued booking bands, expanding his business little by little. With his new bride, Mayme Malouf, he settled in Jackson, MS and, hooked by the promise of making big bucks in a fun way by working with bands such as the Del-Rays, Couch and fraternity brother Gerald ‘Wolf’ Stephenson built up their booking roster to include artists such as: Carson Whitsett, Jimmy Johnson, Ray Stevens, Charlie Rich, the Sir Douglas Quintet, the Dave Clark 5, Herman’s Hermits and the Animals.
Turning their hobby into a true business venture, Couch and Malouf created the company ‘Malaco Attractions’ by joining their last names and booking these and other artists into the newly constructed Mississippi Coliseum. Against all odds, this young and burgeoning company, in the small town of Jackson, MS, has survived and thrived for more than four decades.
Transformed into the Malaco Music Group and given the moniker “The Last Soul Company,” Malaco has outlasted every other early blues label including Chess and Stax Records. Malaco Records and sister labels have won many awards, enjoyed numerous hit records and its artists have won top honors in every area of record production and performance. Blues artists and writers have included: Willie Clayton, Tyrone Davis, Bobby Rush, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Little Milton, Johnnie Taylor, Rich Cason, and its labels are: Ace Records, Malaco Records, Waldoxy Records, 601 Records, Savoy Records, Freedom Records, and Muscle Shoals Sound Records.
For more information about the history of Malaco Records and its contributions to blues (and other) music, please visit http://www.malaco.com/ and click on The Malaco Story link.
For more information regarding the upcoming Mississippi State blues Trail marker unveilings, please go to: www.msbluestrail.org or call Jim O'Neal, Research Director, Mississippi Blues Trail, e-mail: bluesoterica@aol.com, phone: (816) 931-0383.
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