Hi Records was a Memphis soul label started by Ray Harris in 1957. Its most successful years were in the 1960s and 1970s, with albums for internationally known acts like Al Green and Ann Peebles. When founder Joe Coughi died in 1970, musician/music producer Willie Mitchell took over running the label. The label's music was mostly recorded at Mitchell's Royal Recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee. The label used a house backing band of local session musicians, known as the Hi Rhythm Section, on its numerous hit recordings of the 1970s. The popularity of disco music in the late 1970s led to an eventual decline in the popularity of the label's Memphis soul style.
In 1977, Willie Mitchell sold the label to Al Bennett. Today it is operated by his daughter, Adalah Bennett Shaw. Licensed distribution is by Crimson Productions in Europe; EMI is the licensee in Canada and the United States.
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