Florence Greenberg

Sceptor Information owner Florence Greenberg helped collection many precedents; she was the 1st woman to possess a significant label and her label’s 1st signees, the Shirelles, had been the first woman group to truly have a number 1 pop music using the million-selling “Soldier Boy.” The label’s lineup also included Dionne Warwick, Chuck Jackson, the Isley Brothers (“Twist and Shout”), Tommy Hunt (“Human being”), Maxine Dark brown (“Oh No Not really My Baby”), B.J. Thomas (“Raindrops Maintain Falling on My Mind”), as well as the Kingsmen (“Louie Louie”), amongst others. Greenberg’s curiosity about the record business was piqued by her husband’s friend who proved helpful at music publisher Hill & Range. Blessed Sept 16, 1913, the suburban NJ housewife’s little girl, Mary Jane Greenberg, presented her to her teen-aged schoolmates Doris Coley, Beverley Lee, Shirley Owens, and Addie Harris, who acquired a performing group known as the Poquellos. The elder Greenberg was beginning a label known as Tiara Information. Impressed using the young ladies’ abilities, she signed these to a documenting and management agreement after obtaining their parents’ authorization. Renamed the Shirelles, their initial one was a documenting of 1 of their primary music, “I Met Him on the Weekend.” Greenberg sensed that a larger label would execute a better work of advertising and offering the record. Following the solitary was leased to Decca Information, it broke the pop Best 50. The concurrent singles didn’t make the graphs, so Greenberg started liberating the group’s singles on her behalf fresh label, Sceptor Information, in springtime 1959. She recruited talented songwriter/maker Luther Dixon (the Platters, the Crests’ “Sixteen Candles”) to utilize the group, and promoter Wally Roker to “function the information” — drum up curiosity on radio and in the record shops. The group brought Greenberg a music, “Focused on the One I REALLY LIKE,” that they’d noticed the “5” Royales perform at Washington, D.C.’s Howard Theatre. It was compiled by group member Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass. When the Shirelles’ edition premiered in 1959, it peaked in the low rungs from the pop graphs. But their fortunes flipped around when their solitary “Tonight’s the night time,” compiled by Shirley Owens and Dixon, was a high 20 R&B/Best 40 pop strike, even earning a cover fight (when two performers have competing variations from the same music) using the Chiffons. Additional hits adopted with songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s number 1 R&B/amount one pop hit, “DO YOU WANT TO Still Like Me Tomorrow.” Greenberg noticed this achievement as an opportunity to reissue “Focused on the One I REALLY LIKE.” Her hunch demonstrated correct with it likely to number 3 pop and number 2 R&B in 1961. Even more Shirelles hits implemented, with “Mama Stated,” “Big John,” Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “Baby It’s You,” the silver one “Soldier Boy,” (compiled by Dixon and Greenberg), “Welcome House Baby,” “MANY PEOPLE REALLY LIKE a Lover,” and “Foolish LITTTLE LADY.” In 1963, Greenberg began the Wand label that was on her behalf deep R&B-oriented produces. The roster included vocalist Chuck Jackson who acquired strikes with “I Don’t Want to Cry” and “Any Time Today.” In the ’70s, Wand’s roster shown the South Shoreline Commission (“Free of charge Guy,” “We’re on the right course,”), General Crook, the Southside Movement, as well as the Independents (“Departing Me”), the last mentioned which included potential Natalie Cole companies Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy. Immediately after, Luther Dixon, who acquired become Sceptor’s A&R movie director, was lured aside by Capitol Information having a offer that included his personal label. Greenberg changed him with vocalist/songwriter and maker Ed Townsend (“For Your Like”). The English Invasion (including the Beatles who protected the Shirelles strikes “Baby It’s You” and “Kids”) spelled the finish of ’50s vocal organizations. The Shirelles sued Sceptor for a long time over trust account cash. In 1976, Florence Greenberg offered Sceptor Information to Springfield International. At age 82, she passed away of problems from heart stroke on November 2,1995.