Joe Henry

Profile Records was a record label that specialized in many types of urban-oriented music, such as hip hop, active until 1996.. In 1980, Cory Robbins, who was then 23 and had working briefly for MCA, wanted to start a record label. He invited his songwriter friend Steve Plotnicki to be a partner.... They each borrowed $17,000 from their parents and Profile Records was born. Their tiny office opened at 250 West 57th street in NYC on May 1, 1981. Contrary to the Urban myth that has existed for decades, Robbins and Plotnicki did not buy Profile Records from MCA Records, nor was it the child of any other label. The label started as and remained an independent company created by Robbins and Plotnicki. The initial investment came and went several times before a profit was finally turned a year later. It wasn’t until the success of “Genius Rap” by Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde did they escape financial ruin by a mere $2,000. From there it was Gidea Park's “Seasons of Gold” that brought more commercial and financial success by becoming Profile Records’ first hit to make the Billboard Hot 100.
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Founded by Jay Faires in 1989 in Carrboro, North Carolina, Mammoth Records was one of the premiere independent record labels of the 1990s. Its roster featured such diverse talent as Antenna, Blake Babies, Chainsaw Kittens, Dash Rip Rock, Dillon Fence, Far Too Jones, Frente!, Fun-Da-Mental, Fu... Manchu, Jason & the Scorchers, Joe Henry, Juliana Hatfield, Kill Creek, Machines of Loving Grace, The Melvins, My Friend Steve, Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Sidewinders, Vanilla Trainwreck, Velo-Deluxe, and Victoria Williams. The label went from a stand-alone company to being a part of a joint venture with Atlantic Records in 1993. The label hit the open market again in 1997. Faires sold Mammoth Records to The Walt Disney Company in 1998. Mammoth Records was folded into Hollywood Records in 2003. The Sidewinders – Faires was blown away by this Tucson, Arizona, band—which soon thereafter became Mammoth’s first signing—while checking them out at Liberty Lunch during the second SXSW fest in 1988. He liked them so much that “I helped load out the equipment the next day, after they played an in-store, as I met the guys for the first time.
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Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century but is often applied... to music that is older than that. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers. It has been contrasted with commercial and classical styles. This music is also referred to as traditional music and, in US, as "roots music". Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from traditional folk music. This process and period is called the folk revival and reached a zenith in the 1960s. The most common name for this new form of music is also "folk music", but is often called "contemporary folk music" or "folk revival music" to make the distinction. This type of folk music also includes fusion genres such as folk rock, electric folk, and others. Certain types of folk music are also sometimes called world music.
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