Label Guide: Hi

Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producers for Sun Records), and three silent partners.

Almost all the albums that were released in the early 1960s were by the Bill Black Combo or Bill Black's saxophonist, Ace Cannon. And while Bill Black was a success for Hi Records, the breakthrough for the label came in 1969 with the release of Al Green's first album. Green became one of the defining super stars of soul music in the early 1970s.

In 1977, the label was sold to Cream Records owned by Al Bennett, the former president of Liberty Records. After Bennett's death in 1989 the label was operated by his daughter until 2008.