Produced by Hardye Producing Company

[robb_k]

I just noted that both the Tri-Phi and Harvey labels had all their releases produced by Hardye Producing Company. Does anyone know if there is any significance to Hardye Producing Company - surely the Har in Hardye refers to Harvey Fuqua but does anyone know if there is any significance to Dye?

I also just noticed that Harvey Fuqua, in addition to Tri Phi and Harvey labels also owned a gospel label entitled Message for which there were 3 releases. This was the first I had ever heard of the Message label.

Can anyone shed any additional light on this label?

I've read, and been told that Hardye Producing Co. was owned by Harvey Fuqua and Gwen Gordy [[and a few people also mentioned that Anna Gordy was also a partner-but I I'm not sure about that). The "Har' stood for Harvey. The 'dy" may have stood for Gordy [[Gwen or Gwen and Anna) - maybe the "e" stood for Esther [[for their other sister, Esther, who later ran The Motown Museum)?

Message records was Hardye's Gospel label. I've seen a discography entry and label scan for a 4th issue, other than the 3 above, sung by a different group. In addition to Harvey, Tri-Phi and message, Hardye also operated HPC Records, which stood for "Hardeye Producing Co." It was notable for having Clyde Wilson [[AKA "Steve Mancha") as one of its artists. After Hardye was "Folded into Motown" in 1963, Wilson was given a songwriter's contract, and wrote songs for Jobete music, but not offered a singing artist's contract, so he left in 1965, to work with ex-Motowner', Don Davis, at the latter's Groovesville records.