What Do You Know About Impact Records?

[marv2]

With Harry Balk's 90th Birthday being observed this week, I was wondering if anyone out there can fill me in on Impact Records? I know Harry was the principle in this company, but can anyone discuss the artists and some of the records produced there? Thanks in advance!

[ralpht]

Marv,
Definitely "Oh How Happy" by the Shades of Blue came out of Impact. Harry didn't have a ton of luck with this label. He told me he should have never started the label because he knew he was tired and needed a lengthy break, but didn't take it.

[westgrandboulevard]

Marv and Ralph....


You two will no doubt know all about it but, just in case it's of general interest, there's a nice CD from 1998 on Amazon [[seemingly also available in vinyl), 'The Best Of Impact Records - One of Detroit's Finest Labels Of The 1960's', which includes 'Oh How Happy' and 24 other tracks.

One review says 'complete with informative liner notes'.......

[marv2]

Marv,
Definitely "Oh How Happy" by the Shades of Blue came out of Impact. Harry didn't have a ton of luck with this label. He told me he should have never started the label because he knew he was tired and needed a lengthy break, but didn't take it.

Thanks Ralph. I met Nick Marinelli years ago and Linda from the group works at Home Depot up in Troy, MI. They should have had more hits. Didn't Harry also have Mitch Ryder?

[marv2]

Marv and Ralph....


You two will no doubt know all about it but, just in case it's of general interest, there's a nice CD from 1998 on Amazon [[seemingly also available in vinyl), 'The Best Of Impact Records - One of Detroit's Finest Labels Of The 1960's', which includes 'Oh How Happy' and 24 other tracks.

One review says 'complete with informative liner notes'.......

westgrandboulevard, No I did not know about the CD. I have to look for it. Thank you.

[phil]

Marv, here is a link to the Impact label : http://www.bsnpubs.com/michigan/impact.html

And most of the 45's on the label : http://www.discogs.com/label/102756-Impact-Records-11

[marv2]

Marv, here is a link to the Impact label : http://www.bsnpubs.com/michigan/impact.html

And most of the 45's on the label : http://www.discogs.com/label/102756-Impact-Records-11

Phil, excellent! You're a champ!

[Doug-Morgan]

Side question: The bsn website referenced Harry Balk with Big Top Records. Wasn't he associated with Twirl Records somewhere along the line?

[marv2]

Side question: The bsn website referenced Harry Balk with Big Top Records. Wasn't he associated with Twirl Records somewhere along the line?

Big Top was the label Del Shannon was on. I don't know about Twirl Records. Research required.

[robb_k]

Duplicate post.

[robb_k]

Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik went into the music business together starting Embee Productions. They put out some of their recordings on their own Twirl Records, and it's subsidiary, Storm Records. Twirl lasted from 1959 through 1966. They leased some of their early material to Morty Craft's Warwick Records, and very much through the years came out on New York's Big Top Records. They also In late 1964, Balk started leasing his product to Jubilee, Old Town, and Mr. Peacock Records, and then, with American Arts, a Pittsburgh label run by Balk's friend. In 1966, after Balk and Micahnik broke up their partnership[[in late 1965), Balk formed Impact Records, with John Rhys as junior partner, and Barney "Duke Browner" as A&R men. In 1967, they formed the Inferno Records subsidiary. In late 1967, Balk signed with Motown and brought his Inferno Records into Motown with him, as a joint venture for the remainder of 1967 and most of 1968.

Here's a link to the history of Twirl Records : http://home.comcast.net/~twirlrecords/history.html


Here's a link to the 45s discography of Impact records:

http://www.globaldogproductions.info/

Here's a link to Twirl Records' discography:

http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/twirl.htm

[marv2]

Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik went into the music business together starting Embee Productions. They put out some of their recordings on their own Twirl Records, and it's subsidiary, Storm Records. Twirl lasted from 1959 through 1966. They leased some of their early material to Morty Craft's Warwick Records, and very much through the years came out on New York's Big Top Records. They also In late 1964, Balk started leasing his product to Jubilee, Old Town, and Mr. Peacock Records, and then, with American Arts, a Pittsburgh label run by Balk's friend. In 1966, after Balk and Micahnik broke up their partnership[[in late 1965), Balk formed Impact Records, with John Rhys as junior partner, and Barney "Duke Browner" as A&R men. In 1967, they formed the Inferno Records subsidiary. In late 1967, Balk signed with Motown and brought his Inferno Records into Motown with him, as a joint venture for the remainder of 1967 and most of 1968.

Here's a link to the history of Twirl Records : http://home.comcast.net/~twirlrecords/history.html


Here's a link to the 45s discography of Impact records:

http://www.globaldogproductions.info/

Here's a link to Twirl Records' discography:

http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/twirl.htm

Wow, Robb I appreciate this . Thank you!

[ralpht]

Marv,
Harry signed The Detroit Wheels after they parted from Mitch.

[marv2]

Marv,
Harry signed The Detroit Wheels after they parted from Mitch.

Really? Did he cut anything on them?

[144man]

Impact 1016.

Nick and Dino were Nick Zesses and Dino Fekaris, who while at Motown wrote the Temptations' "Mother Nature", Rare Earth's "Hey Big Brother" and the Supremes' "And I Thought You Loved Me" amongst others.

Impact 1019.

The lead singer of the Inner Circle was Motown's Tommy Good.

Impact 1027.

As might be expected Patti and Mickey were Patti Jerome [PJ] and Mickey Denton, and "My Guy, My Girl" was a medley of the Mary Wells and the Temptations' songs.

[ralpht]

I think so Marv, but don't remember any titles.

[marv2]

I think so Marv, but don't remember any titles.

Ok thanks Ralph!

[robb_k]

Originally Posted by ralpht
Marv,
Harry signed The Detroit Wheels after they parted from Mitch.

Really? Did he cut anything on them?

Harry Balk released a 45 by "The Wheels" on Impact Records:

Impact 1029 "Dancing In The Streets"/bw "A Taste of Money"

He released 2 45s on Motown's Inferno Records:

Inferno 5002 "Linda Sue Dixon [[LSD)"/bw "Tally Ho"
Inferno 5003 "Think[[About The Good Things"/ bw "For The Love of a Stranger"

[marv2]

Originally Posted by ralpht
Marv,
Harry signed The Detroit Wheels after they parted from Mitch.




Harry Balk released a 45 by "The Wheels" on Impact Records:

Impact 1029 "Dancing In The Streets"/bw "A Taste of Money"

He released 2 45s on Motown's Inferno Records:

Inferno 5002 "Linda Sue Dixon [[LSD)"/bw "Tally Ho"
Inferno 5003 "Think[[About The Good Things"/ bw "For The Love of a Stranger"

Amazing. I want to see if I can collect at least a few of those singles. thank you Robb, thank you Ralph!

Marv

[robb_k]

Amazing. I want to see if I can collect at least a few of those singles. thank you Robb, thank you Ralph!

Marv

The Impact record is quite rare. It shouldn't be terribly expensive when you do find it. But, it might take a long time to see one pop up.

The two Motown Infernos were quite common. So, you should be able to find both fairly easily, and they shouldn't be very expensive. I traded of and sold off 50 to 100 of each back in the day. They showed up en masse in thrift shops almost immediately after their release.

I used to drive to Detroit from Chicago 2 Saturdays a month from 1964 through 1966, to look through the record shops's bargain bins, thrift stores and junk stores to find the rare Detroit releases that didn't make it to Chicago.

[robb_k]

Duplicate Post

[robb_k]

Here are the actual Impact discography pages, as the link above didn't go directly to them:

[robb_k]

Here's "Linda Sue Dixon":
https://youtu.be/GSl3dtqOUk0



Here's "Think[[About The Good Things)"
https://youtu.be/3heSVyLcFIg

[robb_k]

Here's The Wheels' "Dancing In The Streets":

https://youtu.be/-XEvUzxS5ro

[marv2]

The Impact record is quite rare. It shouldn't be terribly expensive when you do find it. But, it might take a long time to see one pop up.

The two Motown Infernos were quite common. So, you should be able to find both fairly easily, and they shouldn't be very expensive. I traded of and sold off 50 to 100 of each back in the day. They showed up en masse in thrift shops almost immediately after their release.

I used to drive to Detroit from Chicago 2 Saturdays a month from 1964 through 1966, to look through the record shops's bargain bins, thrift stores and junk stores to find the rare Detroit releases that didn't make it to Chicago.

Robb, I understand. I pretty much stopped my regular collecting about 20 years ago and am slowly starting to get back into it. After the first of the year I will be back at it after such a long lay off from collecting.

[marv2]

Here's The Wheels' "Dancing In The Streets":

https://youtu.be/-XEvUzxS5ro

I rather like their version. thanks.

[dennis_coffey]

Mike Theodore and I produced The Tartans, The Inner Circle with Tommy Good, Jock Mitchell, and Nabay featuring Nicky Robbins for Impact.

[robb_k]

Hi Dennis,
Thanks for contributing to this thread. Your expertise is badly needed on the following thread on The SDF Motown Forum:
The Detroit Sound & The Motown Sound

We are discussing how much the recordings of the non-Motown Soul labels sounded like and unlike Motown's recordings. I can't think of anyone on this forum that could give pertinent input to it than you [[we'd also like Ralph to contribute).