American. R&B and Disco label H&L was the direct descendent of the Avco Embassy and Avco labels (see their page); in fact it was basically Avco renamed. It took its name from the initials of owners Hugo Paretti and Luigi Creatore. Avco had been based in New York, but H&L moved across the Hudson River to Elmwood Cliffs, New Jersey. A new studio was built, and there were plans to diversify from Avco's R&B / Crossover into Pop ('Billboard', 16th October 1976). A legal matter arose at the start of 1977 when Peretti, Creatore and fellow H&L executive Bud Katzel pleaded guilty on a 'payola' charge, admitting that between January 1971 and January 1975 they had paid around $170,000 to disc jockeys to get them to play Avco records. All three were fined, but possible twelve-month prison sentences were suspended and the trio served a small number of weekends in prison instead.
H&L continued Avco's run of Chart successes during 1977, but 1978 was quieter. Then in early 1979 'BB' of the 13th of January broke the news that the company was regrouping. Its promotion and distribution facilities were being terminated, as indeed was the H&L label in the USA - it was to keep going overseas. The plan was for H&L to continue more or less as a production company, signing, developing and recording artists but placing them with other companies. Luigi Creatore was quoted as saying that it had become impossible for independents to compete with the muscle of the majors. Brenda & Herb's 'I Who Have Nothing', which had been issued the previous November, therefore proved to be H&L's final American release.
In Britain H&L followed in Avco's footsteps as a licensed member of the Phonogram family, and its singles inherited a 6105-000 numerical series from those of Avco. Manufacture and distribution were therefore by Phonodisc, which explains the regrettable injection moulded labels. Four singles were issued in this country after the American parent label closed down, and there was a possibility of more - according to Billboard of the 28th of September 1979 H&L had recently renewed its licensing deal with Phonogram. Sadly only one single was issued after that point and there were no H&Ls in the '80s. There was no company sleeve, H&L's singles sharing a common Phonogram one (2).
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.