Fania Records


Fania Records is a New York–based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. The label took its name from a popular luncheonette frequented by musicians in Havana, Cuba that Masucci frequented when he worked for a public relations firm there during the pre-Castro era. Fania is known for its promotion of salsa music.

History

Frustrated by the meager amount of money he was receiving for his recordings, Johnny Pacheco started Fania in 1964 and sold records to music stores out of the trunk of his car. To help finance the business, he consolidated with his Brooklyn-born Italian lawyer and promoter Jerry Masucci, and in 1964 founded the Fania label to produce, promote and market the music of Latinos in New York. The label started out as a small venture, but gained popularity after the success of Johnny Pacheco's first official 45rpm record "Cañonazo", and LP album Mi Nuevo Tumbao... Cañonazo leading to the expansion of its talent base that Pacheco envisioned. Among Fania's signature stars are Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez, Hector Casanova, Rey Reyes, Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, Larry Harlow, Joe Bataan, Ray Barretto, Ralfi Pagan, Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Bobby Valentín, Rubén Blades, Héctor Lavoe, Cheo Feliciano, Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Miranda and many others.
In 1968, Pacheco created a supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars that brought together the elite of his salsa musicians and singers for joint performances and recording. They made their debut at the Red Garter club located in New York's Greenwich Village, but it was their 1971 performance at the Cheetah, a club in Midtown Manhattan, which became legendary. Pacheco was music director and guided the band on stage. The Fania All-Stars were filmed for the documentary Our Latin Thing released a year later.
In 1970, Masucci and Pacheco launched Fania's sub-label Vaya Records. In the first years of the Vaya label, Masucci and Pacheco signed the duo Ricardo "Richie" Ray and Bobby Cruz, along with Celia Cruz, Mongo Santamaria and Cheo Feliciano. In the following year, Vaya acquired Cotique Records.
In 1973, Fania All-Stars performed at Yankee Stadium to a stadium with 45,000 attendees. Pacheco directed the band to an excited crowd who cheered on each Fania All-Star member.
As of 2007 all that is left is "Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends of Fania". In 2003, the 1975 Fania release Live at Yankee Stadium was included in the second set of 50 recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry. Masucci, who had bought out Pacheco's share of the company around 1967, became the sole owner of Fania Records and the numerous other labels and umbrella labels in South America that he acquired and created. Masucci died in 1997, and for the next eight years Fania and all of its assets were tied up in probate court while various parties battled over its ownership.
In September 2005, Fania's assets were sold to V2 Records and Miami-based Emusica Records, and by early 2006, the new owners began to reissue material from Fania's back catalog with enhanced sound and liner notes. In an effort to create additional content, Código Music, a subsidiary of the Emusica label, allowed DJs and producers to remix the original material for 'new' releases.
As of July 27, 2018, Fania is now owned by Concord Records, which acquired the label from Código Music Entertainment. Fania's catalogue included 19,000 master recordings and 8,000 compositions.

List of artists

  • Johnny Pacheco
  • Ernie Agosto
  • José Alberto "El Canario"
  • Tito Allen
  • Edwin "Tito" Asencio
  • Harvey Averne
  • Camilo Azuquita
  • Lope Balaguer
  • Gato Barbieri
  • Ray Barretto
  • Roberto Barrios
  • Joe Bataan
  • Eddie Benitez
  • Justo Bentancourt
  • Roberto Blades
  • Rubén Blades
  • Jimmy Bosch
  • Sonny Bravo
  • Ángel Canales
  • Hector Casanova
  • Julio Castro
  • Santos Colón
  • Willie Colón
  • Mickey Cora
  • Bobby Cruz
  • Celia Cruz
  • Sal Cuevas
  • Frankie Dante
  • Chivirico Davila
  • Alfredo De La Fé
  • Ray De La Paz
  • Mark Dimond
  • Fania All Stars
  • Jose Fajardo
  • Cheo Feliciano
  • Fiebre Latina
  • Marty Galagarza
  • Eric Gale
  • Junior González
  • George Guzman
  • Andy Harlow
  • Larry Harlow
  • Isidro Infante
  • Eladio Jimenez
  • Reynaldo Jorge
  • La Lupe
  • Rolando La Serie
  • La Sonora Ponceña
  • The Latinaires
  • Héctor Lavoe
  • Pupi Legarreta
  • Papo Lucca
  • Emo Luciano
  • Ray Maldonado
  • Jose Mangual, Jr.
  • Nicky Marrero
  • Raúl Marrero
  • Ismael Miranda
  • Eddie Montalvo
  • Andy Montañez
  • Luis Ogando
  • Tommy Olivencia
  • Orquesta Dicupé
  • Orquesta Inmensidad
  • Orquesta Novel
  • Orquesta Salomé
  • Johnny Ortiz
  • Luis "Perico" Ortiz
  • Orlando Pabellón
  • Ralfi Pagan
  • Leopoldo Pineda
  • Bobby Quesada
  • Ismael Quintana
  • Louie Ramirez
  • Rey Ramos
  • Ricardo "Richie" Ray
  • Fausto Rey
  • Rey Reyes
  • Ismael Rivera
  • Mon Rivera
  • Ralph Robles
  • Roberto Roena
  • Johnny "Dandy" Rodríguez
  • Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez
  • Roberto Rodríguez
  • Barry Rogers
  • Ismael Rosa
  • Willie Rosario
  • Jimmy Sabater
  • Néstor Sánchez
  • Mongo Santamaria
  • Monguito Santamaria
  • Jorge Santana
  • Adalberto Santiago
  • Daniel Santos
  • Seguida
  • Lenni Sesar
  • Sociedad 76
  • Luigi Texidor
  • Típica 73
  • Yomo Toro
  • Juancito Torres
  • Rafi Val
  • Bobby Valentín
  • Tito Valentin
  • Javier Vásquez
  • Polito Vega
  • Orestes Vilató
  • Wilkins
  • Roberto Yanes
  • Johnny Zamot
  • Hector "Bomberito" Zarzuela

    Selected Various Artists Anthologies

  • Fania 1964–1994: 30 Great Years 2-CD
  • Fania 1964–1994: 30 Great Years 2-CD
  • Hidden Treasure
  • Más Recuerdos Romanticos
  • Muchos Más Recuerdos Romanticos
  • Soneros de Siempre
  • Soneros de Siempre, Volume 2
  • Que Viva La Salsa!
  • Fania Signature – Hot Salsa
  • Fania Signature – Latin Soul
  • Fania Signature – Boogaloo
  • Fania Signature – Hard Salsa
  • Boogaloos de Siempre
  • Fania Records 1964–1980: The Original Sound of Latin New York 2-CD
  • Salsa Explosion
  • Leyendas De La Fania, Vol. 1
  • Leyendas De La Fania, Vol. 2
  • Leyendas De La Fania, Vol. 3
  • Leyendas De La Fania, Vol. 4
  • Fania: The Original Salsa Sound 3-CD
  • Leyendas De La Fania, Vol. 5
  • Latin Lounge Jazz: Havana
  • Latin Lounge Jazz: San Juan
  • Latin Lounge Jazz: Spanish Harlem
  • N.Y.C Salsa 2-CD
  • El Barrio: Gangsters, Latin Soul & the Birth of Salsa 1967–1975
  • El Barrio: The Bad Boogaloo – Nu Yorican Sounds 1966–1970
  • El Barrio: Sounds from the Spanish Harlem Streets
  • N.Y.C Salsa 2
  • El Barrio: Latin Funk – Nu Yorican Funk 1968–1976
  • I Like It Like That 2-CD
  • I Like It Like That
  • On One, Vol. 1
  • On Two, Vol. 1
  • Cha Cha Cha, Vol. 1
  • Leyendas De La Fania, Vol. 6
  • N.Y.C Salsa 3
  • El Barrio: Back on the Streets of Spanish Harlem
  • Leyendas De La Fania, Vol. 7
  • Leyendas De La Fania, Vol. 8
  • El Barrio: Latin Disco – Dancefloor Grooves with a Latin Touch
  • Salsa – A Musical History 4-CD
  • Salsa One
  • Salsa Explosion!
  • Fania Records 1964–1980 2-CD
  • The 75 Greatest Fania Songs 5-CD
  • Fania Records: The 60's, Volume One
  • Fania Records: The 60's, Volume Two
  • Fania Records: The 60's, Volume Three
  • Fania Records: The 70's, Volume One
  • Fania Records: The 70's, Volume Two
  • Fania Records: The 60's, Volume Four
  • Fania Records: The 60's, Volume Five
  • Fania Records: The 70's, Volume Three
  • Fania Records: The 70's, Volume Four
  • Fania Records: The 70's, Volume Five
  • Fania Goes Psychedelic 15 tracks/digital only
  • It's A Good, Good Feeling 4-CD
  • It's A Good, Good Feeling 2-LP
  • Fania Records: The Latin Sound of New York 2-LP