It was reported that the co-founder of Spring Records, Roy Rifkind, passed away at the age of 94.
According to Billboard, Rifkind died Monday, January 24, at his Boca Raton, Florida home, following the death of his brother and partner Julie Rifkind.
As per the entertainment magazine, the brothers formed Spring Records in 1970 with veteran Bill Spitasky after the trio established a management company called Guardian. They worked with the Shirelles, Chuck Jackson, the Strangeloves, comedian Flip Wilson, and more in the said company.
In 1978, Rifkind told the publisher that they shifted to label business when they "discovered the major record companies weren't handling product properly, especially Black product."
As of writing, no reports have disclosed the founder's cause of death.
The Rifkinds' and their R&B Record Label
As also reported by the same source, Rifkind was born in New York and grew up in Brooklyn. He used to serve in the US Coast Guard during World War II.
His father, Harry, was also a businessman who managed The Boulevard and other city nightclubs, while his other son, Julie, also entered the music industry, representing radio DJ Tommy "Dr. Jive" Smalls.
Soon then, the Rifkind brothers co-managed artists who played in their father's running clubs.
Aside from partnering with their father's business, the brothers developed connections in the entertainment world. In fact, Julie, who was close with Polydor's first US president Jerry Schoenbaum, helped James Brown join his long-standing record deal with the major label and record classics through the '70s and '80s.
Sadly, in 2014, Julie Rifkind died.
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The "influential" R&B label Spring Records is the home of big stars including Millie Jackson and Joe Simon,
The two were also credited with charting one of the first-ever hip-hop hits in 1979, "King Tim III (Personality Jock)," by Fatback.
More hit tracks highlighted by Ace Records include, Fatback's "(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop," Joe Simon's "Drowning In The Sea Of Love," and Millie Jackson's "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Wanna Be Right)."
Spring Records signed an early distribution deal with another record company, Polydor. And the Rifkinds were described to be "very entrepreneurial," according to Rifkind's music-business attorney son, Jamie.
May his soul rest in peace.
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