RCS Records, Inc.

1970s US record company from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The associated label RCS Records, aka The Record Company of The South, was founded by Cyril E. Vetter and operated from the studios of his NBC Television Station (WVLA-TV) and his 100,000 watt,FM rocker, 100.7 FM (The Tiger,) in Baton Rouge, LA. Vetter who co-wrote the Swingin Medallions frat rock classic, “Double Shot Of My Baby’s Love” enlisted John Fred (of John Fred and The Playboys) as General Manager. Fred handled production duties and Vetter also produced projects for the label. The label released four noteworthy vinyl LPs: Luther Kent's "World Class,” Irma Thomas’ “Safe With Me,” Butch Hornsby’s “Don’t Take It Out On The Dog,” and Gregg Wright’s “Khamsin.” “World Class” underscored Vetter’s aspirational production values. Kent’s album featured a rhythm section anchored by Harold Cowart and Tubby Ziegler, mainstays of the Bee Gees/Andy Gibb recordings at the renowned Criteria studios in Miami. “World Class” also featured a string section from the London Symphony Orchestra; and the New York based instrumental virtuosos, Michael and Randy Brecker, of the Brecker Brothers, whose groundbreaking arrangements and performances shaped the jazz-fusion movement. The basic tracks were produced in Colorado by Cy Frost. “World Class” was mastered from a 7 1/2 IPS copy because Frost, an inveterate tinkerer, could never consider it finished. RCS also released "Safe With Me" by Irma Thomas. “Safe With Me” was Vetter's attempt to introduce Thomas into the wildly popular disco scene personified by artists like Donna Summer. He arranged and produced the title track at Malaco Studios in Jackson, MS, with a rhythm section anchored by James Stroud, who became a hugely successful producer and major label executive, and the brilliant session keyboardist, the late Carson Whitsett. The popular Memphis Horns, also performed on the record. While "Safe With Me” received a lukewarm reception in the disco universe, the mix enjoyed a half-life as an extended play club staple in the U.K. Using the facilities of his television station, Vetter also produced a lip-synched, pre-MTV music video of "Safe With Me.” One of the first of what would become an avalanche of music videos, “Safe With Me” appeared in regular rotation on the then styled Home Box Office, now HBO. At the time, HBO was cycling through 3/4 inch video cassettes of feature films, videos and other content sourced from film studios and indie producers. Butch Hornsby, a singer, songwriter, and found objects painter, struggled to complete his LP, "Don't Take It Out On The Dog.” The album was a "bit of a challenge to finish,” according to Vetter, because Hornsby, while a huge talent, was struggling with alcoholism. The tracks were also recorded at Malaco. Vetter and Don Chesson, his bandmate in the frat rock group The Greek Fountains, produced the original sessions at Malaco. Again using the Malaco rhythm section this time joined by guitarist Courtney Westbrook, and bassist Randy Jackson, who went on to become a judge on “American Idol”. Vetter used The Memphis Horns and the Jackson Southernaires, a popular gospel vocal group on the session. Hornsby’s sardonic and subversive lyrics attracted the attention of ABC Paramount in a master pick up deal arranged by Johnny Palazotto. But following an internal accounting kerfuffle, Vetter reacquired the master recording. RCS followed the album with a Hornsby composed single, “Suddenly Single,” produced by John Fred and Duke Bardwell. The 45 was a regional country hit in the Southeast. However, the label lacked the distribution and promotion infrastructure to bring “Suddenly Single” to a wider audience. Hornsby is also the protagonist of Vetter's fact-based fictional account of his life, in the novel, "Dirtdobber Blues.” It was published to critical acclaim in the literary fiction genre by LSU Press in 2003. But “Dirtdobber Blues” was unable to jump to the popular fiction segment of the publishing industry. The book included a bonus CD of Hornsby's original compositions, some of the original tracks and some newly produced by Vetter in Nashville with the acclaimed Americana musician and producer Will Kimbrough. “Dirtdobber Blues” was also one of the publishing industry’s first multimedia e-books. It contained embedded music and photographs of Hornsby’s art that could be manipulated by the reader. “‘Dirtdobber Blues’ describes the fate of an anthopromorphized benign wasp, a dirtdobber, who builds a single use nest from mud,” Vetter said. “The frustration the wasp feels when a guitar containing his house is strummed, captures Butch's unique ability to empathize with all creatures, big and small." “As Butch sings: ‘Dirtdobber blues/ No bones and no blood/ To tell you the truth/ My whole life is mud.’” RCS’s final LP was Gregg Wright's “Khamsin." It was produced by Courtney Westbrook and Bill Evans at Evans' aptly named Studio In The Country, in Bogalusa, LA. Wright, a left-handed, Hendrix-styled guitarist and singer, enjoyed moderate success with “Khamsin.” The artist maintains an active recording and touring career. He has also been a featured soloist on major tours, including one with Michael Jackson.