A Portugese (Brazil) review of Mel's book A German article about Mel

Mel Cheren Former Financial Backer of The Paradise Garage C.E.O. West End Records Owner Colonial House Inn Founder and President 24 Hours For Life Foundation Painter Mel Cheren is a man anyone with a love of dance music and a respect for the importance of this music in our lives should know. As "The Godfather of Disco," his accomplishments have clearly shown him to truly be one of the most important and passionate figures in dance music history. He has exhibited this same dedication in his AIDS charity work -- an arena where, again, his contributions have garnered him recognition worthy of a hero. ABC Mel Cheren began his career in the music business in 1959 at ABC/Paramount Records where he eventually became head of the label's production department. Hot acts on ABC/Paramount included Ray Charles, Lloyd Price, Paul Anka and B.B. King. At one point ABC bought Dunhill Records which allowed Cheren to work with artists like The Mamas and the Papas, Three Dog Night and Richard Harris (the artist behind the original version of "MacArthur Park"). When the company moved operations to Los Angeles in 1970, Cheren left to become head of production for Scepter Records. Trendsetter It was at Scepter that his career took off. Disco was around the corner, and being at the right place at the right time with the right ideas, Cheren forged new territory: he was instrumental not only in supporting the creation of the first 12" single for DJs and in forming the first record pool (The New York Record Pool -- later to become For The Record Record Pool), but also the first to release an instrumental mix on a 12" B-side ("We're On The Right Track" by Ultra High Frequency). This innovation earned Cheren and Scepter a Billboard Trendsetter Award and soon set the standard for an industry-wide practice. Some Scepter hits include "Nice And Slow" by Jesse Green (Cheren's remix of this won him Billboard's 1977 Best Disco Edit of the Year ), B.T. Express' "Do It Till You're Satisfied," and Patti Jo "Make Me Believe in You." West End Records Hot Shot When Scepter closed in 1976, Mel co-founded West End Records and soon after signed Karen Young, whose single "Hot Shot" sold 800,000 copies making it one of the biggest selling 12" in history. The label went on to release a string of smash R&B and dance hits including, among many, The Bombers "(Everybody) Get Dancin'," Taana Gardner's "Work That Body," "Heartbeat," Raw Silk's "Do It to The Music," NYC Peech Boys "Don't Make Me Wait," and Loose Joints "Is it All Over My Face." The Paradise Garage Cheren, though respected for his record label, is loved by many for making possible one of the world's most revered nightclubs, The Paradise Garage. He was the financial backer for the club which was owned and operated by his former partner, Michael Brody. During the Garage years, Cheren's relationship with the club's influential DJ Larry Levan blossomed, resulting in some of the most memorable records to come out of the late Seventies and early Eighties. (A collection of these digitally remasterd singles is out now: Larry Levan's Classic West End Records Remixes [Made Famous at the Legendary Paradise Garage].) In Summer 2000, West End, in conjunction with Strut Records UK released the critically acclaimed (truly, this is not just a buzz-word in this case) double CD set, Larry Levan Live at the Paradise Garage, which contains 2 CD made directly from remastered reel-to-reel tapes recorded live at the Garage in 1979 and a 36-page liner notes booklet. Charity Junkie In addition to his role in music history (he was featured in the April, 1979 issue of Rolling Stone -- "Disco's Top Thirty": "His small independent West End label makes some of disco's finest records such as last year's 'Hot Shot' by Karen Young"), and being dubbed "The Godfather of Disco" by trade magazine Dance Music Report), Cheren is one of the most dedicated AIDS awareness activists on the planet. Often referring to himself as a "charity junkie," Mel was first recognized in 1982 when he became actively involved with the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). During that year, he donated his building in Chelsea (now a bed & breakfast hotel -- The Colonial House Inn -- and his home) to GMHC for use as their headquarters. No rent was paid to Cheren for the first year, and GMHC paid only basic up-keep costs until they moved into larger quarters in 1984. 24 Hours for Life Cheren's philanthropic efforts remained an integral part of his life and in 1987 he formed 24 Hours For Life, a not-for-profit organization of media and music professionals which produced fundraising events for AIDS relief and education. Gladys Knight was its chairperson and some of New York City's most prominent names sat on the founding board. 24 Hours For Life initially served as the fiscal sponsor of LIFEbeat, the music industry's AIDS awareness and resource organization, of which Cheren is an active member on the Board of Directors. "Personally, I have known over 500 people who have died of AIDS. I put together 24 Hours For Life so that they will not have died in vain," says Cheren. He feels that this is his "Payback" for surviving and remaining HIV negative. He notes one unexpected frustration that popped up in his charity efforts, "When you want do something without taking a profit for yourself, people are always suspicious of an ulterior motive. Frankly, if knowing 500 who have died of AIDS isn't a good enough reason, I don't know what is." Payback Time Cheren remains in the music mix while at the same time admirably fighting to make a difference in people's lives. He is recently realizing one of his long-held dreams by forming Payback Industries, Inc., which includes the 1998 reopening of West End Records and the launching of two new labels: Payback Records and Garage Records. The concept for Payback was inspired by Paul Newman's (salad dressing/popcorn) company which has donated more than ninety million dollars to charity. Cheren intends to use the same concept with Payback Industries by creating music with a purpose. Profits from Garage Records, less taxes and expenses, will go to charity. West End and Garage will feature "danceable R&B" as well as compilation projects. Summer '98 saw the first new release from West End Records -- Taana Gardner's old-school-meets-new school single "I'm Comin'." West End continues to remaster and rerelease their rare classics, remixes of classics and is currently preparing new artists for their West End Records debuts such as Linda Clifford and Marty Thomas. Keep On Dancin' Summer 2000 saw the release of Cheren's book, Keep On Dancin' (My Life and The Paradise Garage). It is a revealing autobiography in which he talks about his personal relationships, experiences in the music industry and his consuming involvement in The Paradise Garage. Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive from those you can see at Amazon.com to an 1800-word feature in the New York Times. His share of the profits will also be donated to various organizations via his charity 24 Hours For Life, Inc. The Painter Finally, Cheren is also an accomplished painter. His works, which have been featured on a ten different album covers, five of which were nominated for Grammy Awards. Many currently line the walls throughout his bed & breakfast on West 22nd St., and he continues to paint in the studio of his duplex in the same building. The profits from these paintings as well, go to charity. Mel can often be found at home surrounded by his paintings, a serious sound system, the original West End and Paradise Garage neon signs and his fiercely loyal (and vocal) gray schnauzers, the brothers Josh and Danny. Jesse Green/"Nice and Slow" was also nominated for: Billboard's Disco Single of the Year (1977), Disco Artist of the Year (1976, 1977), and Most Promising New Disco Artist of the Year (1977)   Back For the chatty version, check out the Mel Cheren interview by West End Records fan Claes Widlund.