About
Also appears as "Pride Records" and "Pride Productions". Began its existence as a 1970s budget reissue/2nd tier imprint of MGM Records. Most notably released the original 1972 off-Broadway cast album of Grease and the first recordings of The Sylvers and the Incredible Bongo Band, a studio creation of producer/arranger Michael Viner (1944-2009). The label switched distribution to Atlantic in 1974* and was closed by 1976. The MGM-distributed material (mainly The Sylvers' Pride albums after they moved to Capitol in 1975 and the Grease 1972 cast album, later reissued on Polydor after the 1978 movie became a hit; Viner later gained the rights to the Incredible Bongo Band material) was reissued on the parent label. The Atlantic-period material (including LPs by jazz organist Jimmy Smith and the R&B band The New Censation) has rarely, if ever, been reissued. Note: There is a 12" single of Foster Sylvers' 1973 hit Misdemeanor issued in 1986 with remixes by Danny Krivit but this is an unofficial release bearing facsimile Pride labels. *Although the second Incredible Bongo Band LP, The Return of the Incredible Bongo Band, was released through Atlantic (and GRT in Canada), its lead single "Ohkey Dokey" was issued by United Artists Records and the parent album was given an UA catalog number (PR-LA226-G), Viner (who had bought the rights to the Pride label name after leaving MGM) moved distribution to Atlantic before the LP was released.
