Back when the majority of record companies were not willing to make a commitment to Disco Music, Mel Cheren was one of the first music industry insiders to promote and support the emerging Dance Music genre, which continues to be popular to this day. Acknowledged to be one of the original driving forces behind the creation of the Disco movement, he early on gained the nickname "The Godfather of Disco" because of his innovative ideas and the trends he helped to set. With a career spanning almost five decades, Cheren’s many accomplishments over the years have clearly proven him to be one of the most important and passionate figures in Dance Music history. He has demonstrated the same commitment and dedication to his AIDS charity work from the early days of the crisis. His countless contributions to the fight against AIDS have become as legendary as his music industry landmarks and his iconic status within the evolution of New York City nightlife.
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. Some of the top artists released by ABC/Paramount included Ray Charles, Lloyd Price, Paul Anka and B.B. King. In the mid 1960’s ABC bought Dunhill Records, which offered Cheren the opportunity to also work with such groundbreaking artists as The Mamas and the Papas, Three Dog Night and Richard Harris, who recorded the original version of "MacArthur Park." When the company moved its operations to Los Angeles in 1970, Cheren remained in New York and became Head of Production for Scepter Records.
Trendsetter
It was at Scepter that his career really took off. Cheren was ahead of the curve with the emerging “Disco Era” because he was on both the producing and the receiving ends of Dance Music. By being out dancing in the clubs in New York and on Fire Island he had an inside track to what was hot and what was not. With his finger on the pulse of what was becoming popular with the DJ’s and the dancers, Cheren forged new territory. He was instrumental in Scepter being the first record company to create a 12 inch single for DJ’s, knowing that the DJ’s would welcome these records both for their enhanced sound quality and for the opportunities they provided for more creative mixing. The response was immediately positive and practically overnight a revolution swept through the record business as Dance Music labels abandoned the 7 inch format for this influential new concept. He was also one of the original contributors to the first record pool for DJ’s, which went on to become the still successful For The Record Record Pool. One of Cheren’s most important innovations occurred when he convinced Scepter to release the first instrumental mix on the B-side of a 12 inch single with "We're On The Right Track" by Ultra High Frequency. This novel idea earned Scepter the 1974 Billboard Trendsetter Award and soon set the standard for an industry-wide practice. Some of the biggest hits that Scepter released under Cheren’s guidance include B.T. Express' "Do It ‘Til You're Satisfied," Patti Jo’s "Make Me Believe in You" and "Nice And Slow" by Jesse Green, which earned nominations for Billboard’s Disco Single of the Year and Disco Artist of the Year. Mel Cheren's own remix of this song won him a nomination for Billboard's Best Disco Edit of the Year.
West End Records
In the summer of 1976 Cheren started his own record label, West End Records, with a former colleague from Scepter Records. West End quickly became one of the foremost producers of Dance Music in the late 1970’s. According to Grand Master Flash, West End’s first release, “Sessomatto,” was also the first record that the early rappers used before Sugarhill came out with “Rapper’s Delight.” West End Records hit pay dirt with Karen Young’s single, "Hot Shot," which sold more than 800,000 copies. West End went on to release a string of smash R&B and dance hits including the Bombers’ "(Everybody) Get Dancin'," Taana Gardner's "Work That Body," "Raw Silk's "Do It to The Music," Mahogany’s “Ride on the Rhythm,” Julius Brown’s “Party,” India’s “Stay With Me,” Bettye Lavette’s “Doin’ the Best That I Can,” Loose Joints’ "Is it All Over My Face?" and the New York City Peech Boys’ "Don't Make Me Wait." Undoubtedly, West End’s biggest hit and the song for which it is most famous is Taana Gardner’s “Heartbeat.” Selling close to a million copies, “Heartbeat” is one of the most successful 12 inch releases in record history. It has become an enduring classic, sampled more than 65 times, a favorite of the Hip-Hop generation and still played in clubs all around the world.
In 1998 Mel Cheren bought out his former partner in West End Records, Ed Kushins, and gained sole control of his record company. In 2002 he brought on Blaze producer and recording artist, Kevin Hedge, as President of West End Records. Together they continued West End’s tradition of specializing in "danceable R&B" CD’s and singles, as well as classic compilation projects. Two of their most popular collections are “Larry Levan's Classic West End Records Remixes [Made Famous at the Legendary Paradise Garage]” and “Larry Levan Live at the Paradise Garage,” a double CD set made directly from remastered reel-to-reel tapes recorded live at the Garage in 1979 and which includes a 6-panel insert with never-before-seen photographs. To celebrate West End’s 25th Anniversary, Masters At Work (Louie Vega and Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez) created a 2-CD non-stop mix of remastered, re-equalized, re-edited and remixed West End Records classics. This “25th Anniversary Edition Mastermix” continues to be one of West End’s most successful releases. In addition to their classics series, West End has created new releases with Taana Gardner, Linda Clifford, Marty Thomas, Cazwell and Dawn Tallman. Cheren acquired the rights to the classic ***** Pride anthem, “I Was Born This Way” and released a 12-inch with brand new mixes by Gomi and Junior Vasquez of this Gospel-infused Dance Music masterpiece. In 2007 with diverging visions for the future, Mel Cheren decided to take control of all of the West End classic material, while Kevin Hedge retains ownership of the new material generated during his time at West End for his newly formed Blaze Imprints. With Cheren once again solely at the helm of his record company, West End Records will continue to remaster and re-release their rare classics, produce remixes of other timeless standards and collaborate with other producers and artists to create new and exciting music in the tradition of the cutting-edge West End legacy. All of the legendary West End classics are currently available on digital download.
The Paradise Garage
One of Mel Cheren’s most lasting contributions to dance culture is the seminal role he played in the creation of one of the most influential clubs of all time – The Paradise Garage. He was the financial backer for the legendary club, which was owned and operated by his former partner, Michael Brody. Beginning in 1976 the Garage established itself as a membership club through a series of “Construction Parties.” Over the years, Brody continued to expand and improve his exceptional dance space above an actual garage on King Street in the West Village. Cheren was not only involved in the Paradise Garage financially but also in a mentoring and promotional capacity. The club was built upon a distinctive sound created by designer Richard Long and resident DJ Larry Levan. During the Garage years, Cheren developed a strong personal and professional relationship with Levan. Their musical collaborations led to the creation of some of the most memorable dance anthems of the 1970’s and 1980’s. Cheren and Levan’s music fostered such a symbiotic connection between the Paradise Garage and West End Records that the club and record label will forever have a lasting association. The Garage not only set a new standard in music and sound production but also in the creativity employed throughout the evolution of its space and the décor designed for its many special themed parties. For all its artistic distinction, the Garage is primarily revered as a uniquely safe and accepting environment for a multi-ethnic ***** and straight membership who were treated more like family members than mere club patrons. At the end of September of 1987, Mel Cheren was part of the grieving clan that ascended the chaser-lit ramp for the last time to gather for one final weekend-long party that brought the era of the Paradise Garage to a close. More than anyone else, Cheren has kept the Garage legend alive. Larry Levan passed away in 1992 and yet Mel Cheren continues to sponsor Larry Levan/Paradise Garage tribute parties featuring DJ’s spinning music in the Garage tradition. Cheren holds the trademark for the Garage’s famous muscled dancer logo and has a sizable Paradise Garage archival collection that includes the sign that once hung outside the mythic club on King Street.
Humanitarian and AIDS Activist
By the early 1980’s Mel Cheren’s reputation in the record business was firmly established. In the spring of 1979 Rolling Stone Magazine named him one of “Disco’s Top Thirty.” And in a 1982 feature article in the trade magazine Dance Music Report he was dubbed “The Godfather of Disco,” a title still affectionately used by many to this day when referring to Cheren. At the same time that Disco’s star was on the rise and ***** liberation was gaining new ground, a dark shadow descended over the ***** Community.
Cheren attended some of the first meetings of concerned community leaders responding to the early warning signs of what was to become the public health catastrophe known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Those early meetings were the genesis of what developed into the ***** Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the world’s first AIDS service organization. Cheren and his friends also organized the first AIDS fundraiser, the “Showers” party at the Paradise Garage. He owned a single room occupancy brownstone on West 22nd Street and in 1982 he donated the building to GMHC for them to use as their headquarters. He accepted no rent from them for their first year there and after that only basic upkeep costs until they moved into larger and more suitable quarters towards the end of 1984. It was out of Cheren’s building that the legendary Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Benefit for GMHC was organized. Cheren’s West End Records helped provide seed money for this unprecedented event, which took place on April 30, 1983 in Madison Square Garden and was the largest AIDS fundraiser yet produced. In the souvenir program Cheren took out the first of what would be many full-page West End Records ads for similar events over the years, including GMHC’s Madison Square Garden Rodeo, also produced out of his building. Along with the familiar West End cityscape and the slogan, “Where the sun sets and the stars rise,” he added a personal message: “Through our crisis we have found unity. Since the cost is so high, let us use it wisely.”
24 Hours for Life and LIFEbeat
Following GMHC’s departure from 318 West 22nd Street, Cheren renovated the building to make a home for himself and to create one of the most comfortable and popular bed-and-breakfast establishments serving primarily the LGBT Community. For over 20 years the Colonial House Inn has been a welcoming haven for travelers from all around the world. The hotel has often received the Editor’s Choice Award from “Out and About” over the years and has also been featured and recommended by many other major international magazines, newspapers and guidebooks geared towards the LGBT Community. With the Colonial House as his base of operations, Mel Cheren has been able to continue his philanthropic work. In 1987 he founded 24 Hours For Life, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing media and music professionals together for the purpose of producing events to raise funds for AIDS relief and education. With Cheren as President, Gladys Knight as its Honorary Chairperson and an original Keith Haring design for its logo, 24 Hours for Life sponsored many successful events and programs. Cheren’s AIDS organization extended its mission further in 1992 by becoming the fiscal sponsor of LIFEbeat, the Music Industry Fights AIDS. At the urging of LIFEbeat’s Founder, Bob Caviano, Cheren also became a Charter Member of LIFEbeat’s Board of Directors and he continues to serve as an active Director, offering guidance and support to this music industry AIDS awareness and resource organization. Mel Cheren has managed to strike a balance between both his humanitarian and musical interests. For many years he has channeled the proceeds from West End Records and Paradise Garage tee-shirts to 24 Hours For Life. The profits from his special Paradise Garage parties have been donated to LIFEbeat, GMHC and The LGBT Community Center.
Keep On Dancin'
In the summer of 2000, Mel Cheren's autobiography, MY LIFE AND THE PARADISE GARAGE: KEEP ON DANCIN', was published. Cheren’s story covers his early struggles as a ***** man in the army and in business, his career trajectory within the music industry, and his perspective on the rise of club culture and ***** liberation in New York. The primary focus of the book centers around the Paradise Garage years and Cheren’s personal relationships with Michael Brody and Larry Levan and culminates with the impact of AIDS upon Cheren, his friends, the Garage, New York nightlife and the ***** Community. KEEP ON DANCIN’ concludes with the untimely death of Larry Levan and includes over 250 memorial tributes and a thorough discography of music from the “Golden Age of Disco.” Cheren’s book was one of the first to illuminate the history of dance culture and the hard cover edition was immediately popular, prompting a second oversized paperback edition. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, from those that can be read on Amazon.com to an 1800-word feature in the New York Times. In January of 2001, Out Magazine named the book one of the greatest ***** success stories of 2000 when it included Mel Cheren in its “Out 100” list. In the spirit of his charitable philosophy, Cheren’s share of the proceeds from his book are donated to his not-for-profit organization, 24 Hours For Life.
Artist and Visionary
In addition to his extensive resume in the music business and the fight against AIDS, Mel Cheren is also an accomplished painter. His works have been featured on ten different album covers, five of which were nominated for Grammy Awards. Many of his vibrantly colored paintings line the walls of the Colonial House Inn, his bed-and-breakfast in Chelsea, and he continues to paint in the studio of his duplex in the same building. Over the years, Cheren has donated his paintings to countless organizations for their benefit auctions. And, as could be expected, all proceeds from the sale of his works go to charity. Never content to rest on his accomplishments, Mel Cheren is currently busy with several new projects. With VH1 naming “Heartbeat” one of the 100 Greatest Dance Songs and with this year’s 30th Anniversary of the founding of West End Records, a feature length documentary based on Cheren’s autobiography has been created called THE GODFATHER OF DISCO. It has been receiving great response this year at film festivals in New York, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Philadelphia and is about to be shown in upcoming international film festivals. The film’s soundtrack concludes with a new song called ”Save a Place on the Dancefloor for Me,” co-written by Mel Cheren and Warren Rigg in tribute to Larry Levan, Michael Brody and all the people lost from AIDS. Cheren has also begun work on a second book that will be an eclectic compilation of essays, letters and ephemera detailing specific aspects of his legacy in the music business and the struggle for AIDS prevention and ***** rights. The new book will also cover important events from the end of KEEP ON DANCIN’ in 1992 up to the present day. On September 19, 2005, Cheren’s history of service in the music industry was recognized by his induction into the Dance Music Hall of Fame with the honor of their Lifetime Achievement Award. It is by no means an understatement to refer to Mel Cheren as a visionary because he not only dreams big dreams - he also realizes them. Three of his new ideas that are currently percolating include the establishment of a permanent Disco Museum, a Museum of LGBT Culture and the resurrection of the Paradise Garage as a not-for-profit club.
Escuela Saint Louis will be open for its first 2008 Love Is The Message class featuring Associate Professor Emeritus DJ Keith Johnson (Radio Free Mid-America) and Principal DJ Raven Fox (Escuela Saint Louis) back together again after exiling themselves from the Great State of New Jersey for something a little bit different.
