Malaco is home to many recording artists and songwriters, a catalog of thousands of original recordings and song copyrights. Browse our online biographies for each of our artists below.
Blues / R & B |
Gospel |
Americana / Singer-Songwriter |
The Controllers were founded in Fairfield, Alabama, in 1965. Originally known as the Epics, the vocal group initially performed gospel music. As high schoolers they met with Ramsey Lewis Trio bassist Cleveland Eaton, who wrote their first single, Right On, Brother—Right On, which they recorded and released as the Soul Controllers. The song became a regional hit, and following high school the four core members—brothers Larry and Reginald McArthur, LeNard Brown and Ricky Lewis—shortened their name to the Controllers.
The Controllers went on to enjoy further success with recordings on various labels and appeared on programs such as Soul Train. After a hiatus from the studio and the road, they signed with Malaco Records in 1997. Clear View was released later that year, and on songs such as When I’m Away and a new version of Somebody’s Gotta Win, Somebody’s Gotta Lose, they revamped their yearning, lush ballad style with modern production values. The album also featured a spirited, hip-hop imbued cover of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition.
Currently, LeNard Brown hosts a weekly radio show, Inside the Juke Joint, on 98.7 Kiss FM in Birmingham, Alabama.
—Melanie Young
Jerry Puckett Has Passed Away
Posted: 12/14/2023
We are sad to announce that we have lost one of the original members of Read More
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Congratulations to our friend, Dr. Bill Ferris
Posted: 03/07/2022
Dr. William Reynolds Ferris, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, will receive Read More
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Malaco’s Former Employee – Bill Isaacs Has Passed Away.
Posted: 06/12/2020
It is with great sadness that one of our former long term employees has passed Read More
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