Larry Harris, Casablanca Records Co-Founder, 70, Dies

Larry Harris' Casablanca History

LARRY HARRIS, who co-founded the legendary dance, funk and rock label with his cousin NEIL BOGART, died on MONDAY, DECEMBER 18th.

HARRIS, who described the label's history in his 2009 memoir, "And Party Every Day: The Inside Story Of CASABLANCA RECORDS, co-written with JEFF SUHS and GOOCH, was BOGART's second-in-command at the label, whose roster included KISS, DONNA SUMMER and GEORGE CLINTON's PARLIAMENT. No cause of death was given.

HARRIS was working as a NEW YORK-based promotion executive at BUDDAH/KAMA SUTRA RECORDS in the early '70s when BOGART launched the new imprint with WARNER BROS. RECORDS, which he named after his favorite movie. HARRIS as well as fellow execs CEDIL HOLMES and BUCK REINGOLD joined BOGART to launch the label in 1973 in LOS ANGELES. 

HARRIS brought in the label's first artist, KISS, after BOGART sent him to see the band in a rehearsal, after stuffing cigarette butts in his ears because of the volume. 

That same year, the label signed GEORGE CLINTON's historic funk band PARLIAMENT, which achieved commercial lift-off with the "Mothership Connection" album in '75. 

HARRIS became senior vice president and managing director of the company in 1976 after the partners signed DONNA SUMMER, who broke through thanks to the GIORGIO MORODER-produced "Love To Love You Baby," then went on to score nine more Top 10 singles for the label, including the chart-topping "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls" and "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough") with BARBRA STREISAND. SUMMER's 1978 hit "Last Dance," won the OSCAR and GOLDEN GLOBE for original song, for the film "Thank God It's FRIDAY," which the label co-produced.

Other CASABLANCA successes included the VILLAGE PEOPLE, CHER, CAMEO, TONY ORLANDO, CAPTAIN & TENNILLE and even T. REX for one U.S. release.

HARRIS' book described the whirlwind in a jacket description:  "From 1974 to 1980, the landscape of AMERICAN culture was a banquet of hedonism and self-indulgence, and no person or company in that era was more emblematic of the times than CASABLANCA RECORDS and its magnetic founder, NEIL BOGART."

HARRIS left the label at the end of the decade, just before POLYGRAM -- a half owner of the label -- forced BOGART out for exceeding his budget. Two years later, BOGART was dead of cancer at 39. The CASABLANCA name was resurrected in 2000 by TOMMY MOTTOLA under the banner of UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP. 

After leaving CASABLANCA, the NEW YORK native moved to SEATTLE, where he ran the SEATTLE IMPROV. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, CANDY, daughter EMILY and son MORGAN.

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