West End Records and why it was one of the iconic disco labels

The Twelve Inch 107 : "Heartbeat" (Taana Gardner)

This week I’ll discuss a twelve inch that was the odd one out when it was released. In fact no record company was interested in releasing it. All, except 1. I’m talking about “Heartbeat” by Taana Gardner and her success story on West End Records.

The story of disco is the story of dj’s, producers but also of entrepreneurs. 4 of them (or 7 to be more exact 😃) would have a big influence on the genre and be responsible for some of the best disco that was released. I’m talking about the Cayre Brothers (3 of them) that founded Salsoul Records, Neil Bogart and the megalomania called “Casablanca Records”, Marvin Schlachter, the founder of Prelude Records and the first one we’ll be encountering : Mel Cheren and the fantastic West End Records.

West End records was founded by Mel Cheren and Ed Kushins in 1976 and the label went on to define the sound of New York City in the heyday of disco. Ed & Mel …