Truth & Soul was a record label and production team based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was formed in 2004 by Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman with Philippe Lehman. The label was best known for their releases with Lee Fields & The Expressions and other New York retro-soul / funk groups. As a production house and recording studio, Truth & Soul worked with artists like Aloe Blacc ("I Need a Dollar") and Adele ("Right as Rain"). In 2016, Truth & Soul's catalog was acquired by The Orchard, and was succeeded by Big Crown Records and Mighty Eye Records.
History Soul Fire Records Truth & Soul was born out of Soul Fire Records, a label run by musician Phillip Lehman. Lehman had previously run soul revival pioneer Desco Records with Bosco Mann, and founded Soul Fire in 1999 as a funk label; Mann would later open the soulful Daptone Records. Between 1999 and 2003, Soul Fire put out numerous records by artists including Lee Fields and The Whitefield Brothers. In 2003, Lehman retired from the music business, leaving his studio to young musicians Jeff "Dynamite" Silverman and Leon Michels, both former Soul Fire artists.
Formation and releases of Truth & Soul Silverman and Michels founded Truth & Soul with help from Lehman in 2004. Silverman and Michels ran the label with label manager Danny Akalepse, and were the in-house production team. The label has recorded and released the music of El Michels Affair, Bronx River Parkway, Quincy Bright, The Evil D's, Lee Fields and The Expressions, The Fabulous Three, Cosmic Force, The Olympians, Tyrone Ashley's Funky Music Machine, Ghetto Brothers, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, and Bama & The Family.
In 2008, Truth & Soul produced and released the Lee Fields & The Expressions album My World to critical acclaim. The same year they produced Aloe Blacc's sophomore record, Good Things, which was released on Stones Throw records on September 28, 2010. A new studio, The Diamond Mine, was built in Long Island City 2014 by Michels and his frequent collaborators Thomas Brenneck, Nick Movshon, and Homer Steinweiss.
Truth & Soul has remixed "Love Is a Losing Game" by Amy Winehouse, the Gabriella Cilmi single "Sweet About Me", Dinah Washington's "Cry Me A River" for Verve Remixed 4, and Truth & Soul are credited as writers on Adele's grammy nominated album, 19. Their records have been sampled by Ghostface Killah, Just Blaze, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy. Other venture included curating the in-game radio station of the same name in the 2009 video game GTA: Chinatown Wars.
Legacy: Big Crown Records and Mighty Eye Records
Michels and Silverman dissolved Truth & Soul in July 2016 with The Orchard acquiring the label and the distribution rights to its catalog. Soon after, Michels co-founded Big Crown Records with Truth & Soul manager Danny Akalepse. Some artists on the Truth & Soul roster moved to Big Crown at this time. In 2022, Mighty Eye Records began in collaboration with Silverman.
Artists Noted 'featured artists' included: Bronx River Parkway † Cosmic Force El Michels Affair †‡ Fabulous Three (Leon Michel & Jeff Silverman) † Jr Thomas & The Volcanos Lady Wray †‡ Lee Fields & The Expressions †‡ Liam Bailey ‡ Michael Leonhart and Avramina 7 Shirley Nanette Tyrone Ashley & Funky Music Machine (reissue) Ghetto Brothers (reissue) Bobby Oroza ‡
† denotes artist on Soul Fire Records ‡ denotes artists on Big Crown Records
Discography ArtistTitleCatalog NumberRelease dateEl Michels AffairSounding Out The CityTSCD-0012004Various ArtistsFallin Off The ReelTSCD-0022005Tyrone Ashley & Funky Music MachineLet Me Be Your ManTSCD-0032007 ReissueVarious ArtistsFallin Off The Reel vol.2TSCD-0042008Bronx River ParkwaySan Sebastian 152TSCD-0062008Lee Fields & The ExpressionsMy WorldTSCD-0072009El Michels AffairEnter The 37th Chamberto be released in conjunction with fat beats records2009Michael Leonhart & Avramina 7Seahorse & The StorytellerTSCD-0092010Bama & The FamilyFeeling Good b/w Drums of AsikoTS0012004Bronx River Parkway feat. AnaluDeixa Pra La b/w Mas y MasTS0022004Timothy McNealyK.C Stomp b/w Easy, Easy, EasyTS0032004Lee Fields & The ExpressionsDo You Love Me b/w Honey DoveTS0042004El Michels AffairCreation b/w Behind The Blue CurtainsTS0052005The ExpressionsMoney Is King b/w These MomentsTS0062005Quincy BrightMy Ghetto Looks Like ThisTS0072006El Michels AffairC.R.E.A.M b/w Glaciers of IceTS0082006Funky Music MachineGotta clean Up The WorldTS0092006 ReissueBronx River ParkwayLa Valla b/w Nora Se VaTS0102007Tyrone Ashley & Funky Music MachineCan't Help Myself b/w Love Me A Little While LongerTS0112007 ReissueEl Michels AffairBring Da Ruckus b/w Duel Of The Iron MicTS0122007Black VelvetIs It Me You Really Love b/w Earthquake's ComingTS0142007 ReissueEl Michels Affair w/ RaekwonThe PJ's...from afarTS0152007Lee Fields & The ExpressionsMy World b/w Love Comes and GoesTS0162007Bronx River ParkwayAgua con Sel b/w Me TocaTS0172008Timothy McNealyWhat's Going On b/w I'm So glad You're MineTS0182008 ReissueQuincy BrightMy Ghetto Looks Like This Vol. 2TS0202009The OlympiansHow Can I Love b/w Stand TallTS0252009LadyLady2013
See also List of record labels
References
External links Official website Interview with Leon Michels Village Voice Article on Tyrone Ashley