Hi Records is one of the jewels in the municipal crown of Memphis. In its glorious history, Hi Records ran the gamut from instrumental hits by Bill Black's Combo and Ace Cannon to intimate rhythm and blues by Al Green, Ann Peebles, Otis Clay and Syl Johnson. Hi boasted its own killer rhythm section - the Hodges brothers with drummer Howard Grimes, as well as a horn section that featured the best players in town. With the rest of the label's support group such as songwriters Teenie Hodges, Earl Randle, and Donald Bryant, and master producer and A&R man Willie Mitchell…Hi had it all - charismatic stars, innovative producers, brilliant session players, prolific composers. Hi Records was a hit factory that is as alive today as it ever was, constantly repackaged and reissued, an inspiration to new generations of musicians and fans.

     Hi Records is remembered as the premier Memphis soul label of the Seventies -- Al Green resplendent in fur and leather seductively crooning "Tired of Being Alone"; Ann Peebles in platforms and silk soaring from whisper to scream on "I Can't Stand the Rain." Hi Records struck platinum in that middle ground between gritty Southern Soul and the era's slicker disco and Philly sounds. But long before the R&B mega-hits and Superfly threads, Hi was born a rockabilly cat in blue suede shoes. 

     Ray Harris had worked alongside Bill Black at the old Firestone plant, before the bass player hooked up with Elvis. Harris got to sit in a few sessions at Sun, watching as Elvis, Scotty & Bill made music history. Like a lot of young guitar-picking Mississippi boys transplanted to Memphis, Harris figured it didn't look too hard. 

     In 1956, Harris cut a couple of rockabilly classics on Sun Records. His "Come On Little Mama" and the follow-up, a raucous cut of the old folk song, "Greenback Dollar" are great records, still revered by rockabilly lovers the world over, but they never did much on the charts. Harris decided that if he couldn't be the next Elvis, maybe he could be the next Sam. 

     In 1957, Harris became partners in a new record label with five local businessmen, notably Joe Cuoghi, one of the owners of the Poplar Tunes record store, as well as two other Sun veterans, Bill Cantrell and Quentin Claunch. Harris had the ears and was quickly developing studio skills. Cuoghi knew every angle of the record business and had the clout to get the record on jukeboxes.