All for One Records, better known as AFO, was an African American musician-owned

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

. AFO was founded in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

in 1961 by

Harold Battiste Harold Raymond Battiste Jr. (October 28, 1931 – June 19, 2015) was an American music composer, arranger, performer, and teacher. A native of, and later community leader in, New Orleans, he is best known for his work as an arranger on record ...

, who was an established composer, arranger, and performer. AFO was established as a musicians' collective. According to AFO alumnus Wallace Johnson, Battiste "said it was time for New Orleans musicians that make the music to make the money – not out-of-town companies that came here to record." House musicians for AFO included

Red Tyler Alvin Owen "Red" Tyler (December 5, 1925 – April 3, 1998) was an American R&B and neo-bop jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger, regarded as "one of the most important figures in New Orleans R&B". Biography Born and raised in New Orleans, Ty ...

Roy Montrell Roy Montrell (27 February 1928 – 16 May 1979) was an American rhythm & blues guitarist who performed on hundreds of records produced in New Orleans. Born Raymond Eustis Montrell, in New Orleans, Louisiana,Bob L. Eagle, Eric S. LeBlanc, ''Blues: ...

, Peter Badie,

John Boudreaux John Mortimer Boudreaux, Jr. (December 10, 1936, New Roads, Louisiana – January 14, 2017, Los Angeles) was an American drummer who was active in jazz, soul, and rhythm & blues idioms. Early Years Boudreaux moved to New Orleans at age ten or ...

and

Melvin Lastie Melvin Clarke Lastie, Sr. (November 18, 1930 – December 4, 1972) was an American R&B trumpeter, flugelhornist, and cornetist. He also played jazz and was a session musician on many soul and rock records of the 1960s. Lastie was born in New O ...

. AFO was distributed by

Sue Records ''Sue Records was also the name of a Louisiana-based record company which owned Jewel Records (Shreveport record label).'' Sue Records ("The Sound of Soul") was an American record label founded by Henry 'Juggy' Murray and Bobby Robinson in 1957. ...

. In 1961, AFO released

Barbara George Barbara George (16 August 1942 – 10 August 2006) was an American R&B singer and songwriter. Biography Born Barbara Ann Smith at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, she was raised in the 9th ward New Orleans, and began si ...

's song "

I Know (You Don't Love Me No More) "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" is an R&B song written and recorded by American singer Barbara George, released as her debut single in 1961. It became her signature song and her only major hit in United States, reaching number-one on the ''Bi ...

", which reached the top of the R&B chart and #3 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart. In 1963, Battiste and other members of the collective moved to Los Angeles, in hopes of greater success. Battiste's band, the AFO Executives, became a

backup band A backup band or backing band is a musical ensemble that typically accompanies a single artist who is the featured performer. The situation may be a live performance or in a recording session, and the group may or may not have its own name, such a ...

for

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

and other

SAR Records SAR Records was a record company founded by soul music legend Sam Cooke in 1961. The meaning of "SAR" has been disputed; it has been listed as "Sam & Alex Records" (J.W. Alexander was Cooke's business, song-writing associate, and friend) and also a ...

artists until Cooke's death in 1964. The collective soon diffused, and AFO went on "extended hiatus". In 1991, Battiste, who had returned to New Orleans, restarted the project and leased much of the AFO catalog to Ace Records, who used them to produce a series of compilations beginning with ''Gumbo Stew''. By 2007, Battiste created the AFO Foundation to protect and nurture the resources of AFO Records and Battiste's music publishing company, At Last Publishing.

References

{{Authority control American record labels Record labels based in Louisiana American music