Ric-Tic Records was a record label set up in the 1960s in Detroit, Michigan, United States by

Joanne Bratton Johnny Bratton, also known as Honey Boy Bratton, (September 9, 1927 – August 15, 1993) was an American professional boxer and briefly reigned as the NBA welterweight champion in 1951. He fought many of the best fighters of his era in the ...

and Eddie Wingate. Twinned with the Golden World label, Ric-Tic featured many soul music artists and was seen as an early competitor for fellow Detroit label

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

. Motown's owner, Berry Gordy was unhappy with the success of Ric-Tic and in 1968 paid $1 million for the signature of many of the label's artists. In 2003, it was established that Ric-Tic was named for the deceased son of co-founder Bratton and her then husband, boxer Johnny Bratton. The boy, named Derek and known to his family as Ricky, Ric, or Ric-Tic, died at the age of 11 in 1962.Motown Encyclopedia: Golden World Records
by Graham Betts

Recording artists

Many early recordings on the Ric-Tic label by artists such as Freddie Gorman, Edwin Starr, and

J. J. Barnes James Jay Barnes (November 30, 1943 – December 10, 2022) was an American R&B singer and songwriter. Biography He recorded several singles, starting in 1960. His early releases including "Just One More Time" and "Please Let Me In", on the rec ...

were re-released in the 1970s by Motown to coincide with the popularity of the Northern soul music scene in the UK. The group The Fantastic Four were also signed to the Ric-Tic, and became the label's best-selling act, outselling Edwin Starr in the United States. Much like Starr, they continued to record under Motown when Ric-Tic was absorbed by the record company. The Detroit Emeralds (having just moved to Detroit and added the word "Detroit" to their group name) recorded briefly for Ric-Tic, achieving their first R&B Chart (#22) success with "Show Time", released in 1967. They then joined Westbound Records in 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ric-Tic Records American record labels Pop record labels Record labels established in 1962