Metrobeat & Peak Records

Two record labels connected to David Anthony Productions

History

Metrobeat and Peak Records

In early 1967, Mike Jann and Tony Andreason decided to team up with local booking agent David Anthony Wachter to start up a new record company called Metrobeat Records. David wanted a record label for the various bands he was booking in order to boost the name value of the bands and increase their pay for live jobs.

David had been booking a band from Grand Forks, North Dakota called The Cornerstones. The band was very popular in North and South Dakota and also played in Minnesota. The band came to Minneapolis and recorded two songs at Universal Audio (formerly Kay Bank) which they gave to David Wachter to listen to. The two songs: “You Rule Me” and “Our Love is All Through” were pressed up as the first 45 on the new Metrobeat record label. A friend of David Wachter had suggested the name of the label and local songwriter and musician Larry LaPole came up with a logo for the new label. In March, 1967 the new record was off and running with their first 45. The record received airplay in Grand Forks, North Dakota and other markets to the West of Grand Forks.

Following The Cornerstones, The Trashmen, Underbeats, South 40, Jokers Wild, and The Titans released 45’s on Metrobeat. With so many 45’ coming out on the same label, it was decided to start up Peak Records, as a subsidiary to Metrobeat. The first release on the Peak label was “(I’ve Got) Nowhere to Run” by a band from Stillwater, Minnesota called The More – Tishans, produced by Timothy D. Kehr. The original song recorded for the B-side was not used and an instrumental version of the A-side came out on the flipside.

In the later part of 1967, David Wachter began to put a new band together called South 40 with Dave Wagoner on lead voclas, to be a hard rocking R & B band, in the fashion of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. On March 20, 1968, the band was recorded live and an album was released called “Live at Someplace Else” (a popular club located in Robbinsdale). A 45 from the album was released with “I Want Sunshine” backed with “Goin’ Someplace Else.” The album and the 45 both sold well in the Twin Cities and the 45 received airplay on local rock stations WDGY and KDWB. South 40 would eventually transform into Crow and have a number of national hits in 1969 and 1970 on the Amaret label out of Los Angeles.

In December, 1967, Kay Huntington released a 45 on the MillCity label, another subsidiary of Metrobeat.

The final 45 for the label would be a 45 on the Peak label by Mark Alan, a country singer. The songs were recorded in Nashville and the record was released in May, 1976.

Starting with The Cornerstones in 1967 and ending up with Mark Alan in 1976, Metrobeat (including Peak and MillCity) released thirteen 45’s and one album. The biggest success for Metrobeat was the live South 40 album.