{{Short description|American record producer (1909-1998)}} {{Other people|George Khoury|George Khoury (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = George Khoury | image = | caption = | image_size = | birth_name = | birth_date = July 17, 1909<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|last1=Larkin|first1=Colin|year=2006|edition=4th|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-397-51848-7}}</ref> | birth_place = | death_date = January 8, 1998<ref name="Larkin" /> | death_place = Lake Charles, Louisiana<ref name="Larkin" /> | instrument = | genre = Cajun, country, swamp blues, swamp pop | occupation = Record producer, songwriter, musician | years_active = 1950s-1960s | associated_acts = }}
'''George Khoury''' (July 17, 1909<ref name="Larkin" /> – January 8, 1998, Lake Charles, Louisiana<ref name="Larkin" />) was an American pioneer swamp pop and cajun record producer known for co-writing and composing the No. 1 hit song "Sea of Love" by Phil Phillips as well as "Mathilda" by Cookie and his Cupcakes.
His swamp pop, cajun and swamp blues recordings made a big impact on American popular culture.<ref name="Way Back Attack">{{cite web|title=PHIL PHILLIPS: Sea of Love|url=http://www.waybackattack.com/phillipsphil.html|accessdate=August 12, 2014}}</ref> He recorded Nathan Abshire and the song "Pine Grove Blues". Later he would record Lawrence Walker and His Wandering Aces, Elise Deshotel with Dewey Balfa, Harry Choates, Jimmy Newman, and Phil Phillips with the Twilights.
== Biography == Khoury's birthplace is unknown; however, he was of Lebanese ancestry.<ref name="Larkin" /><ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|title=George Khoury|website=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-khoury-mn0000651998/biography|accessdate=August 12, 2014}}</ref> In 1947, as an owner of a record shop, he noticed a lack of Cajun music being recorded in south Louisiana and decided to open a business to compete with Ed Shuler's Goldband Records and J. D. "Jay" Miller's Fais-Do-Do and Feature labels.<ref name="Broven-p45-46">{{cite book|last=Broven|first=John|title=South To Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous|url=https://archive.org/details/southtolouisiana00brov|url-access=registration|publisher=Pelican Publishing|year=1983|pages=[https://archive.org/details/southtolouisiana00brov/page/45 45–46]|isbn=978-0-88289-608-3}}</ref> His base of operations was just around the corner from Shuler's, on Railroad Avenue in Lake Charles.<ref name="bluesworld">{{cite web|title=REMEMBERING EDDIE SHULER: (1913–2005) |url=http://www.bluesworld.com/EddieShuler.html |accessdate=August 12, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723015602/http://bluesworld.com/EddieShuler.html |archive-date=July 23, 2014 |df=mdy }}</ref>
A longhorn salesman named Virgil Bozman had travelled to Lake Charles and noticed the music being recorded in the region. In the 1940s, Virgel Bozman created a string band that became the studio band for Bill Quinn's Opera label and Gold Star Records label out of Houston, Texas. The band would be called the "Oklahoma Tornados" and sometimes feature fiddler Floyd Leblanc.<ref name="bopping-3">{{cite web|title=IRY LEJEUNE|url=http://www.bopping.org/tag/virgel-bozmans-oklahoma-tornadoes/|date=December 1, 2011|accessdate=August 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812210417/http://www.bopping.org/tag/virgel-bozmans-oklahoma-tornadoes/|archive-date=August 12, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Khoury, who saw the need for more Cajun music and financed Virgil's new label, Oklahoma Tornado Records, named after his band.<ref name="Broven-p45-46" /> Based in Westlake, Louisiana,<ref name="bopping-2">{{cite web|title=OT Records|url=http://www.bopping.org/tag/o-t-records/|date=January 15, 2012|accessdate=August 12, 2014}}</ref> this label would record famous Cajun artists including Nathan Abshire & His Pine Grove Boys, creating arguably some of the rawest prewar cajun blues ever recorded<ref name="bopping-1">{{cite web|title=Nathan Abshire: O.T. Records being distributed in Cadian country|url=http://www.bopping.org/nathan-abshire-pope-of-cajun-accordion/|accessdate=August 12, 2014}}</ref><ref name="arhoolie-1">{{cite web|title=Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 2 – Various Artists|url=http://www.arhoolie.com/cajun-and-zydeco/cajun-honky-tonk-they-khoury-recordings-volume-2.html?sl=EN|accessdate=August 12, 2014}}</ref> Floyd Leblanc, and Harry Choates. Later, the label moved to San Antonio, Texas, and was run by James Bryant and Bennie Hess.<ref name="discogs">{{cite web|title=Oklahoma Tornadoes|website=Discogs |url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/1685126-Oklahoma-Tornadoes|accessdate=August 12, 2014}}</ref>
In 1949, after his success with the Oklahoma Tornado Label investment,<ref name="Brasseaux-p197">{{cite book|last=Brasseaux|first=Ryan Andre|title=Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American-Made Music|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=197|year=2009|isbn=978-0-19-534306-9}}</ref> Khoury created the '''Lyric '''label and '''Khoury's '''label. He recorded more Cajun songs such as Lawrence Walker's "Evangeline Waltz" and "Reno Waltz"<ref name="Broven-p45-46" /> however, he ventured into swamp pop and other genres as well. George Khoury opened up his own record shop, Khoury's Record Shop in downtown Lake Charles, Louisiana, which was co-owned with his brother, Isaac Khoury.
In 1958, Huey Thierry and his Cookie and his Cupcakes band recorded "Mathilda", the unofficial anthem of swamp pop music, which Khoury co-composed. That song would be later recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis, Freddy Fender and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. In 1959, Khoury co-wrote the hit song for Phil Phillips called "Sea of Love". The recording was later released by Khoury's Records Shop.<ref name="lmhfpp">{{cite web|url=http://louisianamusichalloffame.org/content/view/46/83/|title=Phil Phillips|last=Aswell|first=Tom|work=Louisiana Rocks – The True Genesis of Rock And Roll|publisher=Louisiana Music Hall of Fame|accessdate=June 14, 2010}}</ref> Due to the demand, Khoury leased the recording to Mercury Records on which label it entered the charts at No. 2 in June 1959.<ref name="Way Back Attack" />
Khoury produced his last record in 1965.<ref name="45cat">{{cite web|title=Cookie With Berry Cups|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/230|accessdate=August 12, 2014}}</ref> He died in 1998.<ref name="Larkin" />
== Compilation discography == {{Infobox record label | name = Khoury | image = Khoury-OT-logos.jpg | caption = Khoury's and O.T. labels | parent = | founded = 1947 | status = <!--Leave blank unless "Inactive" or "Defunct"--> | distributor = | genre = Cajun, country, swamp blues, swamp pop | country = United States | location = Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States | url = }} * ''Cajun Honky Tonk – Various Artists'' (427 Arhoolie, 1995) * ''Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings Vol. 2'' (541 Arhoolie, 2012)
<gallery> File:KhourysRecordShop-sign.jpg|Sign inside Khoury's shop File:VirgelBozman.jpg|Virgil (Virgel) Bozman </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Khoury, George}} Category:1909 births Category:1998 deaths Category:Place of birth missing Category:Record producers from Louisiana Category:Writers from Lake Charles, Louisiana Category:Swamp pop music Category:Musicians from Lake Charles, Louisiana Category:American folk musicians Category:Cajun musicians Category:American people of Lebanese descent Category:20th-century American businesspeople