#avco

Application of ablative heat shielding to the Apollo Command Module.

The Softones

The Softones

@ 1973 US Pressing

*****

They recorded for the New York-based Avco Records label (later renamed H&L Records) from the early '70s, releasing three albums and about a dozen singles. The most popular tracks were "My Dream", "Can't Help Falling In Love", "I'm Gonna Prove It" and "That Old Black Magic", (#29 Billboard R&B, #2 Disco; 1976). Their first single, "Any Street" was picked up from tiny Baltimore label, Thereway, along with a few other early recordings including "My Dream". They were initially known as "The Soft Tones" until the release of their first album in late 1973.

Like later recordings for Avco by The Stylistics, The Softones were produced by label owners, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and arranger/producer Van McCoy, whose orchestra, comprising some of the top New York session players of the time, served as the house band for many of their Avco records.

Since then, the group has released several further recordings, including a joint album in 1979 on Park-Way International with another Baltimore group, First Class called Together, which included the popular "Carla My Love".

**In celebration of Women’s History Month, I’ll be posting about women in the pizza community every few days this month. The pizza biz is pretty male-dominated, so let’s take this opportunity to throw the spotlight onto some of the women who are doing amazing work in the pizza world. 

You may not know her face or name but you definitely know her work. Holly Del Re designed the generic (”stock”) pizza box that’s been all over the New York metro area for the past decade or so. It’s called the “Cafe” box (internally referred to as “Saks Fifth Avenue”) and it’s one of the thousands of pizza boxes Holly has designed. Holly works at AVCO / Freeport Paper, based in South Islip, Long Island, where she heads the art department. Pizzerias send in their art and fixes it for print.

Holly is one of the true unsung heroes of the pizza community, staying behind the curtain to produce true works of art. WE SALUTE YOU!