Louil Silas, Jr.

Louil Silas Jr. (April 17, 1956 – January 7, 2001) was an American record executive, musician, and record producer who is most known for founding and running an MCA Records imprint, Silas Records. After a prolific career as a remixer, Silas became a highly respected label executive responsible for bringing Chanté Moore, Jesse Powell, Keke Wyatt, London Jones, and Tricky Stewart to prominence as well as working with Aaron Hall.

After attending California State University, Dominguez Hills, Silas, who had a musical gift, initially tried his hand as a singer, but found much more success as a D.J., remixing other records in the late 70s. By the ‘80s, he was in great demand as a remixer, adding club heavy or hip-hop electronic percussion sounds to a previously recorded song. At one point, his remixes were so in demand, other labels would contract him under the alias "ELLIS JAY". After working for MCA records in promotion, he quickly rose through the ranks, and is credited for much of the success of the black artists on that label. By the latter ‘80s, Silas had produced records with Babyface, Bobby Brown, Sheena Easton, Pebbles, Patti LaBelle, and worked for an MCA imprint, SOLAR Records, as a music executive, and after helping with their success, and executive producing Bell Biv Devoe’s debut album, got the green light to found his own imprint, which he named Silas Records.

After starting his label, he had to find a roster of talent, being careful to select talent he could nurture into artists. Using Berry Gordy as a blueprint, he first signed Aaron Hall, then of Guy fame to a solo deal. While initially a model and beauty pageant contestant, Silas discovered Chanté Moore, and signed her. While music was moving in the direction of New Jack Swing, Silas kept Moore, a gospel and jazz trained singer, under then more “traditional R&B”. So determined was he to expose her under the right light, for the music video treatment for her debut single, Love’s Taken Over, Silas spent the money to have the shoot in Paris by movie director Antoine Fuqua. The video, showcasing a series of “modeling shoots” of Moore, including one of her in a designer gown along the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées, helped establish Moore as a seductive, emotive vocalist, with exotic looks, a sultry voice and a range to recall Minnie Riperton (9). In fact, the trademark piccolo coloratura technique founded by Riperton in popular music has become a trademark in Moore’s vocal technique.

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