Tabu Records

Tabu Records
Parent company	Demon Music Group
Founded	1975
Founder	Clarence Avant
Status	Defunct (1996)
Distributor(s)	RCA Records (1977-1978) Epic Records (1978-1991) A&M Records (1991-1993) Motown Records (1993-1996)
Genre	Rhythm and blues
Country of origin	United States
Location	Los Angeles, California

Tabu Productions was an American record label founded by Clarence Avant in 1975. The label, Tabu Records, focused on R&B and funk.

Avant founded the label after Sussex Records went out of business in June 1975. Tabu Record's flagship release, “Stormin'” by Brainstorm, was released in 1977. Tabu Records had a short-lived distribution pact with RCA, which lasted a year before moving to CBS Records.

The label focused on R&B and funk but expanded into other genres such as disco. Its artists included Lalo Schifrin ("No One Home", 1979) and the S.O.S. Band ("Take Your Time (Do it Right)," 1980).

The label languished in 1982, and Avant nearly lost his home in 1983 before discovering Dina R. Andrews, a young music executive who had worked for Dick Griffey's Solar Records. Andrews, who had just begun managing the duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (of the Time), met with Avant and, through her relationship with him, introduced Jam & Lewis, who produced their first recordings for Avant. Jam & Lewis went on to produce several other recordings for Avant under Dina Andrews Management.

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis were hired to produce The SOS Band's fourth album for Tabu, On the Rise, which was certified gold on January 16, 1984. While recording in SOS's home stomping grounds in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 24, 1983, a freak snowstorm hit, grounding all flights from the city. The duo was scheduled to perform as a part of The Time in San Antonio at the Hemisfair Arena that night but couldn't make it. Subsequently, Prince, who owned and managed The Time, fired them on April 18, 1983. The duo stayed in Los Angeles and became songwriter-producers at Larrabee Studios in West Hollywood.

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