Randy Wood, music industry innovator founded Dot Records. His practice of having white singers record black artists' hits is credited by some with helping black musicians — and early rock music — break into the commercial mainstream.
From 1954 to 1956, Dot specialized in R&B cover records. Pat Boone was their biggest star. Among his hits were remakes of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and the Charms' "Two Hearts." The Fontane Sisters had a gold record with "Hearts of Stone," which had been recorded by several black artists.
After Wood saw actress Gale Storm sing on television, he had her record R&B covers, including Smiley Lewis' "I Hear You Knocking," which reached No. 2 in 1955.
The company also had other hits in the 1950s and '60s, including "Pipeline" by the Surfaris, "Calcutta" by Lawrence Welk and "Melody of Love" by Billy Vaughn, who became Dot's musical director.
Dot's catalog was "totally eclectic," Wood's son said, "It went from Liberace to Louis Armstrong, T-Bone Walker to Lawrence Welk." Randy Wood was 94.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-me-randy-wood-20110414,0,7628801,full.story
