Label Guide: Fania

Fania Records was a New York based label founded by composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and Italian-American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. Masucci met Johnny Pacheco in 1962 when his firm handled Pacheco's divorce. The label took its name from an old Cuban song by the singer Reinaldo Bolaño. Fania is known for its promotion of what has become known as Salsa music.

The second album released under the Fania imprint was Larry Harlow's 1965 Heavy Smoking. The record's modern take on traditional Afro-Caribbean music served as the template for what soon would come to be known as the Fania Sound. In 1968, Pacheco created a supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars that brought together the elite of Salsa musicians and singers for joint performances and recording.

Jerry Masucci became sole owner of Fania Records in 1977, and would own ten other recording companies, as well: Vaya, Cotique, Tico, Alegre, Mardi-Gras, Sonido, Exitos, International, Bronco, and Karen.