Editing Invictus Records (section)

==History==
For most of the 1960s until 1967, Holland-Dozier-Holland (H-D-H) were a leading [[songwriter|songwriting]] and [[record producer|production]] team, providing hits for The Supremes, The Four Tops and other Motown acts. However, they decided to quit the company they had helped to establish and start their own label for better control and greater rewards.  They eventually launched Invictus, along with [[Hot Wax Records]], in 1969. Their most successful acts on Invictus were [[Freda Payne]] and [[Chairmen of the Board (band)|Chairmen of the Board]]; they also released [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]]'s first album, ''[[Osmium (album)|Osmium]]''.<ref>{{cite news | title=''Osmium''| url =https://www.discogs.com/fr/Parliament-Osmium/release/1902858| publisher = [[Discogs]] | access-date = 24 June 2020}}</ref>  The label was distributed by [[Capitol Records]] from 1969 to 1972 and then by [[Columbia Records]] from 1973 onwards.

In September 1970, the [[United Kingdom|British]] music magazine ''[[NME]]'' reported that Invictus had the [[United Kingdom|UK's]] top two [[single (music)|singles]]. Freda Payne's "[[Band of Gold (Freda Payne song)|Band of Gold]]" was #1, while Chairmen of the Board's "[[Give Me Just a Little More Time]]" was at #3 in the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years"/>  Both of those records were million-sellers in the US, but neither topped the pop or R&B charts. Invictus had two other gold records: Freda Payne's "Bring The Boys Home" and [[8th Day (R&B group)|8th Day's]] "[[She's Not Just Another Woman]]", both in 1971.

On leaving Motown, H-D-H were subject to legal action by [[Berry Gordy]] and, as a result, they were temporarily barred from issuing new compositions on their labels. Consequently, the names Holland-Dozier-Holland were not used until after 1970; releases were initially credited to [[Ron Dunbar|Ronald Dunbar]] (one of their producers) and "Edyth Wayne", which was a pseudonym.

The Invictus label was light blue with black printing. A statue of a seated man (Auguste Rodin's "[[The Thinker]]") almost covers the entire label, with "INVICTUS" in dark blue at the top and to the left of the center hole. There are a group of black and white rays coming from the eye of the statue and extending downward to the right.

The trio launched a third label, Music Merchant, through Buddah Records in 1972 and signings included [[Michael Lovesmith]] and his brothers who recorded as The Smith Connection, former Motowner [[Brenda Holloway]], [[The Jones Girls]] and Eloise Laws, but the only commercial success the label had was with The Smith Connection single "(I've Been a Winner, I've Been a Loser) I've Been in Love", which peaked at number 28 R&B in early 1973. Despite recording over a dozen releases, the label was closed the following year.

In 1973, when Hot Wax folded due to [[cash flow]] problems from royalty payment issues, Dozier left to forge a solo career and the Holland brothers moved their remaining artists to Invictus. The label continued to operate on a reduced level until 1977, when it also folded and was eventually remodeled to HDH Records.

Dozier and the Holland brothers still own the catalogue, which is managed by [[HDH Records]].