Waif was launched by Brian Wade and Tony Cliff in March 1977. Both of the men worked for music pubishers ATV. According to Billboard of the 19th of March of that year their motivation was that they "...wanted to learn about the whole spectrum of records, finding artists, signing them, going into the studios and promotion, and we decided that the best way to get control was to start our own company." Sadly a single by actor Bill Maynard seems to have been the only release on the new label. It coupled 'Without Someone To Love' with 'Move A Little Closer' and had a catalogue number of STRAY-1. If there was a STRAY-2 I have yet to find it. That said, 'Potato' by the Colorado Beetles (EMI-2998; see 'The Colorado Beetles') was published by Waif / ATV in 1979 and was a Waif production, so the company kept going for longer than the label did. Distribution was by Lugton / H. R. Taylor.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.