W.S. Stevenson

'50s record company undefined president who credited himself as a co-songwriter on tunes that he owned and sometimes made changes to. These include songs that he bought outright and those written by songwriters who were under contract with his label. Born on February 22, 1900, in Newkirk, Oklahoma, and died on September 9, 1978, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Not to be confused with Motown songwriter William Stevenson.

William Asbury "Bill" McCall owned the 4 Star record label in Pasadena, California. McCall, a businessman with no musical background, was known for taking advantage of the acts on his roster. He often credited himself as a co-writer for every song he published, even though there is little evidence that he wrote any complete songs. Under the pseudonym W. S Stevenson or Stevenson, he had 620 entries in the BMI database. The achievement was attained by directly purchasing songs, obtaining controlling interests in songs from struggling songwriters, and modifying lyrics to gain co-writing credit. He also credited himself as a composer of Public Domain songs recorded by his artists.
Additionally, his 4 Star Music Sales' recording contracts legally bound artists to record only material published by 4 Star, and all session costs were deducted from the artists' meager percentage, if any. McCall's business strategy when dealing with up-and-coming artists was to offer them a custom pressing service without a record contract to have a limited run of discs pressed by 4 Star, which they could sell at their gigs. It was a low-risk opportunity for McCall, as he wouldn't lose money if the records didn't sell. Still, he could benefit if the custom release gained popularity. Before taking ownership of 4 Star in the mid-1940s, McCall worked as an office supply salesman in the 1920s in El Centro, California, and in the 1930s in Los Angeles, California. Born on February 22, 1900, in Newkirk, Oklahoma, and died on September 9, 1978, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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