Gusto was founded in 1973 by Gayron "Moe" Lytle and songwriter Tommy Hill, who owned the Stop Records label.

In 1974, Moe Lytle moved to Nashville and bought Tommy Hill's interest in the company, along with the Stop Records label shortly thereafter.

1 position for any country music 45-rpm record released before or since (the Beatles did it on the pop chart in two weeks with "I Want to Hold Your Hand").

In 1993, group members brought legal action against Gusto to have the Wand recordings returned, alleging they had not been paid royalties since 1968.

On November 9, 1998, in a story that made national headlines, the Kingsmen were awarded ownership of their Wand recordings.