[1] The label was founded in 1981 by Jim Benham, who lived in Palo Alto, California.
He played trumpet in a big band and was chairman of the Benham Capital Management Group.
Herb Wong, an educator and disc jockey in San Francisco, was artistic director until 1985.
The Palo Alto office closed that year, but the label moved to Studio City.
[2] Palo Alto also operated a sublabel, TBA Records, which recorded Alvin Hayes, George Howard, and Rare Silk.