Hefty Records was formed by John Hughes with Dan Snazelle as a way of releasing Hughes' own music.[2][3] Hughes, the son of filmmaker John Hughes, had been interested in music since his youth, but had initially been more interested in record production than in creating music of his own.[4] The label was formed in 1995 while Hughes was a college student, and was originally set up in his dorm room.[5] Hughes chose the label name because, as he put it, "I liked it because it sounded optimistic. And it had a conquering tone to it."[6]
The first label's releases were of Hughes's own work as Slicker just after the breakup of his previous band Bill Ding.[6] Hefty began the Immediate Action series in 2000, a collection intended to consist of six vinyl records. The sleeves were created by the Brooklyn graphics company Graphic Havoc.[citation needed] In 2005, the label hosted a live concert in Chicago and released two volumes of compilation and remix material from artists on the label, titled History is Bunk: Collaborations, Reinterpretations and New Compositions.[7] Their last release was in 2010.
