Radio waves are no doubt traveling across space and carrying remarkable radio entertainment from days gone by. Fortunately, we needn't wear space suits to hear the stuff. Just contact these two labels (both owned by Radio Yesteryear). Radiola specializes in the old drama and comedy programs. You'll find such delights as "The Shadow," The Fred Allen Show," "Suspense;" "The Henry Morgan Show;" and "Sherlock Holmes." Sandy Hook is the musical reissue arm. In addition to mining radio shows, it draws from 78rpm records and film sound tracks. You'll find big bands, country, pop, Hollywood musicals. Radio Yesteryear also offers a custom tape service. Since they don't have enough room to list their 50,000 items in the catalog, they invite customers to just name that show. The company will search the inventory and give a report. There's no charge for a search when the request accompanies an order. Otherwise, three bucks please.
TYPE: Comedy; Jazz; Old Radio; Spoken
ARTISTS: Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz; Jack Benny; Burns& Allen; Duke Ellington; Al Jolson; Boris Karloff; Frank Sinatra
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: Box C
Sandy Hook CT 06482 PHONE:
A&R CONTACT: M. Rophone
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Von Sonneborn***
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Von Sonneborn
Cliff Chenfield and Craig Balsam splashed across the record biz with the '70s Preservation Society which mass marketed CD compilations of 1970s material. Razor & Tie is devoted mostly to CD reissues of "great" but out-of-print LPs. Among the albums are Graham Parker's The Up Escalator; Little Steven's Men Without Women and Tina Turner's Acid Queen. The releases tend to come with bonus cuts. Ike and Tina Turner's version of "I've Been Loving You Too Long" is one of three selections that augment Acid Queen. Razor & Tie also now does originals. Scott Kempner (former lead singer of the Del Lords) was the first "new" artist signed to the label.
TYPE: Blues; Comedy; New Music; Pop; Rhythm & Blues; Rock; Soul
ARTISTS: Gary U.S. Bonds; David Johansen; Little Steven; Scott Kempner; Graham Parker; Michael Stanley; Mick Taylor
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: 214 Sullivan St., #5A
New York NY 10012 PHONE: 212.473.9173
CONTACT: Cliff Chenfield or Craig Balsam
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT:
VOLUME SALES CONTACT:
109 Minna St. 391
San Francisco CA 94105
TYPE: Esoteric Rock, Contemporary Rock.
ARTISTS: Bill Spooner, The Residents, King Kurt, Rhythm
and Noise, Fred Frith, Tuxedomoon, Renaldo and the Loaf, Nash the Flash.
ALBUM: "First Chud"/ Bill Spooner $7.47.
Spooner also is guitarist and songwriter with the
Tubes.
PO Box 42517
Washington D.C. 20015
Well, yes, the name RAS does echo Rastafary, the Jamaican religion closely associated with reggae music. But officially the label's name stands for Real Authentic Sound. The label's founder Dr. Dread (a/k/a Gary Himmelfarb) started as a Washington D.C. area record distributor. Reggae music excited him and -voila- he was a record company. The RAS catalog includes not only the label's output; but also the offerings of other companies. RAS is a reggae-only label; but the catalog contains pre-Reggae Jamaican music as well as various kinds of African musics.
The catalog is a wonder. Although certainly the selling tool it was intended to be, it is a reggae primer with its clear, jargon-free descriptions
TYPE: Reggae
ARTISTS: Inner Circle; Gregory Isaacs; Israel Vibration; Mad Professor; Sister Carol; Sly & Robbie; Yellowman
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: PO Box 42517
Washington D.C. 20015 PHONE: 301.582.9641
A&R CONTACT: Gary Himelfarb
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Gary Himelfarb VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Steve Cornwell
PO Box 2057
Richmond VA 23261
TYPE: Pipe Organ.
ARTISTS: Marian Metson, Peggy Marie Haas, Bruce
Stevens,
Earl Miller, Lynn Zeigler Dickson.
ALBUM: "Organ Works by Ernst Bacon, John Cook"/ Marian
Metson. $10.98.
RAZOR IN TIME
TYPE:
ARTISTS:
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: PHONE:
A&R CONTACT:
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT:
VOLUME SALES CONTACT:
A six-piece combo, the RazzmaJazz Dixie Band, is one ace in the hole for the Six Flags Over Texas theme park (located in Arlington). The group has been inquiring as to whether it's true what they say about Dixie every year from May to September since 1986. Many Six Flags visitors wanted a recording of the band. In the 1990 summer, the band released a cassette. Band sparkplug Jon Stutler, who also is a music educator in the Arlington public school system, loves playing Dixieland. "It's fun," says Stutler who plays clarinet and tenor sax. "It crosses all mood boundaries and it's rooted in the blues."
TYPE: Jazz
ARTISTS: RazzmaJazz Dixie Band
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: Cassette
ADDRESS: 5204 Stagetrail Dr.
Arlington TX 76017 PHONE: 817.572.5016
CONTACT: Jon Stutler
RC RECORDS
Hard rock, Metal
TYPE: Rock
ARTISTS: Deicide; Obituary; Sepultura
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Video
ADDRESS: 225 Lafayette St., Ste. 404
New York NY 10012 PHONE: ***
A&R CONTACT: Monte Conner
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Doug Keogh
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Relativity (718.740.5700)
PO Box 17314
Seattle WA 98107-1014
TYPE: Rock 'n' Roll (Rockabilly, R&B), Weird Humor.
ARTISTS: Pinky Black and the Excessives, Ogden Edsl,
Richard
Sullivan.
ALBUM: "Oogum Boogum"/ Pinky Black and the Excessives.
$7.
Real Gone also offers "Till the Cows Come Home. " a $15
book
that is the definitive history of Nebraska rock & roll.
This label, owned by David Freeman of County Records focuses on traditional and contemporary bluegrass.
TYPE: Bluegrass
ARTISTS: Country Gentlemen; Del McCoury; Tony Rice; Seldom Scene; Ralph Stanley; Rhonda Vincent; Keith Whitley/Ricky Skaggs
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: PO Box 191
Floyd VA 24091 PHONE: 703.745-2001+
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Gary Reid
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: David Freeman
TYPE: Rock
ARTISTS: Black Sun Ensemble; Bevis Frond; Henry Kaiser
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 1401 Haight St.
San Francisco CA PHONE: 415.431.8431
CONTACT: Jude Brown
We're talking Windy City blues here. The small but solid catalog contains sounds by distinctive artists that can blow you away. Here are two examples. At first glance Maybe I'll Cry recorded by the then 88-Mama Estelle Yancy, widow of piano great Jimmy Yancy is a curiosity. But her masterful renditions of 1920s style blues and her vitality earned acclaim, including a Downbeat Magazine Critic's Choice Pick. Downbeat also gave four stars to Where's My Money by Sons of the Blues, a vigorous taste of more recent Chicago blues stylings.
TYPE: Blues
ARTISTS: Buddy Charles; Erwin Helfer; Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers; Sons of the Blues; Sunnyland Slim; Johnny "Big Moose" Walker; Mama Estelle Yancy
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 2240 N. Magnolia
Chicago IL 80814 PHONE:
TYPE: Folk
ARTISTS: Brooks Williams
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: PO Box 644
Northhampton MA 01061 PHONE: **
A&R CONTACT: **
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT:
VOLUME SALES CONTACT:
PO Box 4044
St. Paul MN 55104
TYPE: Folk, Blues, Jazz, New Acoustic.
ARTISTS: Greg Brown, Rio Nido, Dave Moore, Pat
Donoghue,
Wise-Magraw.
ALBUM: "Iowa Waltz"/ Greg Brown. $8.50.
Yes, it's the very same Greg Brown who frequents the
"Prairie Home Companion" stage.
Fred Koch (pronounced Cook), founder and principal artist of Red Rover, knows his priorities. The first credit that pops up in Koch's brochure refers to him as an "award-winning K-3 music educator." No wonder Koch the performer/composer/musician appeals so winningly to children. "He is one of those warm, witty adults kids connect with instantly," wrote Ann Taubeneck in the Chicago Sun Times. Despite Koch's well-honed songwriting talents, all the songs on his first album, "Did You Feed My Cow?" were written by Ella Jenkins, a key figure in archives of children's music. The album earned a 1990 "Parents' Choice Award as "an example of diligence, talent, and caring."
TYPE: Children's
ARTISTS: Fred Koch
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: PO Box 124
Lake Bluff IL 60044 PHONE: 708.615.0366
A&R CONTACT: Yvonne Dickerson
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Fred Koch
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Fred Koch
611 Empire Mill Road
Bloomington IN 47401
TYPE: Folk, Jazz, Classical
ARTISTS: Josef Gingold, Royce Campbell, Eclectricity,
Leftwich and Higginbotham, Eric Rosser, and Dave Porter.
ALBUM: "Seventyfive"/Josef Gingold (2-record set)
$16.98.
476 W. MacArthur Blvd.
Oakland CA 94609
TYPES: Folk, Folk/Rock, Rhythm and Blues, New Song, New
Age, Women's Music, Instrumental.
ARTISTS: Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, Ferron, Judy Small,
Sabia, Guardabarranco, Sweet Honey in the Rock.
ALBUM: "Lifeline"/ Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert. $8.98.
TYPE: Broadway, Classical, Jazz
ARTISTS: Blazing redheads, Chicago Pro Musica, Eilleen Farrell, Mike Garson, London Philharmonic, Flora Purim, Royal Philharmonic
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: Box 77225X
San Francisco CA 94107 PHONE: 415.355.1892 VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Marcia Martin
RELIC RECORDS
The sound of "sha-doe-an-doe-be-doo" echoes through the land, helped in part by Relic, a modest New Jersey label. The founders, Donn Fileti and Eddie Gries, immersed themselves totally in the doo-wop sensibility. They even had their own store and label in the '60s. Relic's albums are reissues of the great and stirring groups who were looking for an echo. Now Relic has added to its repertoire with digitally remastered CDs. The sound quality allows the listener to enjoy the voices as never before. Wavelength's Macon Fry wrote, "Listening to the familiar hits here, like 'In the Still of the Night'...is like hearing them the first time all over again."
TYPE: Blues; Rhythm & Blues
ARTISTS: Channels; Falcons; Five Royales; Five Satins; Elmore James; Skyliners; Maurice Williams & Zodiacs
CATALOG: $1
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: PO Box 572
Hackensack NJ 07602 PHONE: 201.342.6475
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Donn Fileti
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Donn Fileti
TYPE: Children's; Classical; Ethnic; Folk
ARTISTS: Cambridge Symphonic Brass; John Langstaff; Revels Chorus; Youth Pro Musica
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: One Cambridge Sq., Bldg. 600
Cambridge MA 02139 PHONE: 617.621.0505
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Bill Scheick
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Bill Scheick
PO Box 92 Brooklyn NY 11229
TYPE: San Francisco Related Music (esp. Grateful Dead
Relate Music).
ARTISTS: Robert Hunter, Matthew Kelly, Jorma Kaukonen.
ALBUM: "Magic"/ Jorma Kaukonen $10.
Established by RELIX Magazine. Send SASE for catalog.
When I was a child," said Reptile owner Scott Tutt, "I was the first guy in the neighborhood to buy the hit record; and then I would tell my friends about the music. That's what I'm trying to do with this record company. I like to find unknown artists, work with them, develop the sound, and help them grow." In keeping with this outlook, Reptile focuses on a niche largely ignored, in Tutt's opinion, by the major labels. Reptile occupies that border where country and rock touch each other, in an album-oriented-radio kind of way. Tutt has seen and helped artists become known in his more than 25 years of music business experience. Prior to Reptile, he ran another indie which was owned by three wealthy Texans. Tutt says that just as a single hit 52 with a bullet, the Texans pulled out. He decided to start his own company. ("It would be financed by me. If we don’t have any money one week, we just don't do anything that week.")
TYPE: Country, Western; Rock
ARTISTS: The Dusters; Susan Marshall
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: PO Box 121213
Nashville TN 37212 PHONE: 615.331.7400
A&R CONTACT: Scott Tutt
Box 217
Ferndale NY 12734
TYPE: Bluegrass, Country & Gospel.
ARTISTS: Pine Hill Ramblers, Roger Bellow, the
Shenandoah Cut-Ups, Bristol Mountain Bluegrass, Stacy Phillips.
ALBUM: "Fiddler From Maine"/ Simon St. Pierre $8.50.
1201 Olympic Blvd.
Santa Monica CA 90404
TYPE: Rock, R&B, Surf Music, Comedy.
ARTISTS: The Turtles, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Standells,
Barnes & Barnes, Bobby Fuller, The Runaways (featuring Joan
Jett), and The Firesign Theatre.
ALBUM: "The Best of Louie Louie"/ a compilation -- one
song, different bands. $6.98.
The catalog costs $1 for a 3-issue subscription. Rhino
is a wonderfully idiosyncratic company with special bents for
recovering lost gold and laughing out loud.
RICHEY RECORDS
Fort Worth TX 76116
TYPE: Bluegrass, Blues, Jazz.
ARTISTS: Country Gazette, Dan Huckabee, Alan Munde,
Lenny Carlson, Slim Richey, Buck White.
ALBUM: "Reunion Album."/Stone Mountain Boys. $10.
Paul Winter called pianist Paul Sulllivan, "an exquisite musician and just one of the nicest people you'll ever meet." We can add to this description by calling Sullivan the owner of a record label that dispenses Sullivan-created calming, evocative music. Sullivan has performed with Winter and also has conducted Broadway orchestras. As a composer he's received commissions from major corporations such as Nynex International and boundary-stretching arts groups such as the Pilobolus Dance Theater. According to his bio, Sullivan "created and taught the first electronic music course at Yale College."
TYPE: New Age
ARTISTS: Paul Sullivan
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: Rte. 175
Blue Hill Falls ME 04615 PHONE:
CONTACT: Lisa M. Farrar
Hard rock and metal
TYPE: Rock
ARTISTS: Annihilator; Gruntruck; King Diamond
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 225 Lafayette St., Ste. 404
New York NY 10012 PHONE: **
A&R CONTACT: Monte Conner
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Doug Keogh
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Relativity (718.740.5700)
Jeff Pachman runs Rockville, a subsidiary of Dutch East Indies, a distributor, and he likes the idea. "I figured," said Pachman, "this was the opportunity of a lifetime to make records by groups so that one day a kid will say I love this just as I did when I first heard the Replacements. I just want to put out cool records." Rockville took an unusual giant step toward solvency that other record companies might want to consider. At its birth in 1985, it was called Giant Records. A Warner executive, enamored of the name, bought the rights to use it for a tidy sum. (Faced with finding a new name, Dutch East Indies, briefly considered honoring the Warner exec by naming the new company after him. If he liked the first name, wouldn't he just love and buy the second?) One of Rockville's more interesting bands is Shonen Knife, three women from Osaka Japan who are very ingenuous. The group has such a cult following that Rockville was able to issue an album in which other bands play tribute to Shonen Knife.
TYPE: New Music; Rock
ARTISTS: Polvo, Shonen Knife, Texas Instruments, Uncle Tupelo.
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: PO Box 800
Rockville Centre NY 11571-0800 PHONE: 516.764.6200
CONTACT: Jeff Pachman
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Jeff Pachman
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Jerry Filice
The restless energy of 60-year-old Neil Cooper, who refers to himself as an “oldie but goodie" makes ROIR a natural. He's been a booking agent, personal manager, restaurateur, and nightclub owner. He also was a roadie for New Orleans legend Kid Ory and worked for the Royal Mint of England.
"I've always wanted to be on the cutting edge of counter culture," explains Cooper.
He claims he started the label because small label hotshots would frequent his nightclubs. They would come adorned with beautiful women and would sip champagne, while he devoted himself to repairing plumbing emergencies. He could not help but notice the difference in lifestyles.
ROIR currently is a cassette only label that excels in the rawest of rock and reggae sounds. The catalog includes documents of fiery live performances, as well as bad to the bone recordings on eight-track or even four-track cassette recorders. As Philadelphia Inquirer writer John Milward wrote, "this is music made on the cheap, and as often as not, it sounds that way. Still that doesn't stop it from sweating."
TYPE: Reggae, Rock.
ARTISTS: Big Youth, John Cale, Richard Hell, James Chance, The Mekons, Oku Onora, Yabby You
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: Cassette
ADDRESS: 611 Broadway, Suite 411
New York NY 10012 PHONE: 212.477.0563
A&R CONTACT: Val Bracken
LICENSING & PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Anne Doran
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Ingrid Tejeda
ALBUM: "New York Singles"/Compilation celebrating 10
years of punk and featuring cuts by Patti Smith Group, Tom
Velaine, Richard Hell et. al. $8.
ALBUMs are available on cassette only.
6918 Peach Ave
Van Nuys CA 91406
TYPE: Rockabilly/Roots Rock 'n' Roll.
ARTISTS: Ray Campi, Ronnie Mack, Ezra Charles, Mac
Curtis, Gene Vincent, Col. Jim Silvers.
ALBUM: “Hollywood Cats"/ Ray Campi & his Rockabilly
Rebels.$9.48.
We are told that Ray Campi, a true '50s rocker, is much
appreciated by the Blasters and the Stray Cats.
CATALOG costs $1
TYPE: Country, Western; Ethnic; Folk; Jazz; Rock
ARTISTS: Kim Angelis, Bell & Shore; Sandy Bull, Randy Erwin, Chris Gaffney; Ciro Hurtado; Rotondi
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassettes
ADDRESS: POP Box 491212
Los Angeles CA 90049 PHONE: 213.471.5000
CONTACT: Keith Holzman
Talk to Gary Hall, and you'll learn about history. You'll learn how musical tastes and styles were shaped in Jamaica. And you'll learn about how the multicultural flavor of the Island came to be. You'll learn what American country music has in common with reggae and calypso. Mostly, you'll discover his enthusiasm for knowledge and music. Hall, a music business veteran in Jamaica and the U.S., started his own label in 1985. He named it for his daughter. (Rooney is her nickname.) He presently has a small but select roster of artists. One Rooney find worth noting is jazz guitarist Ernie Raglin. A few years ago Ranglin was ranked right behind Wes Montgomery. He also was an arranger for Bob Marley; and he turned in a number of sparkling performances on a number of Monte Alexander albums. He also distributes labels from the Caribbean and from England. And yes some of them are country.
TYPE: Caribbean; Jazz; Reggae
ARTISTS: Milo; Ernie Raglin; Shakaman
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 1750 N. Fla. Mango Rd., #407
West Palm Beach FL 33409 PHONE: 407.697.8677
A&R CONTACT: Fred Campbell
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Fred Campbell
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Gary Hall
RFD 2
Bethel VT 05032
TYPE: Traditional and Contemporary Acoustic Music
ARTISTS: John Herald, Michael Hurley, Cathy Fink,
Jeanie McLerie.
ALBUM: "The Real Thing"/ John Herald Band $9.
2615 N. Wilton Ave.
Chicago IL 60614
TYPE: Blues, Rhythm and Blues, Deep Soul.
ARTISTS: Johnny Littlejohn, Carey Bell, Magic Slim, Otis
Clay.
ALBUM: "Soul Man -- Live in Japan"/ Otis Clay (two-
record set) $12.50. The label's cofounders, Jim and Amy O'Neal, also
established LIVING BLUES Magazine.
The founder, owner and mailroom clerk of this one-woman shop is Rosetta Reitz. "My major function," says Ms. Reitz, "is the retrieval of important lost music in blues and jazz by women!" The label has been called "a landmark in the recording industry" and "a musical crusade." Everything about the Rosetta albums -- selections, liner notes and illustrations -- shows a fiery dedication to the music and to the women who made the music. Rosetta offers a "Foremothers" series, as well as an "Independent Women's Blues" series, When Alice Walker began work on The Color Purple, she was listening to the Rosetta Records release, Mean Mothers, Volume One of the Independent Women's Blues category. The women singing on this compilation of '20 and '30s recordings are anything but victims. "I loved the way," Alice Walker told a New York Times writer, "they dealt with sexuality, with the relationships with men."
TYPE: Blues, Jazz.
ARTISTS: Dorothy Donegan, Lil Green, Ethel Waters, Dinah Washington, Mae West.
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl, Video
ADDRESS: 115 W. 16th St., #267
New York 10011 PHONE: 212.243.3583
Every indie exhibits at least one special quality; but Rounder exemplifies all the indie virtues -- passion, spirit, hope, dedication; individualism, education and respect for other cultures. Three communards (Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy label) started Rounder as a hobby in 1970. They were upset that the music they wanted to hear was unavailable on recordings. They discovered it didn't cost too much (in those days) to manufacture a record and they came across a tape of George Pegram, an accomplished banjoist. Rounder released two albums that first year; three albums came out in the company's second year; 19 in the third; and now Rounder releases about 75 a year. The diversity of cultural roots earns them many bonus miles and many, many gold stars. Much attention goes to the signing of George Thorogood and the Destroyers in the late '70s. This blues-drenched band from Delaware jumped to gold recorddom. And yes the Thorogood good news helped the company be a sharper, fuller Rounder. But the company's strength really resided elsewhere. The Rounder triumvirate learned the business and carefully managed the company's growth. They set up distribution and mail order divisions. (Rounder now sells the offerings of more than 400 labels.) They set up subsidiary labels that were associated with particular musics. They did all this without ignoring the musical quality and qualities important to them. As Dan Oullette of the San Francisco Bay Guardian Music Quarterly put it, "any company that over the years has released albums by both NRBQ and Brave Combo, two of the musically adventurous groups this side of Sun Ra, has to be in a league of its own.
TYPE: African; Asian; Bluegrass; Blues; Cajun; Caribbean; Children's; Country, Western; Ethnic; Folk; Hispanic, Latin; Jazz; Reggae; Rhythm & Blues; Rock; Soul; Zydeco
ARTISTS: Charles Brown; Santiago Jimenez, Jr.; Alison Krauss; Sugar Minott; Bill Morrissey;
CATALOG:
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 1 Camp St.
Cambridge MA 02140 PHONE: 617.354.0700
A&R CONTACT: A & R Dept.
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Bill Nowlin
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Duncan Browne
Box 100
Brighton MI 48116
TYPE: Modern Bluegrass with a country flavor.
ARTISTS: Emma Smith and Dave Evans, Red Taylor, Jim
Heffernan.
ALBUM: "Don't Let Me Cross Over"/ Emma Smith and Dave
Evans. $7.
5930 Pennfield Ave.
Woodland Hills CA 91367
TYPE: Choral Musics (including Classical, Christmas and
Folk works).
ARTISTS: Roger Wagner Chorale.
ALBUM: "Virtuoso"/ Roger Wagner Chorale. $11. This album
earned a Grammy, and has works ranging from Handel's
"Hallelujah Chorus" to "Pollywolly Doodle."
In 1984 Ryko announced its presence as the first all-CD label. It quickly gained favor by releasing CD versions of notable material that first appeared as (ooo-gross) vinyl from other labels. Its coups include the CD rights to Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, and David Bowie catalogs. In 1988 Ryko began to issue high audio quality vinyl and cassettes. (It even began to include DAT recordings.) In 1989, Ryko began to sign artists for original recordings. These include 3 Mustaphas 3, Evan Johns, and Nils Lofgren.
TYPE: African; Asian; Blues; Cajun; Caribbean; Classical; Country, Western; Eastern European; Ethnic; Experimental; Folk; Jazz; Native American; New Age; New Music; Reggae; Rhythm & Blues; Rock; Soul; Spoken; Zydeco
ARTISTS: 3 Mustafas 3; Mickey Hart; Nils Lofgren; Mountain Music; Oyster Band; Stewart and Gaskin; Jerry Jeff Walker
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: Pickering Wharf, Bldg. C
Salem MA 01970 PHONE: 508.744.7678
A&R CONTACT: Jeff Rougvie (612) 375-9162
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS: Call 215.629..0030
VOLUME SALES: Randy Hope (612) 375-9162
This label's output includes reissues of the stunning
It's A Beautiful Day albums. One critic referred to the group's performance of "White Bird" as "the 'Stardust' of the Love Generation."
TYPE: Middle of the Road, Pop, Rock.
ARTISTS: Fraternity of Man; Indian Puddin' and Pipe; It's A Beautiful Day; Lotus; Moby Grape; Siberian Express
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 29903 Harvester Rd.
Malibu CA 90265 PHONE: 213.457.4844
CONTACT: Matthew Katz
Blue, Sanity Check's owner and performer, has a deeply felt aesthetic. His apocalyptic pop evokes echoes of Jim Morrison and Genesis. "I see a record label," he explains, "not as validation to an artist's work,...but simply as the legal obligations required for bringing audio art to the public."
TYPE:
ARTISTS: Blue
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD
ADDRESS: PO Box 527
Front Royal VA 22630 PHONE: 703.636.7587
CONTACT: Blue
413 N. Parkerson
PO Box 1345
Crowley LA 70526
TYPE: Gospel.
ARTISTS: Trinity Baptist Choir, Immaculate Heart of
Mary Choir, Trinity CME Church Gospel Choir.
ALBUM: "Jesus Lives"/Trinity CME Church Gospel Choir.
$10.
160 W. 71st St.
New York NY 10023
TYPE: Jazz, Blues, Early Soul, Early Rock and Roll.
ARTISTS: Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Dexter Gordon,
Joe Turner, Little Esther.
ALBUM: "Bird/Savoy Recording Master Tapes"/ Charlie
Parker with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Max Roach. (2-record
set) $11.98.
Savoy was founded in 1938, and Joe Fields purchased the
CATALOG in January 1984.
4775 Durham Rd.
Rte. 77
Guilford CT 06437
TYPE: Classic Pop.
ARTISTS: Bob Haymes
ALBUM: "Bob Haymes: That's All"/ $11.93. This recently
recorded album has Haymes playing and singing songs that he
wrote.
Serendipity offers a 58-page catalog for $1. The
CATALOG
lists many records by other small labels.
80 Varrick St.
New York NY 10013
TYPE: Contemporary, Classical, Early Music, Jazz.
ARTISTS: Space, Tom Buckner, Joseph Bacon, Roscoe
Mitchell, Judith Nelson
ALBUM: "An Interesting Breakfast Conversation:
Improvisations"/ Space. $8. The group is a trio made up of
two reed players and one vocalist, and the result slides
somewhere between "contemporary classical" music and jazz.
As Hank Williams Jr. might say it's a family tradition for Lomaxes to discover and/or popularize major musical figures (e.g. Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, and Muddy Waters).
John Lomax III fits right in. He started S.F.L. (Sounds From Lomax) to present the music of dulcimer player David Schnaufer. This dulcimerist has taken a homey mostly for-accompanists-only mountain instrument and transformed it into a thing of virtuosity forever. Schnaufer's Nashville session work has put him on the albums of Emmylou Harris, Mark O'Connor, Dan Seals, the Judds and the aforementioned Hank Williams, Jr. GraceAnne A. DeCandido, writing in Library Journal said, David Schnaufer is the Richard Thompson -- or maybe the Eric Clapton -- of the dulcimer." Larry Delaney of Country music News said, "in David Schnaufer's hands the dulcimer sounds like the most magnificent piece of musical machinery ever invented." Schnaufer's album Dulcimer Sessions has a bunch of guest artists including Sandy Bull, Santiago Jimenez, Jr., Mark Knopfler and Albert Lee
TYPE: Bluegrass; Country, Western; Folk; Jazz
ARTISTS: David Schnaufer
CATALOG: Free
FORMAT: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: PO Box 120316
Nashville TN 37212 PHONE: 615.356.4684
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: John Lomax III
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: John Lomax III
In 1974 musicologist Richard Nevins and Dan Collins a fiddler and publisher of Irish music expressed their mutual enthusiasm for Celtic music by starting Shanachie. The label's Irish roots are firmly planted in a catalog studded with recordings by the likes of Makem & Clancy, The Chieftains and the Wolfe Tones. Shanachie is the Gaelic word for "storyteller." But now the label also might be called "Griot." Starting in the late '70s with a Rita Marley album, Shanachie has been releasing recordings by significant reggae and African musicians. In fact, these constitute the record company's identity to most of its customers. Now, the expanded roster includes poet Linton Kwesi Johnson; Joe Higgs, the man described by many as mentor to Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh; and Loketo which plays Soukous style music that originated in the Congo. In reviewing a live Loketo performance, New York Times reporter Peter Watrous wrote, "Diblo, an extraordinary guitarist, set up riff after crisp and sizzling riff, only to tear them down and start some more. Fingers flickering, he maintained a rock-steady pulse, driving the band forward with an inexorable momentum.
TYPE: Blues; Celtic; Reggae; World Music;
ARTISTS: Chieftains; Fela; Ladysmith Black Mambazo; Rita Marley; Richard Meyer; Steeleye Span; Bunny Wailer
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Video
ADDRESS: 37 E. Clinton St.
Newton NJ 07860 PHONE: 201.579.7763
A&R CONTACT: Randall Grass
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Randall Grass
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Lee Goldstein
The label's underground sensibility attracts, fascinates and intrigues. Its founder Kramer (no first names please) owns a recording studio (Noise New York) and astounds innocent bystanders with his ability to work swiftly and creatively. The label's best known artist probably is Bongwater which features both Kramer and performance artist/actress Ann Magnuson. (She plays the editor on network TV sitcom "Anything But Love>." Rolling Stone writer David Fricke described Bongwater's '88 release as a "cocktail of monster guitars, TV sound bites and Magnuson's funny nightmarish narratives." Tuli Kupferberg, East Village poet and a member of the legendary FUGS, is on the label with both a reissue and a recent release. When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water has recorded appreciations of both George Gershwin and Bobby Goldsboro.
ARTISTS: Bongwater; Dogbowl; Lida Husik; Jellyfishkiss; Daniel Johnston; Ween; When People Were Shorter And Lived Near The Water
CATALOG: Send self-addressed stamped envelope.
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl, Video
ADDRESS: JAF Box 1187
New York NY 10116 PHONE:
CONTACT: RAI
This Swedish contemporary jazz label is distributed in the U.S. by Gazell Productions.
TYPE: Jazz
ARTISTS: Ahmed Abdullah; Charles Brackeen; Rob Brown; Charles Gayle; William Hooker; Charles Tyler; David Ware
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD
ADDRESS: PO Box 527
Mansfield Center CT 06250 PHONE: 203.429.1062
VOLUME SALES: Heidi Green
PO Box 20248
New York NY 10025
TYPE: Folk.
ARTISTS: Buskin & Batteau.
ALBUM: "Buskin & Batteau"/ $10.95 cassette only.
Moses ("Moe") Asch founded the label in 1947, and his continuing goal was to create "a library of human sound." For decades, Folkways Records helped adventurous music listeners explore the many varieties of music on this planet. Well before "World Music" became a common catch phrase, Folkways found and issued valuable field recordings from all over the world. Not only did it document the sounds of other cultures; but it transported record buyers to union halls and Appalachian hollers and children's playgrounds and so on. Both Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly had their first recordings released by Folkways. That alone certainly changed the shape of American music. In keeping with the library notion, no Folkways recording went out of print, regardless of how few sales it had in the course of a year. When Moe Asch died, there was fear as to the fate of the approximately 2200 albums in the Folkways catalog. Would this landmark collection be demolished? Fortunately, the Smithsonian Institution acquired Folkways. The Smithsonian -- probably the most appropriate caretaker for this heritage -- was aided with funds that came from a Columbia recording organized by Bob Dylan any featuring performances by Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson and U-2 among others. Rounder, another perfect choice, is distributing the label. Tony Seeger, Folkways curator, is working on ways to draw from and add to the collection. He hopes to make it a powerful possibility for a new generation of adventurous listeners.
TYPE: Blues; Bluegrass; Caribbean; Children's; Ethnic; Folk; Hispanic, Latin; Jazz; New Age; Native American; Ragtime; Rhythm & Blues; World
ARTISTS: Woodie Guthrie; Leadbelly; Pete Seeger; Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee; Mary Lou Williams
CATALOG:
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 1 Camp St.
Cambridge MA 02140 PHONE: 617.354.0700
A&R CONTACT: A & R Dept.
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Bill Nowlin
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Duncan Browne
155 West End Ave.
Brooklyn NY 11235
TYPE: Vintage Rock.
ARTISTS: Belmonts, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Fuller.
ALBUM: "Roots of SOB: Vol. 4"/Compilation. $8.98
The label was established by notable songwriter Bobby
Feldman. (He wrote "My Boyfriend's Back," "Hang On Sloopy,"
et al.) SOB albums are made from unreleased original masters.
1201 Olympic Blvd.
Santa Monica CA 90404
TYPE: R&B reissues of '50s and '60s.
ARTISTS: Gene Chandler, the Spaniels, the Flamingos,
the Dells.
ALBUM: "You Found the Vocal Group Sound, Vol.1"/
Compilation including performances by Nutmegs, Edsels, Harptones. $8.98.
14755 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks CA 91403
TYPE: New Age, New World Jazz.
ARTISTS: Craig Huxley, Michael Stearns, Ananda, Gino
d'Auri,
Georgia Kelly, Maurice Jarre, Subramaniam.
ALBUM: "Chronos"/ Michael Stearns. $10.98 (Also
available
in CD).
This is the soundtrack from an IMAX film of the same
name.
The film visually recounts the story of Western Civilization
in
42 minutes.
132 W. 24th St.
New York NY 10011
TYPE: Rock.
ARTISTS: Barbara Powell, Ammazzonn, Dee Vee.
ALBUM: "Life Is Confusing"/$3.98 (a 12" single).
We're not talking any old America. All artists on this label are North American Indians. "What we have in mind," says SOAR founder Tom Bee, "is to make this company 'the red Motown.'" They pursue this goal with excellent sound quality, striking graphics, and, of course, music that means something. The recordings range from contemporary to Pow Wow and Peyote music. Douglas Spotted Deer's native American flute stylings have floated into many a New Age consciousness. You may have heard the voice of traditional Navajo singer D. J. Nez chanting on a powerful Lexus automobile television commercial. Tome Bee has been in the music business for more than 20 years. His songs have been recorded by The Jackson Five, Taka Boom, and Shakin Stevens, among others. And if we haven't heard of Bee, well...Only in America.
TYPE: Native American; New Age; New Music
ARTISTS: Robby Bee; Blacklodge Singers; Kinrawk; Davis Mitchell; D.J. Nez; Douglas Spotted Eagle; Xit
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Video
ADDRESS: PO Box 8606
Albuquerque NM 87198 PHONE: 505.268.6110 A&R CONTACT: Robert Bee
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Tom Bee
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Robert Robertson
3008 Wadsworth Mill Pl.
Decatur GA 30032
TYPE: Blues, Gospel
ARTISTS: Big Joe Turner, Sleepy John Estes, Roosevelt
Sykes.
ALBUM: "Big Joe Turner with Knocky Parker and his House
Rockers"/ $8.98. The album was recorded in a New York Studio on Big
Joe's 73rd birthday. This label has a "Collector's Record Club"
that offers records at a lower price.
Uni-Pro
Harriman NY 10926
TYPE: Classical, i.e. from Gregorian Chants through
Computer tapes.
ARTISTS: Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra, Boston Saxophone
Quartet, Ravinia Chamber Ensemble, Delos String Quartet.
ALBUM: "Great Master, Great Pupil; works by Ludwig von
Beethoven and Carl Czerny"/ Slater $7.90.
The Banded Geckos own and operate this label. The group (Evelyne Taylor, Tim Taylor, Gus Fory and Charlie Aruda) syncopates its way through folk and swing classics while enriching the sound with unique harmonies. The group's second album, Art Gecko, is truly a state of the Gecko recording.
John Conquest writing in Austin's Music City Magazine says, "Even in the rich goulash of the casual Texas pot luck attitude toward musical categories, [The Banded Geckos] rated Houston's best folk band have a flavor that stands out."
TYPE: Folk; Jazz
ARTISTS: The Banded Geckos
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: 4422 Betty St.
Bellaire TX 77401 PHONE: 713.665.5624
CONTACT: Evelyne Taylor
8300 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90069
TYPE: '50s Rock, R&B, Gospel.
ARTISTS: Little Richard, Lloyd Price, Larry Williams,
Sam
Cooke.
ALBUM: "Little Richard's Grooviest 17 Hits"/ $8.98
The catalog costs $1.
Victoria Spivey, who founded this label in the '60s, was quite the inspiration. Born in Houston in 1906, she entered the recording world in 1928 with "Black Snake Blues," which she wrote. On her many '20s and '30s recordings, she was accompanied by such people as Louis Armstrong, Henry Allen and Lonnie Johnson. She curtailed her career in the '50s but then returned with renewed energy in 1960. Spivey records has made many of the singer's fine old recordings available to new audiences. The Spivey album Recorded Legacy of the Blues (1927-1937) features Victoria Spivey with Louis Armstrong, Red Allen, Lonnie Johnson, Pops Foster, Tampa Red, and others. Although Spivey died in 1976, the company continues. In addit0on to offering the vintage recordings, the label also spotlights today's blues. It often draws from the talented musicians who appear at Dan Lynch's Bar in Manhattan.
TYPE: Blues; Jazz
ARTISTS: Brenda Bell; Bill Dicey; Willie
Dixon; Nat Riddle; Otis Spann; Victoria Spivey; Bob Shatkin
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: Vinyl
ADDRESS: 65 Grand Ave.
Brooklyn NY 11205
CONTACT: Len Kunstadt
TYPE: Blues.
Tagged "the Phil Spector of the Nursery Crowd" by Evan Pritchard of Resonance Magazine, Jonathan Sprout is a tireless performer for children. He's not afraid to be silly and he's not afraid to inspire. His album
TYPE: Rock
ARTISTS: Black Flag, Descendents. Flesheaters, Husker Du, Leaving Trains, Minutemen, No Man
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: Box 1
Lawndale CA 90802 PHONE: 213.430.7607
A&R CONTACT: Greg Ginn
1194 Nostrand Ave.
Brooklyn NY 11225
TYPE: African Pop.
ARTISTS: Bumba Massa, Asabia, Pamelo Mounka, Orchestra
Innovation
ALBUM: "Ami"/ Bebe Manga. $9.94.
611 Broadway
New York NY 10012
TYPE: Jazz.
ARTISTS: Bucky Pizzarelli, Hilton Ruiz, Maxine Sullivan,
Corky Hale, Sal Salvador Quintet.
ALBUM: "Hilton Ruiz with Ray Barretto, Ed Blackwell,
Major
Holley"/ $8.98.
1304 Fletcher Rd.
Tifton GA. 31794
TYPE: Jazz
ARTISTS: Anita Gravine, Vaughn Nark, Judy Carmichael,
Brent
Brace, Jim DeAngelis.
ALBUM: "The Magnificent Tommy Flanagan" $12.30.
3943 W. Lawrence Ave.
Chicago IL 60625
TYPE: Jazz.
ARTISTS: Lee Konitz, Jackie McLean, Horace Parlan, Bud
Powell, Michael Urbaniak.
ALBUM "Live at Montmartre"/ Stan Getz Quartet. $8.50.
A British-owned company with a New York City office, Stern's specializes in World Music, with a particular emphasis on the various African genres (emanating from Algeria to Zaire). Many Stern's albums are recorded in France, an informal headquarters for African musicians. Some are émigrés, and some even travel from Africa specifically to record. Someone at Stern's describes recordings in the catalog with a certain flair. For example, Kutche, the album by Algerians Cheb Khaled & Safy Boutella, is explained this way:"...Angry lust-crazed, melancholy and sometimes hilarious, Rai [music] is the voice of today's young Arabs. This is how they vent their spleen, mouth off, and have fun." Stern's also is a distributor, and so it makes the music of other labels available.
TYPE: African; Asian; Caribbean; Ethnic;
ARTISTS: Nawaha Doumbia; Pepe Kalle; Kasse Mady; Baba Maal; Koffe Olomide; Oumou Sangare; Papa Wemba
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: 598 Broadway
New York NY 10012 PHONE: 212.925.1648
A&R CONTACT: Robert Urbanes (UK)
116 Whitfield St.
London W1P 5RW England
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Robert Urbanes
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: E.I. Rapac
This label from a foreign clime is distributed in the U.S. by Gazell. Storyville probably is best known for its well-named "Masters of Jazz" series. Each album presents a major jazz figure.
TYPE: Jazz
ARTISTS: Louis Armstrong; Duke Ellington; Coleman Hawkins; Billie Holiday; Teddy Wilson; Lester Young
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD
ADDRESS: PO Box 527
Mansfield Center CT 06250 PHONE: 203.429.1062
VOLUME SALES: Heidi Green
Two lifelong friends from Brussels, Guy Marc Hinant and Frederic Walheer, are visual artists and musicians. They funded Sub Rosa by organizing a photo exhibit in 1984. First they sent Polaroid film packs to such artists as Brian Eno, Bruce Gilbert, Cabaret Voltaire, and Robert Rauschenberg. They declared, take photographs of anything you want. Responses came, and voila! An instant exhibit. A few pictures were sold; and the duo gained credibility within the art scene and funding from the Belgian government. Sub Rosa pursues a unique approach. The philosophy is to present art, music, film, installation, choreography, ethnic recordings and physical documents. For example, it's quite appropriate to present Moroccan music with readings by Paul Bowles.
TYPE: African; Asian; Classical; Eastern European; Ethnic; Experimental; Folk; Gospel; Hispanic, Latin; Jazz; Rock; Spoken
ARTISTS: William S. Burroughs; Paul Bowles; Thierry DeMey; Jon Hassel; Laibach; Maximalist; X-Legged Sally
CATALOG: Send two first-class stamps
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS:
CONTACT: Randall Barnwell
577 Valencia St.
San Francisco CA 94110
TYPE: Punk/Underground, Experimental.
ARTISTS: Flipper, Frightwig, Code of Honor, Bean
Church,
Longshoremen, Factrix.
ALBUM: "Album - Generic Flipper"/ Flipper. $7
"This [album's] music," reports the flyer, "melts in
your mind -- not in your ear."
For several years in the late '70s Sugar Hill founder Barry Poss produced traditional country music records for County Records.
"I became very interested in the sons and daughters of the traditional musicians," said Poss. "These younger artists grew up in a traditional environment; but were young enough to be influenced by contemporary music. I thought that tension produced some exciting, great sounds."
And indeed they did.
Since its 1978 launch, Sugar Hill has earned appreciation as a label that champions "contemporary music with traditional roots." The musicians understand, admire any reflect the culture that shaped them; but they also express today's world. Two of the more famous Sugar Hill albums are "Sweet Temptation" by Ricky Skaggs and "Old and in the Way" by Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Vassar Clements, Peter Rowan and John Kahn. At last count, Sugar Hill has received three Grammys; four Grammy final nominations; and 30 Indies.
TYPE: Bluegrass, Country, Folk.
ARTISTS: Guy Clark, Peter Rowan, Seldom Scene, Doc Watson
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: PO Box 4040
Duke Station
Durham NC 27706 PHONE: 919.489.4349
3355 W. El Segundo
Hawthorne CA 90250
TYPE: Punk to Pop, New Music.
ARTISTS: Alien Sex Fiend, Olympic Sideburns, Bad
Religion, Vandals, Rodney on the Roq, TSOL, Agent Orange.
The Suite Beat umbrella covers Epitaph, Poshboy, Beat,
American, Missing Link and Suite Beat Records. When we spoke
with the company, it was just starting to make its mail order
plans.
By now (whenever that is) everything should be set up. Feel
free to contact them.
TYPE: Ethnic; Hispanic, Latin; New Music; World
ARTISTS: Sukay; Eddy Navia
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: 3315 Sacramento St., Ste. 523
San Francisco CA 94118 PHONE: 415.751.6090
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Quentin Howard
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Barbara Young
PO Box 9157
Austin TX 78766
TYPE: Contemporary Country and Western
ARTISTS: Kinky Friedman
ALBUM: "Under the Double Ego"/ Kinky Friedman $9
Currently, this is the only album available from
Sunrise, so there is no catalog.
PO Box 7778
Silver Spring MD 20907
TYPE: Reggae - Live performances at the Sunsplash
Festival
ARTISTS: Toots and the Maytals, Yellowman et al.
ALBUM: "The Twinkle Brothers"/ $8.98
This label was set up by Etiquette as its vehicle for new releases (as opposed to reissues). At the time of this writing, the label's direction was being refined. Stay tuned; it should be interesting.
TYPE: Rap; Rhythm & Blues;
ARTISTS: Not specified
CATALOG: No
FORMATS: CD
ADDRESS: 2442 NW Market St., Ste. 273
Seattle WA 98107 PHONE: 206.524.1020
CONTACT: Buck Ormsby
This label's roster reads like a Cajun music hall of fame.
TYPE: Cajun
ARTISTS: Nathan Abshire; Dewey Balfa; Cajun Tradition; Michael Doucet & Beausoleil; Jambalaya Cajun Band; McCauley Reed Vidrine; D.L. Menard
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl, Video
ADDRESS: PO Drawer 10
Ville Platte LA 70586 PHONE: 318.363.2139
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Floyd Soileau
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Floyd Soileau
One newspaper called Craig Taubman "Hebrew's Hottest Heartthrob." Taubman -- a confirmed creataholic -- is a songwriter, performer (40 concerts a year), a stalwart with the Disney Channel, and (of course) a recording artist. As a children's performer, he is signed to Walt Disney Records. He also writes and sings songs that celebrate Jewish life for an audience that's a bit older. In these songs, he tends to intermingle the Hebrew text with English lyrics. "It's spiritual music, not religious," says Taubman. "It's about life cycle events such as issues of faith or growing up in a crazy world."
TYPE: Children's; Jewish
ARTISTS: Craig Taubman
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: PO Box 6061-115
Shermao Oaks CA 91423
CONTACT: Melissa Hayden
7525 Fountain Avenue
Hollywood CA 90046
TYPE: Contemporary Acoustic, Blues
ARTISTS: John Fahey, Bukka White, Norman Blake, Byron
Berline, Leo Kottke, Maria Muldaur, Doug Sahm.
ALBUM: "Truth Decay"/ T-Bone Burnett. $8.98.
For catalog, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
Interview Magazine called Marshall Chapman, "Nashville's most dominant female presence." This tribute to Chapman's talent (and six-foot height) is a worthy accolade for a singer/songwriter whose songs have been recorded by the likes of Joe Cocker, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Milsap, Jimmy Buffet, Dion, Tanya Tucker, and The Whites. Chapman describes her music as "adult alternative with a rock and roll attitude." In 1987 sufficiently disenchanted with "the hassles of dealing with a record company," Chapman started her own company. On the release of her first album, Dirty Linen, critic Robert Christgau immediately hailed it as "her best record by a mile and a half."
TYPE: Country, Western;
ARTISTS: Marshall Chapman
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: 900 19th Ave. S., Ste. 803
Nashville TN 37212 PHONE: 615.327.0054
A&R CONTACT:
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT:
VOLUME SALES CONTACT:
6796 Lowell Blvd
Denver CO 80221
TYPE: Contemporary Native American.
ARTISTS: Buddy Red Bow.
ALBUM: "Journey to the Spirit World"/ Buddy Red Bow
$10.95.
Each record and tape comes with a 16-page color
booklet, featuring paintings by Ed Two Bulls.
When American Celtic group Scartaglen temporarily disbanded, its vocalist Connie Dover launched her solo career and record company with an astonishing album, Somebody: Songs of Scotland, Ireland and Early America. Probably her favorite among the bouquet of superlative reviews came from Alastair Clark writing in The Scotsman, Scotland's National Newspaper. "Just occasionally," writes Clark, "a voice arrives on the folk scene that is so pure, so beautiful, so magical, that it tells you this* is how to sing a song."
TYPE: Celtic; Folk
ARTISTS: Connie Dover
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: PO Box 12381
N. Kansas City MO 64116-0381 PHONE: 816.455.5524
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Connie Dover
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Connie Dover
TFS is not an academics only organization. ("We're the same kind of people who read Sing Out," explained TFS Secretary/Editor Charles Wolfe.) Its large membership consists of people from all sorts of professions (and maybe even a few ne'er-do-wells). They live mostly in the mid-South; but some come from all parts the country and even the world. They are united by the interest in the lively but quarterly TFS bulletin. The society's record label started almost by accident in 1976. Tennessee Arts Commission wanted the folklore society to issue a record honoring Tennessee's musical heritage, what with the bicentennial and all. Two records were released, and one even was nominated for a Grammy. Wolfe feels there's real need for "folk lore albums that are 100% authentic --not revivalist, not interpretative." Each recording comes with a big booklet of notes, histories and photographs.
TYPE: Bluegrass; Blues; Country, Western; Folk; Gospel; Traditional American.
ARTISTS: Bob Douglas; Roy Harper; Dee Hicks; Uncle Dave Macon; Bukka White
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: Middle Tennessee State University
Box 201
Murfreesboro TN 37132 PHONE: 1.615.898.2576
CONTACT: Charles K. Wolfe 1.615.896.1352
Rock-A-Billy Talent Agency
PO Box 4740
Nashville TN 37216
TYPE: All Types.
ARTISTS: Wade Curtiss, Dixie Dee & Rhythm Rockers.
ALBUM: "Rock 'n' Roll"/ Dixie Dee & the Rhythm Rockers
$12.95.
"My role model for a record company is the 1960s Elektra," said Boris Menart, who with David Steele launched Terra Nova in 1990. Back then, you could look at one of their records and know it was a good one."
Menart and Steele are musicians with much recording industry experience, both in the recording and manufacturing areas. They began to sketch their plans for Terra Nova at a tape duplicating service where they both worked. Menart says that being at the tape duplicating service exposed him and Steele to the many enterprising musicians who wanted tapes to sell at performances or to use as demos. That’s how Menart and Steele met Alturas a Peruvian** band that plays Andean music exquisitely. For the footnote files, trombonist Bruce Fowlert played with Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart and Zazen's Andy West was the Dixie Dregs bassist.
TYPE: Ethnic; Jazz; New Age; New Music
ARTISTS: Alturas; Bruce Fowler; Zazen
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: PO Box 455
Sunland CA 91041 PHONE: 818.352.5593
A&R CONTACT: Boris Menart
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: David Steele
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: David Steele
Box 85
Sa. Mo. CA. 90406
TYPE: Blues.
ARTISTS: Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters, Johnny Shines,
Otis Spann.
ALBUM: "Down on Stovall's Plantation"/ Muddy Waters.
$9.95.
Industrial Rock
TYPE: Rock
ARTISTS: In the Nursery
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: 225 Lafayette St., Ste. 407
New York NY 10012 PHONE:
A&R CONTACT: Doug Keogh
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Doug Keogh
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Relativity (718.740.5700)
At the time of this writing, Timeless is a one-artist (Sandy Bull) and, for that matter, one-album label (Vehicles). But what talent! Goldmine magazine called Bull "one of the unsung heroes of modern guitar...a world beat plectrist who records phenomenal albums for tiny labels every three years and never wins the acclaim he deserves." It seems as if all indigenous musics of the world mix and mingle in Bull's brain. Billboard's reviewer said that in Vehicles, "Bull offers an often dazzling display of his chops...Bull weaves his way through a varied menu of R&B, country, light jazz and Middle Eastern styles." The musicians he chooses to work with on the various cuts (Brecker Brothers, Hilton Ruiz, Bernard Purdy, Brian Setzer and Aiyb Deng) are impeccable.
TYPE: World
ARTISTS: Sandy Bull
CATALOG: No
FORMAT: CD
ADDRESS: Box 90947
Nashville TN 37209 PHONE: 615.385.2926
CONTACT: Sandy Bull
ARTISTS: House Levers; Various, Marva Wright
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 226 S. Cortez
New Orleans LA 70119 PHONE: 504.482.6823
A&R CONTACT: Jimmy Mac
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Jimmy Mac
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Jimmy Augustin
also Claycastle Records (gospel) and Scorcher Records (rap)
TYPE: House; Rap; Rhythm & Blues
ARTISTS:
CATALOG: No
FORMATS: Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 19938 Patton
Detroit MI 48219 PHONE: 313.533.4506
A&R CONTACT:
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Lynette Clay
VOLUME SALES CONTACT:
205 W. 89th St.
Apt. 7E
New York NY 10024
TYPE: Jazz.
ARTISTS: Lance Hayward, Buddy Tate, Percy France, Carol
Britto, Major Holley.
ALBUM: "Lance Hayward Quintet at Eddie
Condon's"/$12.48.
The album, as with the rest of the label's output, is a
real-time cassette.
Nashville personal manager Betty Townson knows that recordings help unknown artists get known. She also knows that completing a recording project can be a bit of chore. She formed this label to help her clients gain recognition by getting records made and out there. "My main goal," she explains, "is to get artists signed to major labels." Her client Kim Soy's record went to 58 in Cashbox, and got as high as no. five in Europe. Recently, he signed to Warner Brothers Korean division.
TYPE: Country, Western
ARTISTS: Clinton LeCroy; Kenny Moore; Rick Smith; Kim Tsoy; Kimball Win
CATALOG: Not yet but probably by this book's publication FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 20 Music Sq. W.
Nashville TN 37203 PHONE: 615.726.1541
CONTACT: Betty Townson
1014 Park St.
Grinnell IA 50112
TYPE: Classical Music.
ARTISTS: The Mirecourt Trio, Leslie Morgan, Russell
Harlow,
Michael Sells, Evan Solomon.
ALBUM: "The Concerto for Violin, Cello and Javanese
Gamelan" by Lou Harrison/ Ken Goldsmith, Terry King and the
Mills
College Gamelan Ensemble. $9.98.
TREND/DISCOVERY
117 N. Las Palmas
Los Angeles CA 90004
TYPE: Jazz, Big Band, Vocalists, Small Jazz Groups.
ARTISTS: Lorez Alexandria, June Christy, Duke Ellington,
Clare
Fischer, Mel Torme, Shelly Manne, Ben Webster, Paul Desmond.
ALBUM: "East of the Sun"/ Paul Desmond with Jim Hall,
Percy
Heath, Connie Kay. $10.
TYPE: Jazz; World Music
ARTISTS: Jeff Beal; Ali Akbar Khan; Andy LaVerne; Jackie McLean; Jai Uttal
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Video
ADDRESS: 7033 Sunset Blvd., #310
Los Angeles CA 90028 PHONE: 213.467.1467
A&R CONTACT: Paul Sloman
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: June Popowich
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Al Knobloch
46-31 Vernon Blvd.
Long Island City NY 11101
TYPE: Rap, R&B, Urban
ARTISTS: Cold Crush Brothers, Spoonie Gee, Davy DMX,
Wizard
Wiz, Grand Master CAZ, Miller Miller Miller of od0ng marketing, tour schedukles, and Sloan, Puffy
Dee.
ALBUM: "Smokin' Beats"/ Master OC, AJ Scratch, Marley
Marl.
(compilation). $8.98.
Pat Martin learned about recording at Appalshop when she rose from an entry-level job to manager of June Appal where she worked for six years. "That was more of a documentary type of label," says Martin. "But I got enticed by bluegrass and more progressive folk music; and I was intrigued with marketing and promotion and working with bands that were on tour." The result was her launching of Turquoise in 1985. The first band to record for the label was No Strings Attached, still a Turquoise stalwart. Fiddler Glen Duncan is another Turquoise gem. Acclaimed Bluegrass Fiddler of the Year by the Society for the -reservation of Bluegrass Music in America on more that one occasion, was he also is a popular Nashville session musician and frequently appeared on records by such artists as Reba McIntyre, Barbara Mandrell and Lyle Lovett. His Turquoise albums give him a chance to stretch out. TYPE: Bluegrass; Folk
ARTISTS: Helicon; The New Coon Creek Girls; No Strings Attached; Radio Flyer; Southern Rail; The Special Consensus; Doug & Willa Porter.
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: PO Box 947
Whitesburg KY 41858 PHONE: 606.633.0485
CONTACT: Pat Martin
2541 Nicollet Ave. S.
Minneapolis MN 55404
TYPE: "We work with artists that come across with a large
dose of spirit and soul."
ARTISTS: Figures, Jonathan Richman, The Form, Soul
Asylum,
Curtis A., David Thomas and the Pedestrians.
ALBUM:” Cybernetic Dreams of Pi"/ The Slickee Boys $9.50
"Of special note," explains Manny Rettinger, "is the series of albums on the traditional folk music indigenous to New Mexico going back centuries, most of which has never been offered to the general public outside of rare field recordings.
TYPE: Cajun; Children's; Classical; Ethnic; Hispanic, Latin; Jazz; New Music; Pop; Rock; Spoken
ARTISTS: Amigas y su Grupo Ritmo; Ant Farmers; Bayou Seco; Tom Guralnick; Cleofes Ortiz
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: PO Box 4771
Albuquerque NM 87196 PHONE: 505.843.9396
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Manny Rettinger
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Manny Rettinger
TYPE: Jazz; Rhythm & Blues
ARTISTS: Derrick Peters; Bill Freeman
CATALOG: No FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl, Video
ADDRESS: PO Box 412477
Kansas City MO 64141 PHONE: 816.523.5100
A&R CONTACT: Derric Peters
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Pete Shivers
VOLUME SALES CONTACT:
TYPE: Bluegrass; Blues; Folk
ARTISTS: Alison Brown; The Dillards; Different World; Memphis Boys; John McEuen
CATALOG: Free
FORMAT: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: 1299 Ocean Ave., Ste. 800
Santa Monica CA 90401 PHONE: 310.836.1362
A&R CONTACT: Kent Crawford
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Mardelle Cordero
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Bernie Grossman
This is one of the Rounder family of labels.
TYPE: Folk
ARTISTS: John Fahey; J.B. Hutto; Nighthawks; Pentangle; Roomful of Blues;Archie Shepp
CATALOG:
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 1 Camp St.
Cambridge MA 02140 PHONE: 617.354.0700
A&R CONTACT: A & R Dept.
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Bill Nowlin
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Duncan Browne
c/o Roundup Records
320 N. Jensen Rd.
PO Box 97
Vestal NY 13850
TYPE: Vestal celebrates Wurlitzer organ, Calliope,
Coinola, Player Piano and other such musical machines.
ARTISTS: The instruments tend to be the stars.
ALBUM: "Brasswhistle Ballyhoo"/The 43 Note Tangley
Calliope.
$12.98 (cassette).
PO Box 7912
Burbank CA 91510
TYPE: Garage/Psychedelic
ARTISTS: Tell-Tale Hearts, The Things, Miracle Workers,
Pandoras, Gravediggers V.
ALBUM: "It's About Time"/Pandoras. $6.95.
The Voxx mail order catalog, which includes entries from
other labels, costs 50 cents.
When it comes to music for children, may we ever so discreetly say, "Ahem." For the past 35 years, Walt Disney Records has been spinning sound into gold. The Disney soundtracks tradition has continued in recent years with Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. Then there are the recordings featuring Disney characters. And these too continue. Sebastian went into The Little Mermaid as a crab and he surfaced as a star (with voice supplied by Samuel E. Wright). The label bows to the children's music boom with its Music Box Artist Series of contemporary performers. E.g. Craig Taubman writes soft rock songs for children about such subjects as getting a first haircut or having one's house invaded by a new sibling.
TYPE: Children's; Soundtracks
ARTISTS: Norman Foote; Christa Larson; Parachute Express; Craig Taubman; Samuel E. Wright
CATALOG: Free FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: 500 So. Buena Vista St.
Burbank CA 91521 PHONE: 818.567.5325
A&R CONTACT: Torrie Dorrell
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Susan Borgeson
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Jim Gentry
This label is the recording arm of The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra. The group actually started as a quartet and somehow became a sextet. Mostly playing what its members refer to as "classic jazz" (vintage '20s and '30s), the group wails on a variety of saxophones. The instruments range from the tiny sopranino to the 6'8" tall contrabass. (The latter is exceedingly bass, and one of the very few in captivity.) The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra manages to have fun while being serious about serious about its music. Thar They Blow is the first Whaleco album featuring the contrabass; but listeners are warned to shun excessive volume lest damage occurs to speakers, windows or pets.
TYPE: Jazz
ARTISTS: The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD, Cassette
ADDRESS: PO Box 5241
Santa Cruz CA 95063 PHONE: 408.425.4721
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Don Stevens
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Don Stevens
2 Sinaloa Court
Novato CA 94947
TYPE: Acoustical Classical, Chamber and Folk Musics.
ARTISTS: David Abel, Julie Steinberg, Francesco Trio,
Jeannot Welter.
ALBUM: "Ragtime Razzmatazz Vol. 3"/ Mark Wetch $17.
Wilson is considered by some to be one of the
country's best-engineered labels.
50 W. 34th St.
New York NY 10001
TYPE: Eclectic-Oriented Rock.
ARTISTS: Eric Andersen.
ALBUM: "Tight in the Night"/ Eric Anderson $10.95.
Andersen, thirsty boots and all, owns this label. His
new material is not only recent -- it's contemporary.
Box 9388
Stanford CA 94305
TYPE: "Most often classified as Jazz; but we all think
of it as Windham Hill Music."
ARTISTS: George Winston, Michael Hedges, Liz Story,
Alex de Grassi, Shadowfax.
ALBUM: "Aerial Boundaries"/Michael Hedges. $10.
Propelled by the sound of Louisville radio when he was growing up, Ronald Lewis adopted a guitar and then an alto sax. He played in bands before, after, and during a hitch in the service. He assiduously learned the business. Lewis turned to songwriting and production, and then realized that he been moving toward his own production company and record label. Based in the Louisville inner city, he's devoted to finding and developing local talent. And that's what he's got. For example, dynamic R&B singer Jerry Green knows his way around a ballad. The Amandla Orchestra, a 9-piece group with a decided West Indian sound, was selected to take part in a CD Review Magazine project called "Adventures in Music."
TYPE: African; Blues; Caribbean; Country, Western; Gospel; Hispanic, Latin; Jazz; Reggae; Rhythm & Blues; Rock; Soul
ARTISTS: The Amandla Orchestra; Foul Play; Gangster Nation; The Golden Crowns; Jerry Green; Roche & the Vice Kings
CATALOG: yes ***
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: 1730 Kennedy Rd.
Louisville KY 40216-5110 PHONE: 502.774.1066
A&R CONTACT: Ronald Lewis
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: Ronald Lewis
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Brenda Hunter
PO Box 49507
Austin TX 78765
TYPE: Musical Instruction
ARTISTS: Dan Huckabee, Brad Davis, Murry Owen, Robert
Bowlin.
ALBUM: "Twin Guitar Workshop"/ Robert Bowlin ($13.95)
Workshop offers tutorials in guitar, dobro, mandolin,
banjo
and vocals.
A nonprofit organization, the WMI produces concerts that highlight some of the best traditional musicians from around the world. It is a musical Ellis Island, in that it gives audiences entry to new opportunities. WMI has produced two cassette series -- "Voices of the Americas" and "The New Americans." The WMI catalog includes not only its own productions; but more than 1,000 recordings selected from 22 companies around the world. WMI membership benefits include concert and recording discounts.
TYPE: Ethnic
ARTISTS: Ola Belle and Bud Reed; John Cephas and Phil Wiggins; Faithful Harmonizers; La Troupe Makandal; Hassan Hakmoun; James "Son" Thomas
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: Cassette
ADDRESS: 49 W. 27th St., Ste. 810
New York NY 10001 PHONE: 212.545.7536
A&R CONTACT: **
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: **
VOLUME SALES CONTACT:
3242 Irwin Ave.
Kingsbridge NY 10463
TYPE: Jazz.
ARTISTS: Barry Harris, Al Cohn, Billy Mitchell, Sam
Jones, Art Pepper, Roy Eldridge, Lucky Thompson, Kenny Dorham, Bud
Powell, Charlie Parker.
ALBUM: "Four Decades of Jazz: A musical History of
Xanadu"/
Compilation. (2-record set) $8.98.
XI RECORDS
The label comes from the Experimental Intermedia Foundation, which produces concerts of new music and Intermedia Works and provides artist services. The artist operated foundation tends to treat XI as if it were a museum of contemporary musical art. In fact, they think of themselves as curators. This is definitely a stretch the boundary exhibit. For example, John Rockwell of the New York Times said this of Phil Niblock's "Four Full Flutes": "The aural effect is minimal to the max; but it isn't simplistic. The tones vibrate and glow, the densely packed texture shifting hubs like a sonic aurora borealis."
TYPE: Electronic; Experimental; New Music
ARTISTS: David Behrman; Guy Klucevsek; Phill Niblock; Eliane Radigue; Lois V. Vierk
CATALOG: Free
FORMATS: CD
ADDRESS: 224 Centre St.
New York NY 10013 PHONE: 212.431.5127
CONTACT: Mary Jane Leach
245 Waverly Pl.
New York NY 10014
TYPE: Blues, Jazz, Ragtime, String Bands.
ARTISTS: Charley Patton, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Willie
McTell, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mississippi John Hurt, Joe
Venuti,
Eddie Lang.
ALBUM: "Charlie Patton - Founder of the Delta Blues"/
2-record set. $12.98.
TYPE: Experimental; Jazz; Middle of the Road; New Age
ARTISTS:
CATALOG: No
FORMATS: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
ADDRESS: Box 32031
Richmond VA 23233 PHONE: 804.796.9983
LICENSING AND PERMISSIONS CONTACT: David L. Esleck
VOLUME SALES CONTACT: Elizabeth Cherry
29 Park Row
New York NY 10038
TYPE: Radical Music, New Music, New Rock,
Improvisation.
ARTISTS: Elliot Sharp, Mofungo, Charles K. Noyes.
ALBUM: "State of the Union - One Minute Each By 34
ARTISTS"/
Compilation including such artists as John Lurie, Fred
Frith, Adele Bertei, Tuli Kupferberg and Butch Morris. $7.