| Reprise Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Warner Music Group |
| Founded | 1960 (original) 1987 (relaunch) |
| Founder | Frank Sinatra |
| Defunct | 1976 (original)[a] |
| Status | Active |
| Distributors |
|
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Official website | warnerrecords |
Reprise Records is an Americanrecord label founded in 1960 byFrank Sinatra. It is owned byWarner Music Group, and operates throughWarner Records, one of its flagship labels.[1]
Artists currently signed to Reprise Records includeGreen Day,Enya,Michael Bublé,Eric Clapton,Stevie Nicks,Neil Young,[a]Deftones,Mastodon,Lindsey Buckingham,Josh Groban,Disturbed,Idina Menzel,My Chemical Romance,Gerard Way,Dwight Yoakam,Never Shout Never, andBilly Strings.
Reprise Records was formed in 1960[1] by Frank Sinatra in order to allow more artistic freedom for his own recordings, because of dissatisfaction withCapitol Records, and after trying to buyNorman Granz'sVerve Records.[2] The first album Sinatra released on Reprise wasRing-a -Ding-Ding! Soon thereafter, he garnered the nickname "The Chairman of the Board".[3] As CEO of Reprise, Sinatra recruited several artists for the fledgling label, such as fellowRat Pack membersDean Martin andSammy Davis Jr. The original roster from 1961 to 1963 includedBing Crosby,Jo Stafford,Rosemary Clooney,Duke Ellington,Nancy Sinatra,Esquivel andstand-up comedianRedd Foxx. The original Reprise LP label had four different logos, depending on the genre: a riverboat for Pop records (pictured), a cherub for Jazz records, an owl for Spoken Word/Comedy records, and a picture of Sinatra for his records.
One of the label's founding principles under Sinatra's leadership was that each artist would have full creative freedom, and at some point complete ownership of their work, including publishing rights. This is the reason why recordings of early Reprise artists (Dean Martin,Jimi Hendrix,the Kinks, etc.) are (in most cases) currently distributed through other labels. In Martin's case, his Reprise recordings were out of print for nearly 20 years before a deal was struck withCapitol Records. Reprise continued to reissue the Sinatra catalog until 2013 when it was sold to Capitol.
In August 1963, as part of a film deal,Warner Bros. purchased Reprise (which had been losing money) from Frank Sinatra, who nonetheless retained a 1/3 interest in the label.[2] Many of the older artists on the label were dropped byWarner Bros. Records. Reprise presidentMo Ostin was retained as the head of the label and he went on to play a very significant role in the history of the Warner group of labels over the next four decades. Warner-Reprise executives began targeting younger acts, beginning by securing the American distribution rights to thePye Records recordings bythe Kinks in 1964. Reprise soon added teen-oriented pop acts likeDino, Desi & Billy to the roster. As well, Sinatra's own daughterNancy (who began recording for the label in 1961) was retained by Ostin, becoming a major pop star from late 1965. The label moved almost exclusively to rock-oriented music in the late 1960s, although Frank Sinatra continued to record for the label until the 1980s.
Through direct signings or distribution deals, by the 1970s the Reprise roster grew to includeLee Hazlewood,Jill Jackson,Jimi Hendrix, the earlyJoni Mitchell recordings,Neil Young,the Electric Prunes,Donna Loren,Arlo Guthrie,Norman Greenbaum,Tom Lehrer,Kenny Rogers and The First Edition,Tiny Tim,Ry Cooder,Captain Beefheart,John Sebastian,Family, the early 1970s recordings byFrank Zappa andthe Mothers,Gram Parsons,Emmylou Harris,Nico'sDesertshore,the Fugs,Jethro Tull,Pentangle,T. Rex,the Meters,John Cale,Gordon Lightfoot,Michael Franks,Richard Pryor,Al Jarreau,Fleetwood Mac,Fanny, andthe Beach Boys.
In 1976, the Reprise label was deactivated by Warner Bros. and all of its roster (except Frank Sinatra and Neil Young) was moved to the main Warner Bros. label.[2] Although older catalog albums continued to be manufactured with the Reprise logo, and albums bythe Beach Boys onBrother Records were issued in the Reprise catalog numbering sequence, aside from Sinatra and Young (and theSylvia Syms albumSyms by Sinatra, which Sinatra conducted and co-produced) there were no new releases on Reprise for several years.
In late 1985, some copies ofthe Dream Academy's hit single "Life in a Northern Town" were pressed on the Warner Bros. label bearing the Reprise logo.[4] 1986 saw releases bearing Reprise labels from the Dream Academy as well asDwight Yoakam.[5] In summer 1987, Warner Bros. Records chairman Mo Ostin and label presidentLenny Waronker officially announced the reactivation of Reprise, including its own separate promotions department, and former Warner Bros. Vice President of Promotion Rich Fitzgerald was appointed as label vice president.[6] In the time since, Warner Bros. has often elevated the stature of Reprise to the rank of secondary parent label, as many of its subsidiary labels (such asStraight andKinetic) have had their records released in conjunction with Reprise.
As of 2017, it is home to such artists asEnya,Michael Bublé,Eric Clapton,Green Day,Stevie Nicks,Neil Young,Deftones,Josh Groban,Disturbed,Idina Menzel,Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,Gerard Way andNever Shout Never.
It was formerly home toJimi Hendrix and theBarenaked Ladies' catalogs in theU.S. When theBee Gees back catalog was remastered byRhino Records in the 2000s, their CDs were issued under the Reprise label (they appeared on sister labels Atco and Warner Bros. in the past).
Neil Young stated in a documentary about his life thatCharles Manson was turned down by Reprise.[citation needed]
In 2010, Reprise opened acountry music division, operating as part ofWarner Music Group Nashville, featuringBlake Shelton,the JaneDear Girls,Michelle Branch andFrankie Ballard as part of its roster.[7]
In September 2011, several layoffs took place at Reprise Records and other Warner labels.[8]
In 2017, Reprise released Enya's albums on vinyl. Some of them were pressed on this format for the first time.
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