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Qwest Records was anAmericanrecord label run byQuincy Jones.
| Qwest Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Warner Music Group |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Quincy Jones |
| Status | Defunct |
| Distributor(s) | Warner Records Interscope Records (select re-releases) |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
History
editQwest Records was established byQuincy Jones in1980 as a joint venture withWarner Bros. Records, although Jones remained under contract withA&M Records until 1981. The first release on Qwest wasGeorge Benson's 1980 album,Give Me the Night, shared with Warner Bros. Records, as Benson was under contract with it.Patti Austin, Jones's goddaughter, was one of the first artists to sign with Qwest, and the label released her album,Every Home Should Have One, in 1981.
While Qwest Records primarily catered to theR&B market, it also welcomed a diverse range of artists. This includedFrank Sinatra (whom Jones produced in the 1960s),Tevin Campbell, Radiance, and the British alternative dance groupNew Order (formerly known asJoy Division, its earlier post-punk incarnation). Jones toldNME in a May 1990 interview:[1]
I'm so honored that New Order picked my label to go on in the US—it really flattered me. They're beautiful people.
In the 1990s, Qwest Records demonstrated its adaptability by venturing into the burgeoninghip-hop music scene. It discovered and nurtured R&B artistTamia, who went on to enjoy a successful career. The label also signed the gospel groupthe Winans in 1985 andTáta Vega, who releasedNow I See through Qwest.Robert Stewart, a performer on the Pulitzer Prize-winningWynton Marsalis recordingBlood on the Fields,[2] was signed to the label in 1994. His two albums for Qwest,In the Gutta andThe Force, were met with critical acclaim.[3]
Qwest was absorbed by Warner Bros. Records in 2000, with its roster of artists either transferred to its parent label (or its sister labels) or dropped. TheWarner Music Group currently owns the Qwest catalogue. In 2006, select titles by Jones were licensed toUniversal Music Group for distribution and reissues. Jones himself died on November 3, 2024.
References
edit- ^Tobler, John (1992).NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 470. CN 5585.
- ^"Wynton Marsalis & Jazz at Lincoln Center - Blood on the Fields (CD, US, 1997) for Sale | Discogs".Discogs.
- ^Kohlhaase, Bill (May 17, 1998)."Album Reviews".Los Angeles Times.