Smash Records was an Americanrecord label founded in 1961 as a subsidiary ofMercury Records.
 1960s Smash Records logo | |
| Parent company | Mercury Records |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 (1961) |
| Founder | Shelby Singleton |
| Defunct | 1996 (1996) |
| Status | Defunct |
| Distributor(s) | Island Records (catalog) |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
History
editMercury Record Corporation president Irving Green announced the formation of the company’s new pop subsidiary label, Smash Records, in March 1961. Smash was seen as an opportunity for greater exposure and sales for both newly-signed talent and for independently cut masters.[1]
In the summer of 1961, the label achieved its first number one hit on theBillboard Hot 100, "Wooden Heart," byJoe Dowell.[2]
In November 1961, label head Charles Fach announced the label would move into the "country and western" field, and announced the signing of two artists, Billy Deaton and Howard Crockett. Mercury A&R chiefShelby Singleton was tapped to head the C&W production.[3] Singleton was interested in Southern styles, and had recruited east Texas's Big Bopper andJohnny Preston to the parent label.[4]
Eventually, Smash Records' roster expanded to include artists from other music genres, such asFrankie Valli,James Brown,Bruce Channel,Roger Miller,The Left Banke,Bill Justis, andJerry Lee Lewis.
A dispute withKing Records led James Brown to release all of his band's instrumental recordings between1964 and1967 on Smash. Smash also released three of Brown's vocal recordings, including his 1964 proto-funksingle "Out of Sight".[5]
Smash shared the numbering system for its singles with other labels that the label distributed. The most significant of these wasFontana Records. Mercury discontinued the Smash label in 1970.[6]
After Smash parent Mercury was acquired byPolyGram in 1972, the Smash imprint was used for reissues in the 1980s. PolyGram revived Smash in 1991 as anR&B/dance label with its offices located inChicago. It was first under the PolyGram Label Group (PLG) umbrella, then under theIndependent Label Sales (ILS) umbrella, then underIsland Records until the imprint was retired in 1996. One of the hits Smash saw during this period was "People Are Still Having Sex" by house music producerLaTour. Another successful artist on the dance charts wasJamie Principle.
Artists
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^"Mercury Forms Smash Label As Pop Subsidiary; First Release".The Cash Box. New York NY. March 25, 1961. p. 32.
- ^Mike Callahan, David Edwards, Patrice Eyries, and Randy Watts (April 30, 2008)."The Smash Records Story".Both Sides Now Publications. RetrievedAugust 27, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^"Smash Records invades the lucrative Country & Western Record Field!".The Cash Box. New York NY. November 4, 1961. p. 48.
- ^Gillett, Charlie (1996).The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll ((2nd Ed.) ed.). New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press. p. 51.ISBN 0-306-80683-5.
- ^"James Brown Biography". allmusic. RetrievedNovember 22, 2006.
- ^"Smash Album Discography". Bsnpubs.com. RetrievedMay 30, 2014.
- ^Stefan Wirz."Luke "Long Gone" Miles discography". Wirz.de. RetrievedNovember 15, 2011.