Era Records was an independent American record label located in Hollywood, California.
| Era Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | K-tel |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | Herb Newman Lou Bedell |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Distributor(s) | Happy Tiger K-tel |
| Genre | Pop, country, rockabilly, jazz |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Hollywood, California |
History
editEra Records was founded by Herb Newman and Lou Bedell in March 1955 as a pop and rhythm and blues outlet. The label later expanded into the country and western, and jazz genres. Newman formed Era after resigning his sales position at Decca Records.[1][2]
Era had a No. 1 hit in 1956 with Gogi Grant's "The Wayward Wind," for which Newman wrote the lyrics.
In 1959 Bedell sold his interest in the label to Newman.
Musicians with hits on Era include Ketty Lester ("Love Letters"), Larry Verne ("Mr. Custer"), Donnie Brooks ("Mission Bell"), Dorsey Burnette ("Tall Oak Tree"), Art & Dotty Todd ("Chanson D' Amour"), and The Castells ("So This Is Love").
Era distributed other labels, including Monogram, Gregmark, and Eden. From 1969 to 1971, Era was associated with Happy Tiger, which reissued and distributed some of Era's oldies. In 1972, Newman added the RTV label which released the psychedelic album Mu.
In the mid-1970s Newman sold the Era label and catalog to K-tel. In 1993, K-tel began reissuing some of the early Era material using the original Era label and logo.[3]
Notable artists
editOther labels
edit- Dore Records (Teddy Bears, Jan & Dean, Hudson & Landry)
- Happy Tiger Records (Mason Proffit, Them)
- Monogram Records (Chris Montez, Kathy Young)
- RTV
- Trey Records
- Zen Records (Pastel Six)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Era Diskery Formed For Pop, R.&B. Fields". Billboard. New York NY. March 19, 1955. p. 24.
- ^ Edwards, David; Callahan, Mike (July 27, 1998). "Era Album Discographies". Retrieved January 25, 2010.
- ^ Morris, Chris (March 13, 1993). "K-tel Begins New Imprint Era". Billboard. p. 52.
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