Laurie Records was a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

established in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1958 by brothers Robert and Gene Schwartz, and Allan I. Sussel. Among the recording artists on Laurie's roster were

Dion and the Belmonts Dion and the Belmonts were an American vocal trio prominent throughout the 1950s. All of its members were from the Bronx, New York City. In 1957, Dion DiMucci joined the vocal group the Belmonts. The established trio of Angelo D'Aleo, Carlo M ...

(both together and as separate acts),

The Chiffons :''The Chiffons also briefly recorded under the name The Four Pennies; for the British band of the latter name see The Four Pennies.'' The Chiffons are an American girl group originating from the Bronx, a borough of New York City, in 1960. Hist ...

The Jarmels The Jarmels was an American doo wop rhythm and blues group formed in 1959 in Richmond, Virginia best known for their only 1961 hit, " A Little Bit of Soap". Career The start of their big break came in 1960 when they were at a local (Richmond) ...

The Mystics The Mystics are an American rock and roll group that began in Brooklyn, New York, United States, in the late 1950s. The group was known as The Overons, a quintet that, when signed to Laurie Records, consisted of Phil Cracolici (born 1937, lead) ...

Bobby Goldsboro Robert Charles Goldsboro (born January 18, 1941) is an American pop and country singer and songwriter. He had a string of pop and country hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature No. 1 hit "Honey", which sold over 1 million copies in ...

, and

The Royal Guardsmen The Royal Guardsmen are an American rock band, best known for their 1966 hit singles " Snoopy vs. the Red Baron", "The Return of The Red Baron", "Snoopy For President", and the Christmas follow up " Snoopy's Christmas". History Originally kn ...

History

Sussel's earlier record company,

Jamie Records Jamie Records is a record label founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1956 by Harold Lipsius (1913–2007) and Allan Sussel (1924–2003). Their first 45rpm single, "It's Great to Fall in Love"/"Truly" by Marian Caruso, was issued in 1956. Th ...

(named after his elder daughter), had been unsuccessful, and as a result, Sussel (1924–2003) joined forces with Gene Schwartz (1920–1999) to found Laurie Records, named after his other daughter, Laura Sue Sussel. By the early 1960s, Elliot Greenberg, an arranger and friend of Schwartz's, gained a 12% ownership of the company, and Gene's younger brother Bob Schwartz also became involved. Songwriter

Ernie Maresca Ernest Peter Maresca (August 21, 1938 – July 8, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter and record company executive, best known for writing or co-writing some of Dion's biggest hits, including "Runaround Sue" and " The Wanderer". Biogr ...

also played an active role in the company.Mike Callahan and David Edwards, ''The Laurie Story'', ''BSN'', 2009
Retrieved 2 July 2020 The company grew to include subsidiary labels, most notably Andie Records, named after Sussel's youngest daughter, Andrea Jo Sussel; it later changed its name to Rust Records. Dion and the Belmonts were responsible for the first of Laurie's

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s with their 1958

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

song, "

I Wonder Why "I Wonder Why" is a doo-wop song, songwriter, written by Melvin Anderson with lyrics by Ricardo Weeks. The song was first sound recording and reproduction, recorded by Dion and the Belmonts. Background It is sung from the point of view of a ma ...

". Using top New York session musicians in leading

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

s, and produced by Gene Schwartz, Dion and the Belmonts had several national hits on Laurie. When Dion started a solo career, the hits on Laurie continued with "

Runaround Sue "Runaround Sue" is a rock and roll song (in a modified doo-wop style), originally a US No. 1 Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 hit (No. 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B chart) for the singer Dion DiMucci, Dion during 1961, after he split with th ...

" and " The Wanderer". The label had continuing success especially with

the Chiffons :''The Chiffons also briefly recorded under the name The Four Pennies; for the British band of the latter name see The Four Pennies.'' The Chiffons are an American girl group originating from the Bronx, a borough of New York City, in 1960. Hist ...

He's So Fine "He's So Fine" is a song written by Ronnie Mack. It was recorded by The Chiffons who topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for four weeks in the spring of 1963. One of the most instantly recognizable golden oldies with its ''doo-lang doo-lang doo-la ...

" and " One Fine Day", both 1963), and

the Royal Guardsmen The Royal Guardsmen are an American rock band, best known for their 1966 hit singles " Snoopy vs. the Red Baron", "The Return of The Red Baron", "Snoopy For President", and the Christmas follow up " Snoopy's Christmas". History Originally kn ...

(" Snoopy vs. the Red Baron", 1966). Then, with Dion's return to the company after several years with Columbia, he had further success with " Abraham, Martin and John" (1968). The company also licensed English records during the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...

period, including "

Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" is a song written by Gerry Marsden, Freddie Marsden, Les Chadwick and Les Maguire, the members of British beat group Gerry and the Pacemakers. It was first recorded and issued as a single by Louise Cordet ...

" (1964) and "

Ferry Cross the Mersey "Ferry Cross the Mersey" is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reachin ...

" (1965) by

Gerry and the Pacemakers Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. Their early successes alongsid ...

. Jo Siopis, a well known

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and wife of Gerry & the Pacemakers'

bass player A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low bra ...

Les Chadwick John Leslie Chadwick (11 May 1943 – 26 December 2019), was an English bassist, who was a founding member of Gerry and the Pacemakers. Chadwick was born in Aigburth, Liverpool, Lancashire (now Merseyside), England. Career His bass gui ...

, was instrumental in the distribution of Laurie Records

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

s in the United States. Being a small

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

, Laurie's chart successes usually occurred one at a time and, for the most part, with one-off hits, as was the case with

the Mystics The Mystics are an American rock and roll group that began in Brooklyn, New York, United States, in the late 1950s. The group was known as The Overons, a quintet that, when signed to Laurie Records, consisted of Phil Cracolici (born 1937, lead) ...

Randy & the Rainbows Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo-wop group from Maspeth, New York. History The group was formed in 1962 in Maspeth, Queens, and featured two pairs of siblings, along with a fifth member. The Safuto brothers, Dominick and Frank, had p ...

, and

the Jarmels The Jarmels was an American doo wop rhythm and blues group formed in 1959 in Richmond, Virginia best known for their only 1961 hit, " A Little Bit of Soap". Career The start of their big break came in 1960 when they were at a local (Richmond) ...

. Another sizable hit for the label was the controversial song "Once You Understand", written and produced by the

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

team of Lou Stalmman and Bobby Susser and released by the duo in 1971 under the pseudonym

Think In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to conscious cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, an ...

. In 1966, Laurie released a psychedelic single, "Charity" by the Gray Things, which appears on multiple compilation albums, including '' Mindrocker'', a 13-CD anthology of US 1960s psychedelic recordings released in Germany in 1982. "Charity" was issued in limited quantities. The label also distributed records under several subsidiary labels, including Rust, Legrand, Calico, President, Providence, Dolphin (not to be confused with the

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

-owned Dolphin/Dolton label). Laurie changed its name in the early 1980s to 3C Records. 3C stands for Continental Communications Corporation and the

master recording Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via met ...

s that 3C produced are owned by the

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

unit of

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

Label variations

The label variations for Laurie singles were of three types: First, a grey label with Laurie Records written across the top. This was used for first release only, #3013. It then changed to a sky blue label, with the same basic printing of Laurie Records, from #3013 thru #3020. After the first few singles had been released, it changed to the typically recognized label of four red corners with the black square at the hole punch, with Laurie written at the top, from #3021 onward. Of those earlier releases, only #3013 and #3015, both releases by Dion & the Belmonts, were regular re-issues as part of the more familiar label design.

Laurie Records artists

* Joe Allegro *

The Balloon Farm The Balloon Farm, an American musical act from New Jersey, took its name from a New York City nightclub. It is best known for its sole hit song, "A Question of Temperature," which made the ''Billboard'' charts in February 1968, peaking in the ...

* Bill Sunkel (Laurie Records / 3C Records) * The Bon-Aires (Rust Records) * Jack Rainwater * The Barbarians *

The Birdwatchers The Birdwatchers were an American garage rock and pop band, active in the 1960s in the Tampa, Florida area. The band dabbled with an Everly Brothers sound in their early career (1964), releasing a cover version of "Wake Up Little Susie" on Tara, ...

* Mara Lynn Brown * Jim Campbell * Carlo (Carlo Mastrangelo) * California (featuring

Les Fradkin Les Fradkin (born 1951) is an American MIDI guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He is best known for being a member of the original cast of the hit Broadway show ''Beatlemania''. In addition to playing MIDI guitar, ...

) *

(who also recorded as The Four Pennies on Rust Records) *

The Clique A clique is a close social group. Clique or The Clique may also refer to: Math and computing * Clique (graph theory) ** Clique problem in computer science Business and brands * Clique (vodka), a Latvian vodka sold in the United States Entertai ...

* Church Street Five (Legrand Records) * Gary U.S. Bonds (Legrand Records) * Dean & Jean (Rust Records) *

* Dion *

The Equals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(President Records) * The Fallen Angels * The Gap (band) (1965–1972) – Ronnie Logue, Ronnie Banks and Ben Johnson * The New Gap (1971–1979) *

Rocco Granata Rocco Granata (born 16 August 1938) is an Italian-Belgian singer, songwriter, and accordionist. Granata was born in Figline Vegliaturo, Calabria, southern Italy; but his parents immigrated to Belgium when he was aged ten. Rocco's father was a ...

* HEAVY BREATHING *

* Don Lombardi *

Lou Monte Lou Monte (born Louis Scaglione; April 2, 1917 – June 12, 1989) was an Italian American singer best known for a number of best-selling, Italian-themed novelty records which he recorded for both RCA Victor and Reprise Records in the late 1950 ...

The Music Explosion The Music Explosion was an American garage rock band from Mansfield, Ohio, United States, discovered and signed by record producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz. The quintet is best known for their number two hit, "Little Bit O' Soul", that ...

(band leader Jamie Lyons also recorded for Laurie) *

(Rust Records) * Rats *

Reparata and the Delrons Reparata and the Delrons were an American girl group. They are best known for their 1965 recordings "Whenever a Teenager Cries" and "Tommy", for the 1968 European hit " Captain of Your Ship" and for Reparata's 1975 solo hit "Shoes". History 1962 ...

Ivo Robić Ivo Robić (28 January 1923 – 9 March 2000) was a Croatian singer-songwriter. Domestic career Robić began his career as a soloist with the Radio Zagreb Orchestra, while studying at the same time in Zagreb. He performed during World War II o ...

* The Gray ThingsThe Discography of Laurie records shows "Charity" by the "Gray Things" as record No. LR 3367 * The Sound Investment * Tom Selden *

The Tropics (band) In 1964 in Tampa, Florida, the band, The Tropics, emerged by Buddy Pendergrass along with Wayne Guida, Ronnie Ferer, and Spencer Hinkle. Not long after, the Tropics began to perform all over Florida and the Southeastern US where they toured alo ...

* Uncalled For * Valerie Tyler * Don Benjamin * Wigren and Drago *

* Barbara M * New Hope *

Montage Montage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Filmmaking and films * Montage (filmmaking), a technique in film editing * ''Montage'' (2013 film), a South Korean film Music * Montage (music), or sound collage * ''Montage'' (Block B EP), 201 ...

* The Yellow Brick Road * The Outsiders (as The Soul Trippers on Providence Records) * Raven (Formerly The Ravens, from St. Petersburg, FL)

References

External links

The Laurie Story
{{Authority control 1958 establishments in New York City Defunct record labels of the United States Record labels established in 1958

History

Label variations

Laurie Records artists

See also

References

External links