Champion Records (along with its sister labels Calvert and Cherokee) was a record label started in the mid-1950s by the songwriter and
record producer Ted Jarrett
Theodore Roosevelt "Ted" Jarrett Jr. (October 17, 1925 – March 21, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter and producer of country, gospel, and soul music.
Early life
Jarrett was born into a prosperous African-American family in Nashville, Tenne ...
, in partnership with Alan and Reynolds Bubis (formerly of the Tennessee and Republic labels). This
Nashville, Tennessee-based label released records by
Christine Kittrell
Christine Kittrell (August 11, 1929 – December 19, 2001) was an American R&B singer, who first recorded tracks in 1951 with Louis Brooks and his Band.
Kittrell was born Christine Joygena Porter in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, and a ...
,
Gene Allison
Gene Allison (born Versie Eugene Allison; August 29, 1934 – February 28, 2004) was an American R&B singer.
Allison was born in Pegram, Tennessee, and he grew up in Nashville, Tennessee singing in the church choir with his brother Leevert. ...
,
the Fairfield Four,
Earl Gaines,
Larry Birdsong
Lawrence E. Birdsong (June 15, 1934 – August 7, 1990) was an American R&B singer who recorded between the 1950s and 1970s. His biggest hit was "Pleadin' For Love", which reached the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in 1956.
Life and career
He wa ...
, Shy Guy Douglas, Jimmy Beck and Charles Walker, amongst others. Beck released a record on Champion entitled "Pipe Dreams" and another, called "Carnival" on the Zil label. Champion was out of business by 1960, and other Jarrett labels such as Valdot, Poncello, Spar and Ref-O-Ree followed. All of these companies were acquired by Bluesland Productions in the mid-1990s.
American record labels
{{US-record-label-stub