Duke Records was an American
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 ...
, started in
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, in 1952 by David James Mattis (
WDIA
WDIA (1070 AM) is a radio station based in Memphis, Tennessee. Active since 1947, it soon became the first radio station in the United States that was programmed entirely for African Americans. It featured black radio personalities; its success i ...
program director and DJ) and Bill Fitzgerald, owners of Tri-State Recording Company. Their first release was
Roscoe Gordon
Rosco N. Gordon III (April 10, 1928 – July 11, 2002),
sometimes billed as Roscoe Gordon, was an American blues singer, pianist, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit songs "Booted," (1952), " No More Doggin'" (1952), and " Just a Litt ...
singing "Hey Fat Girl", issued on Duke R-1, later amended to R-101.
History
After forming a partnership with Mattis in the summer of 1952,
Don Robey (founder of
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
's
Peacock Records
Peacock Records was an American record label, started in 1949 by Don Robey in Houston, Texas, United States.
History
" Hound Dog" by Big Mama Thornton was a hit for Peacock in 1953. Other significant rhythm and blues artists on Peacock were Ma ...
) took control of Duke. Both labels then headquartered at his Bronze Peacock club at 2809 Erastus Street in Houston, focusing on
R&B and
gospel music. Robey started a subsidiary,
Back Beat Records, in 1957 and this later specialised in
soul music
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...
, along with Sure Shot Records, whilst Peacock specialised in gospel recordings.
Duke's leading artist was
Bobby "Blue" Bland
Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer.
Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...
who stayed with the label for many years until its demise, mostly recording successfully with arranger/bandleader
Joe Scott.
Johnny Ace
John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid 1950s. Alexander died of an accidental self-inflicted guns ...
was a major R&B artist in the early years of the label before his death at a young age, with a string of R&B top 10 hits including three that went to number one.
was another important presence on Duke, recording a long string of singles for the label between 1953 and 1966, scoring seven top-twenty ''
Billboard'' hits during his tenure.
Robey sold his labels to
ABC Dunhill Records on 23 May 1973. The Duke labels were soon closed down with the imprints retained by ABC in their catalog, with only Bobby Bland being retained by the new parent label.
Label variations
Independent distribution
* 1953-1958 Gospel series: White and purple label
* 1952-1961 Standard series: Gold and dark purple label
* 1961-1972: Orange and yellow label for commercial copies, purple and white label for promotional copies
ABC distribution
* 1972-1973: Dark green label
Artists
Notable artists who recorded on Duke, Peacock and Back Beat included:
*
Buddy Ace
*
Johnny Ace
John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid 1950s. Alexander died of an accidental self-inflicted guns ...
*
Bobby "Blue" Bland
Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer.
Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...
*
Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown
*
Carl Carlton
Carl Carlton (born May 21, 1953) is an American R&B, soul, and funk singer-songwriter, best known for his hits "Everlasting Love" and " She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)".
Career
Carlton was born in Detroit, Michigan, and beg ...
*
James "Thunderbird" Davis
*
Larry Davis
*
Ernie K Doe
*
Roscoe Gordon
Rosco N. Gordon III (April 10, 1928 – July 11, 2002),
sometimes billed as Roscoe Gordon, was an American blues singer, pianist, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit songs "Booted," (1952), " No More Doggin'" (1952), and " Just a Litt ...
*
Roy Head
Roy Kent Head (January 9, 1941 – September 21, 2020) was an American singer, best known for his hit song " Treat Her Right".
Career
Roy Kent Head was born in Three Rivers, Texas and achieved fame as a member of musical group The Traits from ...
*
Joe Hinton
Joseph Hinton (November 15, 1929 – August 13, 1968) was an American soul singer.
Biography
Though Clarksdale, Mississippi has been claimed as his birthplace, most sources state that Hinton was born in Evansville, Indiana, where he married L ...
*
Long John Hunter
*
Little Frankie Lee
*
*
Fenton Robinson
*
Otis Rush
*
Big Mama Thornton
*
Lavelle White
*
Lester Williams
*
O.V. Wright
Current ownership
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 ...
now controls the Robey labels, via their acquisition (as
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...
) of ABC Records in 1979.
See also
*
List of record labels
File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg
File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
File:Bingola1011b.jpg
Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...
References
Bibliography
* Louis Cantor. ''Wheelin' on Beale''. New York: Pharos Books, 1992,
External links
Don Robey's Labels(accessed March 2008)
HIPO's Johnny Ace bioDuke Recordson the Internet Archive'
Great 78 Project
American record labels
Record labels established in 1952
Record labels disestablished in 1973
Rhythm and blues record labels
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