Giant Records was launched in 1990 as a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

between

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

and record executive

Irving Azoff Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American entertainment executive and chairman of Full Stop Management, which represents recording artists. In the mid-1980s, he brought success to MCA Records. Since September 2013, he has been chai ...

. Currently, this name is used as a Swedish label owned by

Warner Music Sweden Warner Music Sweden AB (previously Metronome Records) is a Swedish record company and label, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Metronome Records was established in 1949 by Anders Burman, Lars Burman, and Börje Ekberg and was based in Stockholm ...

, a Swedish branch of

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

. In 1990, Giant became a subsidiary label for

. Its first release, in early

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

, was the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

all-star tribute song "

Voices That Care "Voices That Care" is a 1991 song written by David Foster, Linda Thompson, and Peter Cetera and recorded by a supergroup of popular musicians, entertainers and athletes. The song was released as a single on March 13, 1991 by Giant Records. The s ...

," assembled by producer David Foster. That spring, "Hold You Tight" by

Tara Kemp Tara Kemp is an American singer best known for her two Billboard ''Hot 100'' top-ten singles in 1991: " Hold You Tight" and "Piece of My Heart." Career Kemp signed to Giant Records in 1990, a new sublabel of the Warner Brothers music label. ...

was released and went on to become a Top 5 single. In the months that followed, Giant Records released the soundtrack album for the film ''

New Jack City ''New Jack City'' is a 1991 American action crime film based upon an original story and written by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper, and directed by Mario Van Peebles in his feature film directorial debut. Released in the United Stat ...

'', selling 16 million copies worldwide. The label signed such acts as MC Hammer,

Jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...

Lord Finesse Lord Finesse (born Robert Hall Jr., February 19, 1970) is an American rapper and hip-hop record producer from The Bronx, New York best known as the leader of the D.I.T.C. crew. About.com ranked him number 29 on its list of the Top-50 Hip-Hop Pro ...

, and teen pop star

Jeremy Jordan Jeremy Jordan may refer to: * Jeremy Jordan (actor, born 1984), American actor and singer, notable for being an actor and Broadway performer * Jeremy Jordan (singer, born 1973) Don Henson (born September 19, 1973), known professionally as Jerem ...

. Giant also signed established acts such as Big Car,

Miles Zuniga The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Tho ...

Oingo Boingo Oingo Boingo () was an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the ye ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling ...

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

, and

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

. The label also operated a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

division in Nashville; the first act signed was

Dennis Robbins Dennis Anthony Robbins (born August 23, 1949) is an American musician who first made himself known as a guitarist in the band Rockets. After his departure from The Rockets, he began a career in country music, recording three major-label albums an ...

. In 1992, Irving Azoff expanded the Giant brand into film production. Giant Pictures only produced one film, '' The Inkwell'', in 1994, before shutting down a year later. In 1993, Giant became dissatisfied with Warner Music Group's practice of international affairs, so it made a deal with

BMG BMG may refer to: Organizations * Music publishing companies: ** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 *** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...

to distribute its recordings outside the U.S. By the mid- to late 1990s, the company had replaced most of its staff and launched a subsidiary label called Revolution Records;

signed with the new label in 1997. The company later reverted to its original name and distributed

Paladin Records The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, where ...

, which included singer-songwriter

Steve Forbert Samuel Stephen "Steve" Forbert (born December 13, 1954) is an American pop music singer-songwriter. His 1979 song "Romeo's Tune" reached No. 11 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary Chart. It also ...

. In 2001, Warner Music Group ended its joint venture with Giant, which was absorbed into Warner Bros. Records. Since then, BMG no longer repressed and distributed any previous releases of Giant. Distribution of current reissues are done by Warner Music's reissue division,

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

, in conjunction with Warner Records, and many reissues still include Giant logo on packaging. In February 2015, Warner Music Sweden announced that it would reactivate Giant's name; the first single released under the new Giant Records banner was Simon Erics' "Waiting for the Sun."

Giant Records recording artists

* Artists on Giant Records were primarily distributed by Warner Bros. Records. Giant recording artists marked with (#) were distributed by

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

. * Above the Law # *

Ahmad Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...

* Deborah Allen * Air Supply *

Army of Lovers Army of Lovers is a Swedish dance- pop group which formed in 1987 and had a number of hits in Europe throughout the 1990s. Some of their biggest successes include the song "Crucified", which was a big hit in Europe, charting 31 weeks in the Eu ...

(US) (1991-1992) # *

Atomic Opera Atomic Opera is an American hard rock band from Houston, Texas. Their style blends progressive rock, art rock, metal, medieval influences, and eastern music. History Formed in September 1991, the band began when founding member Frank Hart mov ...

* Peter Blakeley *

Bangalore Choir Bangalore Choir is an American hard rock band formed in 1991. They were formed by the former frontman of Accept, David Reece, and guitarists Curt Mitchell and John Kirk (both formerly of Razor Maid). Joining them from Hericane Alice, was bass ...

* Big Car * Big Head Todd and the Monsters * Big Mountain * Tony Banks (US) # * Carlene Carter * Manu Dibango *

Certain Distant Suns Certain Distant Suns is an alternative rock band that was present on the Chicago music scene of the early 1990s. 1989–1991 Justin Mroz (vocals, guitar) and Lance Stewart (bass, vocals) formed Certain Distant Suns in 1989 in Fox Lake, Illinois. ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

(" Night & Day Big Band" album only) * Mark Collie * Color Me Badd # *The Cunninghams *

David and the Giants David and the Giants began as a rock band in Laurel, Mississippi, with the Huff brothers David, Clayborn and Rayborn. Along with Jerry Parker on drums, they toured the Southeast during the 1960s. In 1977, they switched to a Christian rock forma ...

The D.O.C. Tracy Lynn Curry (born June 10, 1968), better known as The D.O.C., is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. In addition to a solo career, he was a member of the Southern hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew and later collaborated with gan ...

(US) # *

Denzil Denzil is a Cornish given name. It may refer to: People *Denzil Batchelor, British journalist and writer *Denzil Best, American jazz percussionist * Denzil Botus, Trinidadian pannist *Denzil Davies, British politician *Denzil Dean Harber, British T ...

Disturbed Disturbed may refer to: Books * ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author) Film and TV * ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell * "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs'' * "The Disturbed", a 20 ...

# * Divine Styler *

Thomas Dolby Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher. Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me ...

(US) # *

Earth to Andy Earth to Andy is an American alternative rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. History Earth to Andy was founded in 1997 by members of two local bands, Red Henry (from Charlottesville) and Egypt (from Washington D.C. Earth to Andyat Allmu ...

Flame A flame (from Latin ''flamma'') is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction taking place in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density they ...

* Hank Flamingo *

(Revolution/Giant) * Good2Go # *

Keith Harling Keith Harling (born May 8, 1963) is an American former country music artist. He made his debut in 1998 with the album ''Write It in Stone'', issued on the MCA Nashville label. It produced four singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & ...

House of Freaks House of Freaks was a two-man band formed in Richmond, Virginia in the mid-1980s. Bryan Harvey played guitar and sang, and Johnny Hott played percussion. The band managed to achieve a remarkably full sound, mostly because of Hott's inventive dr ...

Miki Howard Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard (born September 30, 1960) is an American singer and actress who had a string of top 10 hit songs in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, including " Baby, Be Mine" (1987), " Come Share My Love" (1986) and "Love Under Ne ...

# * I5 * Icy Blu *

# *

*Jena Kraus *

Letters to Cleo Letters to Cleo is an American alternative rock band originating from Boston, Massachusetts, best known for the 1994 single, "Here & Now", from their full-length debut album, '' Aurora Gory Alice''. The band's members are Kay Hanley, Greg McKe ...

# *

Michelle Lewis Michelle Robin Lewis (born ) is an American singer-songwriter who has released two solo albums. She has since worked as a songwriter for artists including Cher, Shawn Colvin, Hilary Duff, Kay Hanley and Kelly Osbourne. Biography Michelle Le ...

# * MC Hammer # * Neal McCoy *

Tim Mensy Timothy Ray Menzies (born August 25, 1959), sometimes known as Tim Mensy, is an American country music artist. Initially, he was a member of the band Bandana, in which he charted several singles on the Hot Country Songs charts in the 1980s. Afte ...

* Georgia Middleman *

* Joe Nichols *

Daron Norwood Daron Jay Norwood (September 30, 1965 – July 22, 2015) was an American country music singer. He released two albums for Giant Records and charted six times on Hot Country Songs. Musical career Signed to Giant Records in 1993, he released two a ...

( as "Boingo") *

Orrall & Wright Orrall & Wright was an American country music duo composed of Robert Ellis Orrall and Curtis Wright. Both members had recorded solo albums and had charted singles of their own prior to Orrall & Wright's inception. As Orrall & Wright, they charted ...

* Owsley * Pirates of the Mississippi * Prime STH * The Reese Project *Pudgee tha Phat Bastard * Regina Regina *

Boris René Boris René Lumbana Kapasa (born 19 June 1991) is a Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese-born Sweden, Swedish Association football, footballer and an alternative pop musician, using the stage name Boris René. Boris is currently playing f ...

* RTZ (Return to Zero) # *

* Blake Shelton * Kenny Wayne Shepherd * Daryle Singletary *

Skew Siskin Skew Siskin are a German hard rock band based in Berlin. They formed in 1990 when guitarist Jim Voxx met up with singer Nina C. Alice. The band's original line up was completed by the addition of drummer Nik Terry and bass guitarist Jogi Rautenber ...

Roger Springer Roger Springer (born June 15, 1962, in Caddo, Oklahoma) is an American country music artist. Springer's only single as a solo artist, "The Right One Left," was released in 1992 on MCA Nashville and peaked at No. 69 on the '' Billboard'' H ...

# * Super Deluxe *

Sway & King Tech Sway & King Tech is an American hip hop duo composed of Bay Area rapper Sway and DJ King Tech. Also known as Flynamic Force or Sway & Tech, they are the hosts of the nationally syndicated show, ''The Wake Up Show''. In addition to their rad ...

* Doug Supernaw * Tad * Lisa Taylor * Tony Thompson *

Too Much Joy Too Much Joy is an American alternative rock music group, that formed in the early 1980s in Scarsdale, New York. Members The original members were Tim Quirk (vocals), Jay Blumenfield (guitar, vocals), Sandy Smallens (bass, vocals) and Tommy Vi ...

Valentine A valentine is a card or gift given on Valentine's Day, or one's sweetheart. Valentine or Valentines may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Valentine (name), a given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional char ...

* Rhonda Vincent * Clay Walker * Chris Ward * Don Williams *

Geoffrey Williams Geoffrey Williams is an English singer and songwriter. Five of his singles charted on the UK Singles Chart in the 1990s. In the U.S., "It's Not a Love Thing", from his third album ''Bare'' (1992), reached No. 70 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. D ...

# *

The Wilkinsons The Wilkinsons were a Canadian country music trio from Belleville, Ontario. Founded in 1997, the group consisted of lead singer Amanda Wilkinson, her brother Tyler Wilkinson, and their father, Steve Wilkinson. The Wilkinsons achieved success late ...

Zaca Creek Zaca Creek was an American country music group formed in 1989. The band consisted of brothers Gates, Scot, Jeff and James Foss. Their debut single, "Sometimes Love's Not a Pretty Thing," was their only song to reach the Top 40 of the ''Billboard' ...

References

External links

Warner Music Looks to Complete Giant Records Deal
{{Authority control Record labels established in 1990 Warner Music labels Labels distributed by Warner Music Group Pop record labels Rock record labels American country music record labels Hip hop record labels Warner Records Electronic dance music record labels Record labels disestablished in 2001

Giant Records recording artists

See also

References

External links