Kent Records was a Los Angeles-based

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 ...

, launched in 1958 by the

Bihari brothers The Bihari brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American businessmen of Hungarian Jewish origins. They were the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries, such as Meteor Records, based in Memphis. The Bihari brothers w ...

. It was subsidiary of Crown Records Corporation. Kent was a follow-up to Modern Records, which ceased operations in 1958. The label reissued Modern's singles, including recordings by

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

. By 1964, Kent had signed acts such as

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing voca ...

and released new material. Other acts signed to the label included

Z.Z. Hill Arzell J. Hill (September 30, 1935 – April 27, 1984),Dahl, Bill. "Z.Z. Hill" Allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 March 2014. known as Z. Z. Hill, was an American blues singer best known for his recordings in the 1970s and early 1980s, including his 19 ...

, Johnny Otis, and

Lowell Fulsom Lowell Fulson (March 31, 1921March 7, 1999) was an American blues guitarist and songwriter, in the West Coast blues tradition. He also recorded for contractual reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom. After T-Bone Walker, he was the most i ...

. Modern Records was revived in 1964 with successful singles from

the Ikettes The Ikettes, originally The Artettes, were a trio (sometimes quartet) of female backing vocalists for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Despite their origins, the Ikettes became successful artists in their own right. In the 1960s they had hits such as ...

. Initially, Kent issued only singles, but issued albums from 1964 until the early 1970s. Kent was later bought by Ace Records, England, which uses the label name to release Motown and Northern Soul music.

Selected Discography

Albums

* 1964:

, ''Rock Me Baby...14 Great Hits'' (compilation) * 1964: B.B. King, ''Let Me Love You'' * 1964: ''

Ike & Tina Turner Revue Live ''Ike & Tina Turner Revue Live'' is the first live album by Ike & Tina Turner released on Kent Records in 1964. Background The Ike & Tina Turner Revue was formed in 1960 in St. Louis by songwriter, musician, and bandleader Ike Turner. By 19 ...

'' * 1965: ''Live! B.B. King on Stage'' * 1965:

Lowell Fulson Lowell Fulson (March 31, 1921March 7, 1999) was an American blues guitarist and songwriter, in the West Coast blues tradition. He also recorded for contractual reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom. After T-Bone Walker, he was the most imp ...

, ''Soul'' * 1965:

, The Soul Stirring Z.Z. Hill * 1966: Ike & Tina Turner, '' The Soul of Ike & Tina'' * 1967: Lowell Fulson, ''Tramp'' * 1967: B.B. King, ''The Jungle'' * 1967: Z.Z. Hill, ''A Whole Lot of Soul'' * 1967: B.B. King, ''Boss of the Blues'' (compilation) * 1967: Lowell Fulson, ''Now!'' * 1968: B.B. King, ''From the Beginning'' (compilation) * 1968: The Johnny Otis Show featuring Mighty Mouth Evans &

Shuggie Otis Johnny Shuggie Otis (born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr.; November 30, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist. Otis's composition " Strawberry Letter 23" (as recorded by The Brothers Johnson) toppe ...

, ''Cold Shot!'' * 1970: Ike & Tina, '' Festival of Live Performances'' * 1970: ''

Preston Love Preston Haynes Love (April 26, 1921 – February 12, 2004) was an American saxophonist, bandleader, and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska, United States, best known as a sideman for jazz and rhythm and blues artists like Count Basie and Ray Char ...

's Omaha Bar-B-Q'' * 1970: Big Joe Turner, ''Turns on the Blues'' * 1970: Various Artists – ''Rock and Roll Festival, Volume 1'' * 1970: ''

Neil Merryweather Neil Merryweather (born Robert Neilson Lillie, December 27, 1945 – March 28, 2021) was a Canadian rock singer, bass player and songwriter. He has recorded and performed with musicians including Steve Miller, Dave Mason, Lita Ford, Bill ...

, John Richardson And Boers'' * 1970: B.B. King, ''Turn on to B.B. King'' (compilation) * 1970: Guitar Slim Green featuring Johnny and Shuggie Otis, ''Stone Down Blues'' * 1971: ''The Greatest Hits of B.B. King, Volume 1'' (compilation) * 1971: The Great

Roy Milton Roy Bunny Milton (July 31, 1907 – September 18, 1983) was an American R&B and jump blues singer, drummer and bandleader. Career Milton's grandmother was Chickasaw. He was born in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, and grew up on an Indian reservation bef ...

, ''Roots Of Rock, Vol. 1'' (compilation) * 1971: ''Z.Z. Hill's Greatest Hits: Dues Paid in Full'' (compilation) * 1973: B.B. King, ''The Original Sweet Sixteen'' (compilation)

Singles

References

Defunct record labels of the United States {{US-record-label-stub

Selected Discography

Albums

Singles

See also

References