Light Records is a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

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 ...

founded in 1966 by

Ralph Carmichael Ralph Carmichael (May 27, 1927 – October 18, 2021) was an American composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. Early Life and Career ...

, as a joint venture with the

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

, Texas-based

Word Records Word Records is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Curb Records, and is a part of Word Entertainment. It is distributed by Warner Records (the former Warner Bros. Records). History In 1 ...

. It is a subsidiary of the

MNRK Music Group MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had b ...

History

Light Records' first roster included Ralph Carmichael, the Carmichael Young People, Ralph Carmichael's 102 Strings recordings, and Ralph's daughter Kim (Carol) Carmichael. Other artists included

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...

and

Thurl Ravenscroft Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (; February 6, 1914May 22, 2005) was an American actor and bass singer. He was known as one of the booming voices behind Kellogg's Frosted Flakes animated spokesman Tony the Tiger for more than five decades. He was al ...

(the voice of

Tony the Tiger Tony the Tiger is the advertising cartoon mascot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes (also known as Frosties) breakfast cereal, appearing on its packaging and advertising. Tony has also been the mascot for related cereals such as Tony's Cinnamon K ...

in cereal commercials). Light moved into Gospel music quickly, with the 1968 signing of future

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-winners Andrae Crouch & the Disciples and ''The Oral Roberts Singers'', featuring

Richard Roberts (evangelist) Richard Lee Roberts (born November 12, 1948) is an American television evangelist and faith healer who serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. He previously served fifteen years as the pr ...

who had a hit with their opening theme ''Something Good Is Going to Happen to You'' and closing theme ''A God of Miracles'' for ''The Oral Roberts Hour''. Soon other gospel artists, including

Kristle Murden Kristle Murden (born December 9, 1956), also known as Kristle Edwards, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, music producer, author and ordained minister. Murden is the soloist on the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from ''The Lion Ki ...

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural settin ...

The Winans The Winans are an American gospel quartet from Detroit, Michigan consisting of brothers Marvin, Carvin, Michael and Ronald Winans. Members ''Please refer to the Winans family page for more detail on the individual members.'' About: Origins & Mus ...

Walter Hawkins Walter Lee Hawkins (May 18, 1949 – July 11, 2010) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, composer, and pastor. An influential figure in urban contemporary gospel music, his career spanned more than four decades. He was consecrated to the ...

Tramaine Hawkins Tramaine Aunzola Richardson , (nee’ Davis) known professionally as Tramaine Hawkins (born October 11, 1951), is an American award–winning gospel music, Gospel singer whose career spans over five decades. Since beginning her career in 1966, Ha ...

and Bob Bailey joined the roster. For a time, Light was also home to contemporary Christian artists such as

Sweet Comfort Band Sweet Comfort Band was an American Christian rock band that first performed in 1973 in Riverside, California, and were active until 1984. The band was initially composed of keyboardist/lead vocalist, Bryan Duncan, and brothers Kevin (bass guita ...

Reba Rambo-McGuire Reba Rambo (born October 17, 1951) is an American Christian singer and songwriter. She is a Grammy and Dove Award winner. Biography 1965–1975: Early life and career beginnings Rambo attended Hebron Elementary School in Hebron, Ohio and gradu ...

, Jamie Owens,

Carman In Celtic mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub ("black"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She used her magica ...

and Paul Porter. Carmichael bought out Word's portion of Light/Lexicon in 1980, after ABC/CapCities had purchased Word in 1974. Light was then purchased by

Platinum Entertainment Platinum Entertainment was an American record label that operated in the 1990s. The company was founded by Steve Devick in 1991, who reorganized his River North Studios recording studio into a record label. The company initially sold primarily g ...

in 1993. After Platinum filed bankruptcy in 2001, it was renamed

Compendia Music Group Compendia Music Group was an American record label and distributor that operated in the early 2000s. Compendia was formed in late 2001 by Marty Tudor from the assets of the bankrupt label Platinum Entertainment. It was based in Nashville, Tenness ...

, and the Light label continued as an urban-gospel label. Compendia was purchased by Sheridan Square Entertainment in 2004. As of April 2010, Light Records was owned by Entertainment One.

References

{{Authority control MNRK Music Group American independent record labels Record labels established in 1966 Gospel music record labels

History

See also

References