Mainstream Records was an American record company and
independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
founded by producer
Bob Shad in 1964.
Mainstream's early releases were reissues from
Commodore Records. Its catalogue grew to include
Bob Brookmeyer,
Maynard Ferguson
Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...
,
Jim Hall,
Helen Merrill,
Carmen McRae,
Jimmy Raney,
Zoot Sims,
Clark Terry, and
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer.
Nicknamed "Sassy" and "The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Awards ...
.
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...
, with
Big Brother and the Holding Company, first appeared on Mainstream.
In 1978, Mainstream ceased activities. Bob Shad died in 1985. In 1990, the label was restarted by his daughter, Tamara, and
Humphrey Walwyn
Vice-Admiral Sir Humphrey Thomas Walwyn, (25 January 1879 – 29 December 1957) was an officer of the Royal Navy, who served during the Second Boer War and First World War, and was the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Indian Navy from 1928 until ...
, the former head of
BBC Records.
It was bought by
Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 20 ...
in 1993 and purchased back by the Shad family in the early 2000s. The label is now run by Shad's granddaughter
Mia Apatow
Mia, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to:
Music Artists
* M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer
* M.I.A. (band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California
* MIA., a German rock/pop band formed in 1997
* Mia (singer) (born 1983) ...
, with the help of her brother
Judd Apatow.
Discography
56000/S6000 series (12" LPs)
The Mainstream 56000/S6000 Series commenced in 1964 when the label was established by Bob Shad and ran until 1971 and initially reissued material from
Commodore Records and Time Records (an earlier Bob Shad label) in addition to some new jazz recordings, then soundtracks, before branching into psychedelic rock around 1966.
[Edwards, D., Callahan, Eyries, P., Watts, R. & Neely, T]
Discography of the Mainstream Label (Preview)
accessed October 18, 2014
300 series (12" LPs)
The Mainstream 300 Series commenced in 1971 as the label focussed more on funk/soul and jazz artists (as well as reissuing jazz LP's originally released on Time Records) before the label folded around 1976.
References
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American record labels
Jazz record labels
Reissue record labels