Sunbird Records was an independent record label in the United States during the late 1970s and 1980s.
Freddie Hart
Frederick Segrest (December 21, 1926 – October 27, 2018), known professionally as Freddie Hart, was an American country musician and songwriter best known for his chart-topping country song and lone pop hit "Easy Loving," which won the Cou ...
had a few hits with Sunbird after he left
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
in 1979.
also recorded some hits with Sunbird while working with
Randy Scruggs.
Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton (born November 4, 1940) is an American blues rock and electric blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist.
From his first professional stage appearance in 1957 to his most recent national tour in 2018, ...
recorded his hit "Not Exactly Free" with the label.
Background
The label was founded by Nelson Larkin.
Elroy Kahanek was one of the label's employees.
Bobby G. Rice
Robert Gene Rice (born July 11, 1944, in Boscobel, Wisconsin, United States) is an American country music singer-songwriter, known professionally as Bobby G. Rice. Between 1970 and 1988, Rice released nine albums and charted thirty songs on t ...
also recorded with the label.
Sheb Wooley with Hi C. Lea recorded the single "Jackhammer Man" with the label in 1981.
Price Mitchell
Price Mitchell is an American country music singer. He had six songs that made it onto the national country music charts in the 1970s and one album that charted. He recorded on Prize Records in 1971. He also released 45s and albums with GRT Record ...
and
Rene Sloane did a recording on a 45 of "Mr. And Mrs. Untrue" and on the B side "Savin' It All For You" on Sunbird (he had recorded the 1971
Candi Staton
Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton (, ) (born March 13, 1940) is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's " Stand by Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper "Young Hearts Run Free". In E ...
song with Jerri Kelly in 1975). The same 45 was also released on
Sunset Records
Sunset Records was a record label started in 1965 as the budget album subsidiary of Liberty Records to reissue and issue material originally recorded for Liberty, Imperial, Minit and other Liberty subsidiaries as well as leased material from other ...
.
Earl Thomas Conley recorded his Blue Pearl album with Sunbird. His song "
Fire and Smoke
"Fire and Smoke" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Earl Thomas Conley. It was released in April 1981 as the second single and title track from the album '' Fire & Smoke''.
The song was Conley's fourth top 40 country h ...
" from the similarly titled album reached #1 on the country music chart in 1981 and he was soon signed to
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
.
Freddie Hart had a Top 20 hit with "Sure Thing" on a Sunbird album in 1980 and then three Top 40 hits in 1981.
Later years
Founder Nelson Larkin died at age 70 on Monday, November 18, 2013.
[Taste of Country, November 1, 2013 ]
Producer and Songwriter Nelson Larkin Dead at 70 - Billy Dukes
/ref>
References
{{Authority control
American independent record labels