Plantation Records was 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, ...

record label of the 1960s and 1970s helmed by

Shelby Singleton Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. (December 16, 1931 – October 7, 2009) was an American record producer and record label owner. Early life He was born Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. in Waskom, Texas. His parents were Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Sr. and ...

. The label is best known for Jeannie C. Riley's 1968 hit "

Harper Valley PTA "Harper Valley P.T.A." is a country song written by Tom T. Hall which in 1968 became a major international hit single for country singer Jeannie C. Riley. Riley's record, her debut, sold over six million copies as a single, and it made her the f ...

", which topped both the country and ''Billboard'' Hot 100 charts. The label established Riley as one of the major country female vocalists of the late 1960s and early 1970s with a string of hits for the label and also topping the Billboard country album chart with the ''Harper Valley PTA'' album. Grand Ole Opry star

Ray Pillow Herbert Raymond "Ray" Pillow (born July 4, 1937) is an American country music singer who has also worked as a music publisher and artists and repertoire (A&R) representative. In his career, he has charted 18 times on the '' Billboard'' country si ...

had light success on the label with one top 40 country hit in 1969.

David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville. He initially played mostly i ...

's first two albums were on the Plantation label; ''Penitentiary Blues'' and ''Requiem for a Harlequin'', before moving on to a major recording career at Columbia Records. Linda Martell became the first African-American female vocalist to record specifically for the country market, enjoying two top 40 country hits on Plantation in 1969–70 including the second hit version of " Before The Next Teardrop Falls" which peaked at No. 33. Martell later left the label citing her belief that Singleton's choosing of the name Plantation Records was racist (although he denied this) and his decision to focus on Riley's career at the expense of hers. Additionally, she explained that, when she attempted to sign to other record labels, something that was permitted as she had fulfilled her one year contract with Plantation, Singleton threatened to sue the record companies, causing her to be blackballed from country music and forcing her into complete retirement from the music industry. Other artists on Plantation included Harlow Wilcox and Dee Mullins. After Riley left in 1972, the label's prominence declined, but it survived into the early 1980s. In the late 1970s the label signed a number of veteran country performers to the label including

Webb Pierce Michael Webb Pierce (August 8, 1921 – February 24, 1991) was an American honky-tonk vocalist, songwriter and guitarist of the 1950s, one of the most popular of the genre, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the ...

, Jimmie Davis,

Jimmy C. Newman Jimmy Yves Newman (August 29, 1927 – June 21, 2014), better known as Jimmy C. Newman (the C stands for Cajun), was an American country music and cajun singer-songwriter and long-time star of the Grand Ole Opry. Early life Newman was born ...

Hank Locklin Hank Locklin (born Lawrence Hankins Locklin; February 15, 1918 – March 8, 2009) was an American country music singer-songwriter. He had 70 chart singles, including two number one hits on ''Billboard''s country chart. His biggest hits included ...

, Charlie Walker, Dave Dudley,

Leroy Van Dyke Leroy Frank Van Dyke (born October 4, 1929) is an American country music and honky-tonk singer and guitarist, best known for his hits "The Auctioneer" (1956) and "Walk On By (Leroy Van Dyke song), Walk on By" (1961). Biography Van Dyke was bor ...

, Patti Page, and Roy Drusky though few of these records charted. Broadway star

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...

also recorded two albums for the label in duet performances with Pierce, Newman, and Locklin. Singleton established at least two other labels (SSS International and Amazon), and helped comedian

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

form a short-lived label,

Tetragrammaton Records Tetragrammaton Records was an American record label founded in 1968 by music industry executives Roy Silver, Bruce Post Campbell, Marvin Deane, and comedian Bill Cosby. Silver, at the time, was also Cosby's manager. The term "Tetragrammaton" ref ...

, in the late 1960s. He purchased

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny ...

from

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...

in 1969.

Other notable Plantation records

*PL 28 Harlow Wilcox & the Oakies – " Groovy Grubworm" / "Moose Trot" *PL 43 Clark Bentley – "The Ballad of Archie Who?" / "One Way Tracks" *PL 58 Robbie Harden – "Still Wanting You" / "The Service" *PL 62 Col. Tex Herring, Auctioneer and Johnny Moore (Vocal) – "Sold to the Highest Bidder" / "Sold to the Highest Bidder" *PL 73 C. Company featuring Terry Nelson – "Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley" *PL 100 Sandy Cooper "Sweetheart"/"The Simple Way of Living" *PL 144 Rod Hart – " C.B. Savage"/"Better Off Gone" *PL 211 Scott and Susan - "The Elf Who's King of Country" David Allan Coe's first two albums were also on Plantation label: '' Penitentiary Blues'' and '' Requiem for a Harlequin''.

References

{{Authority control American record labels American country music record labels Defunct record labels of the United States Record labels established in 1968 Record labels disestablished in 1983

Other notable Plantation records

See also

References