Prelude Records was a New York-based

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 ...

that was active from 1976 to 1986. At one time,

François Kevorkian François Kevorkian (born 10 January 1954), also known by the stage name François K, is a French-born, U.S.-based DJ, producer, remixer and label owner of Armenian descent, who started his career DJing in clubs such as the Paradise Garage an ...

held an A&R position at Prelude. The label's owner was Marvin Schlachter.

History

Prelude was first launched in 1976, renamed from

Pye International Records Pye International Records was a record label founded in 1958, as a subsidiary of Pye Records. The company distributed many American labels in the UK, including Chess, Kama Sutra, Buddah, Colpix and King. (There was also an American label of th ...

, a US division of UK-based

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhoo ...

which had begun in 1974. The name was derived from the music group Prelude, which recorded for Pye at the time. At the outset, Prelude's LP and 45 catalogue numbers were the same as had begun under Pye (US), with the prefix changed from PYE- to PRL-. For a very short period at the start, Pye's then-parent,

ATV Music Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

, owned Prelude. It first made its small release with a large name called JUMBO, which spawned a minor hit with "Turn On To Love". As disco music declined, Prelude was one of the few disco labels to survive its demise. In 1981 they pioneered the mastermix. with Shep Pettibone's "Kiss Mastermix 2x12". Having recruited Kevorkian, the label was able to focus on remixes; to change up an existing song by altering it slightly. "Disco Circus" by

Martin Circus Martin Circus was a French band formed in the late 1960s, whose musical style developed over time from progressive rock through pop to disco and new wave music in the 1970s and 1980s. Career The band formed in 1968, at a time when the popular musi ...

(1979) was and still is a cult classic, but failed to make significant sales according to Michael Gomes who began working for Prelude in 1979. Prelude's biggest hits included "In the Bush" by Musique (1978), "Come to Me" by

France Joli France Joli () (born February 2, 1963) is a Canadian singer, best known for the disco classics " Come to Me" and "Gonna Get Over You". Teen stardom Born France Joly in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Joli grew up in Dorion. Her father was a hardwa ...

(1979), "A Little Bit of Jazz" by the

Nick Straker Band The Nick Straker Band were an English pop music group from London, England, led by musician and vocalist Nick Straker. Several members of the band were also in New Musik, and the band's line-up consisted of Straker along with Tony Mansfield, T ...

and "Must Be the Music" by Secret Weapon (1981). After its closure in 1986, Prelude's back catalogue was purchased by

Unidisc Unidisc Music is a Canadian independent record label. The label is known for releasing rare music, that was made between the mid-1960s and late 1980s. Genres include rock, electronic, funk, soul, hip hop, jazz, reggae, Latin, disco and a cap ...

Artists

9th Creation 9th Creation was a 1970s R&B, funk band who had chart hits with " Why Not Today" and " Lets Dance". Other songs, such as "Falling in Love" made the charts. They recorded for a variety of labels including PYE/ ATV, Prelude and Hilltak etc.. ...

Gayle Adams Gayle Adams is an American urban contemporary and house music musician, who is best known for her hit singles " Love Fever", "Stretch'in Out" and "Your Love Is a Lifesaver." She recorded two albums for the dance-oriented Prelude record label in ...

Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American R&B and dance singer. Although she has only one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name, she has an extensive background in the musi ...

CD III The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...

* D-Train *

Gerald Mallory Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iri ...

Jeanette "Lady" Day Jeanette, Jeannette or Jeanetta may refer to: * Jeanette (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) Places * Jeannette, Ontario, Canada * Jeannette Island, Russia * Jeannette, Pennsylvania, U.S ...

*Empress * Hi-Gloss *

Inner Life Inner Life was an American club-oriented soul studio project formed in 1979 that enjoyed success with "I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair)" (1979), "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (1981), and "Moment of My Life" (1982). Tracks featured th ...

* L.A.X. *

Lorraine Johnson Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

(1977, 78) *

Macho Machismo (; ; ; ) is the sense of being " manly" and self-reliant, a concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity". Machismo is a term originating in the early 1930s and 1940s best defined as hav ...

Dianne Marie Dianne may refer to: People *Dianne Brushett * Dianne Buswell *Dianne Byrum *Dianne Chandler *Dianne Cunningham *Dianne de Leeuw *Dianne Feinstein * Dianne van Giersbergen, Dutch singer *Dianne Haskett *Dianne Heatherington *Dianne Holum *Dianne Ja ...

Dorothy Moore Dorothy Moore (born October 13, 1946) is an American blues, gospel, and R&B singer best known for her 1976 hit song, "Misty Blue". Career Moore's parents were Mary Moore and Melvin Hendrex Senior. Her father performed under the stage name Melv ...

(1985) * Musique *

* Peter Jacques Band *

Sharon Redd Sharon Redd (October 19, 1945 – May 1, 1992) was an American singer from New York City. She was the half sister of Snap! singer Penny Ford. Life and career Sharon Redd was born on October 19, 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia, to Gene and Katherine Re ...

Vicki Sue Robinson Vicki Sue Robinson (May 31, 1954 – April 27, 2000) was an American theatre and film actress, and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, " Turn the Beat Around". Early life Bo ...

Saturday Night Band Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. No later than the 2nd century, the Romans named Saturday ("Saturn's Day") for the planet Saturn, which controlled the first hour of that day, according to Vettius Valens. The day's ...

* Secret Weapon * The Strikers * Unique *

Unlimited Touch Unlimited Touch was an American, New York-based post-disco group, most active in the early 1980s. The group's most famous song in its short lifespan was "I Hear Music in the Streets", which made number 6 on US Dance chart in 1981. Overview The ...

* Theo Vaness * Wuf Ticket

History

Artists

References

See also