Revolution Records was a Canadian Record company. It was also the parent company for the Revolver label. It had success with hits from artists such as Dianne Brooks and Motherlode.

Background

Incorporated in October 1968, the company was co-founded by Mort Ross,

Doug Riley Douglas Brian Riley, CM (April 12, 1945 – August 27, 2007) was a Canadian musician, also known as Dr. Music. He spent two decades with the Famous People Players as its musical director, besides his participation on over 300 album projects ...

and Terry Brown. The company started up in February, 1969. They were located at 31 Prince Arthur Avenue, Toronto. Ross was a veteran Canadian composer, instrumentalist and arranger. He also composed advertising jingles. In the beginning the intention wasn't to start off as a record company. They wanted to build a recording facility with equipment superior to that of other Canadian studios at the time. But with the studio having been built and ready for business in August 1969, two Doug Riley demos that had been recorded with Dianne Brooks as the vocalist. Impressed with what they had heard and the demos being ''"So good they had to be released"'', Revolver Records came into being. Revolution's label for releases was Revolver Records. In addition to Brooks and Motherlode, artists to have recordings released on the Revolver label also included

Leigh Ashford Leigh Ashford was a Canadian rock group formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and which existed between 1966 and 1974. History The group was formed in 1967 by, the guitarist Gord Waszek, drummer Dave Cairns, bassist Joe Agnello and keyboard p ...

, Chimo! and Moe Koffman.

History

1960s

By March Dianne Brooks' single, "

Walkin' on My Mind "Walkin' on My Mind" was a hit for soul singer Dianne Brooks. Released in 1969, it was the first single released by Revolver Records. It was also Brooks' first release on a Canadian owned label. It is also an example of how the quality of a song ...

" had been released by their subsidiary Revolver. By the 21st of April, the song had entered the ''

RPM Weekly ''RPM'' ( and later ) was a Canadian music-industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. ''R ...

'' Canadian Content Chart at #10. By May 2, it made it to #4 on the RPM chart. It peaked at #67 nationally. Mort Ross had travelled to New York to set up the distribution deal with Ray Charles' Tangerine label for the United States distribution of Brooks' new record single. The deal also involved any future releases from Brooks. A distribution deal was set up for England with Morgan Records handling that task. For distribution in Canada, the

Compo Company Compo Company Ltd. was Canada's first independent record company. The Compo Company was founded in 1918 in Lachine, Quebec, by Herbert Berliner, an executive of Berliner Gramophone of Canada and the oldest son of disc record inventor Emile Berli ...

was chosen. They were also negotiating US and UK distribution deals and package tours for Motherlode. Also in May, Motherlode's new single " When I Die" had been released on Revolver REVS-002. The label incorporated a promo using gimmick mailers in their extensive campaign for the group. By September 1969, "When I Die" had got to #12 on the ''Cash Box'' Top 100. It got to #1 on the ''RPM Weekly'' chart. As it appeared in ''Billboard's'' October 25, 1969 issue, due to corporate disagreements between partners, the company would be splitting. Terry Brown and Doug Riley who would continue to work together had split with Mort Ross. By the end of November, Ross had total control of Revolution Records Limited and Revolution Music Limited. At the time, artists under contract to the label included Motherlode, Dianne Brooks, Moe Koffman and

Hagood Hardy Hugh Hagood Hardy, (February 26, 1937 – January 1, 1997) was a Canadian composer, pianist, and vibraphonist. He played mainly jazz and easy listening music. He is best known for the 1975 single, "The Homecoming" from his album of the same na ...

1970s

In 1970, Hagood Hardy's single, " New World in the Morning" bw "Soon" was released on REVS-007. It was the artist's first single for the label. The songs were performed live on

The Barbara McNair Show Barbara Jean McNair (March 4, 1934 – February 4, 2007) was an American singer and theater, television, and film actress. McNair's career spanned over five decades in television, film, and stage. McNair's professional career began in music dur ...

on November 29, 1970. As of February 1971, Mort Ross was president of Revolution Music Ltd. and Doug Riley was president of Dr. Music Productions. In December, 1970, the group

had their single out on the Revolver label. A distribution deal between Revolver and RCA had been signed. In addition to Leigh Ashford, other acts included Chimo!, Motherlode and Jam Jar. By early 1971, Leigh Ashford's single " Dickens" was charting at CKOC. It was also making its way up the RPM100 Singles chart.''Billboard'', February 6, 1971
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References

{{Reflist

External links

Discogs: Revolution Records

Discogs: Revolver (record label)
Companies based in Toronto Record labels established in 1968 Canadian record labels