Sparton Records was a Canadian record company which was based in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

History

Sparton Records was founded in 1930 by the American electronics company Sparks-Withington Corp., of

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...

, which made Sparton radios. It manufactured and distributed

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in Canada from 1939 to 1954. It had distribution arrangements with other American record companies, most notably

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

. It was the first record company in Canada to manufacture stereo records in 1958. Sparton Records suffered a potentially fatal blow when ABC Records switched Canadian distribution from Sparton to

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

in November 1968. While the record company folded the following year, Sparton Corporation is still in operation. Sparton closed its London operations in 2009.

Sparton Records artists

*The Bill Smith Combo aka

Tommy & The Tom Toms Tommy & The Tom Toms (later known as The Bill Smith Combo) was an American musical group from 1959 to 1962 playing rock and roll, rhythm & blues, and rockabilly. History The group first started with two guitars and drums, Eddie Wayne Hill on l ...

*Ward Allen *

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...

*Joyce Haun
The Page Quartet
*Cliff McKay *Jimmy Namaro *

Donn Reynolds Stanley Beresford "Donn" Reynolds (June 26, 1921 – August 16, 1997) was a Canadian country music singer and yodeler most widely known for his Bavarian style of yodeling. Often referred to as Canada's "king of the yodelers",Ramblin' Lou Schriver Louis Albert "Ramblin' Lou" Schriver (July 19, 1929 – January 17, 2016) was an American country musician and radio broadcaster who lived in western New York State. Schriver began his radio career in 1947, performing live music at WJJL in Niagara ...

*Lou Breese *Bob Scott *Don & Priscilla Wright *The Velvetones

References

Canadian independent record labels Record labels established in 1930 Record labels disestablished in 1969 Companies based in London, Ontario Defunct record labels of Canada {{Canada-record-label-stub