__NOTOC__
Over the course of his career
James Brown owned and operated several different
record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...
s, which he used primarily to release his own
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
s of artists associated with his revue.
Try Me
Brown founded his first label, Try Me Records, in 1963 under the auspices of
Syd Nathan
Sydney Nathan (April 27, 1904 – March 5, 1968) was an American music business executive who founded King Records, a leading independent record label, in 1943.
He contributed to the development of country & western music, rhythm and blues a ...
's
King Records. Named after Brown's
1958 R&B hit, Try Me released a handful of
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
by performers and groups associated with the James Brown Revue, including Brown's backing band (recording under the name the Poets), Johnny and Bill (Johnny Terry and Bill Hollings, both members of
the Famous Flames
The Famous Flames were an American Rhythm and blues, Soul vocal group founded in Toccoa, Georgia, in 1953 by Bobby Byrd. James Brown first began his career as a member of the Famous Flames, emerging as the lead singer by the time of their firs ...
), and female vocalist Tammy Montgomery, who went on to record for
Motown as
Tammi Terrell
Tammi Terrell (born Thomasina Winifred Montgomery; April 29, 1945 – March 16, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known as a star singer for Motown Records during the 1960s, notably for a series of duets with singer Marvin Gaye.
...
. It ceased operations in the wake of Brown's 1964 contract dispute with King.
Brownstone
Brownstone Records, founded in 1970, was a joint venture between Brown and his longtime associate in the music business
Henry Stone
Henry Stone (June 3, 1921 – August 7, 2014), born Henry David Epstein, was an American record company executive and producer whose career spanned the era from R&B in the early 1950s through the disco boom of the 1970s to the 2010s. He was be ...
(an alliance reflected in the label's name). It was established as an outlet for recordings by members of Brown's revue who King had declined to record, such as former
Famous Flames member
Bobby Byrd
Bobby Howard Byrd (August 15, 1934 – September 12, 2007) was an American rhythm and blues, soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, bandleader and talent scout, who played an integral and important part in the development ...
and his wife
Vicki Anderson
Vicki Anderson (born Myra Barnes; November 21, 1939) is an American soul singer best known for her performances with the James Brown Revue. She recorded a number of singles under both her birth and stage names. She is the widow of Bobby Byrd a ...
. The label released eleven singles in 1970 and 1971 before it was superseded by People Records.
Brownstone was reactivated in 1976 and distributed under Henry Stone's
TK Productions umbrella of record labels until 1977, again briefly in 1992 under Stone's company Hot Productions, and then once more under his current company, Henry Stone Music.
People
People Records, Brown's most successful and prolific label, was founded in
1971. Like its predecessors, People was used to release recordings by performers associated with the James Brown Revue, including
Lyn Collins
Gloria Lavern Collins (June 12, 1948 – March 13, 2005), better known as Lyn Collins, was an American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s and for the influential 1972 funk single, " Think (About It)".
A favorite ...
,
Bobby Byrd
Bobby Howard Byrd (August 15, 1934 – September 12, 2007) was an American rhythm and blues, soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, bandleader and talent scout, who played an integral and important part in the development ...
,
Sweet Charles and
the J.B.'s. It also recorded some musicians who did not regularly perform with Brown. Brown himself appeared in a supporting role on many People releases, playing
organ or contributing
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...
.
Initially distributed by King, People was acquired by
Polydor
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 ...
on July 1, 1971, when Brown signed with that label. Unlike Brown's previous labels, it was commercially successful for a while; it released a number of charting singles, including the #1 R&B hit "
Doing It to Death
"Doing It to Death", also known as "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time", is a funk song recorded by The J.B.'s featuring James Brown.
A 10-minute, two-part version of "Doing It to Death" was included on a J.B.'s album of the same name. The comple ...
". People eventually folded in
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
, concomitant with the dissolution of the J.B.'s. The label's output was later anthologized in a series of three
CDs released by Polydor titled ''James Brown's Funky People''.
*A year prior to the founding of Brown's People label, there was another People Records that was founded and run by former
Motown Records producer
William "Mickey" Stevenson
William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967.
Life and career
He was born William Stevenson and, a ...
, but it was not related.
See also
*
List of record labels
File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg
File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
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Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...
References
* White, Cliff and Weinger, Harry (1991). Are You Ready for Star Time?. In ''Star Time''
D liner notes New York: Polydor Records.
* Guralnick, P. (1986). ''Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom''. New York: Back Bay Books. .
* Brown, James, with Bruce Tucker. ''James Brown: The Godfather of Soul'' (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986).
External links
Page on Brownstone Recordsat
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...
People Records discographyat
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...
Radio show on the history of People Records including most of the label's releases (RealPlayer format, 3+ hours)
{{James Brown
James Brown