Wand Records was an American

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 ...

, started by

Florence Greenberg Florence Greenberg (September 16, 1913 – November 2, 1995) was an American record label owner, music executive, and record producer. Greenberg was the founder and owner of Tiara Records, Scepter Records, Hob Records, and Wand Records. She is ...

in 1961 as a subsidiary of

Scepter Records Scepter Records was an American record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg. History Florence Greenberg founded Scepter Records from the $4,000 she received after she sold Tiara Records and the Shirelles to Decca Records. When the Shire ...

. Artists on Wand Records included

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

The Kingsmen The Kingsmen are a 1960s rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the ''Billboard'' charts for six weeks and ha ...

, Mel Wynn & the Rhythm Aces,

Chuck Jackson Chuck Jackson (born July 22, 1937) is an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He has performed with moderate success since 1961. His hits include "I Don't Want to ...

, and the Monzas. In 1976, Greenberg retired from the business and sold her record labels to Springboard International. When Springboard went bankrupt,

Gusto Records Gusto Records is a Nashville, Tennessee-based record company that specializes in reissuing and licensing recordings. The catalogues that Gusto owns include King Records (except for recordings by James Brown), Starday, Scepter (except for rec ...

acquired the catalog. The Kingsmen acquired full ownership of their Wand catalog in court from Gusto for non-payment of

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...

Wand label artists

Chuck Jackson was the first artist signed to Wand. His single "I Don't Want to Cry" (Wand 106) went to No. 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 5 on the R&B chart in 1961. The Isley Brothers released their classic single "

Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers ...

" (Wand 124), which peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the R&B chart in 1962. In 1963, the Kingsmen released "

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and r ...

" (Wand 143), which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100. Maxine Brown had a number for singles released on the label, including "

Oh No Not My Baby "Oh No Not My Baby" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The song's lyrics describe how friends and family repeatedly warn the singer about a partner's infidelities. The song is regarded as an American standard due to its long-tim ...

" (Wand 162) in 1964. Some artists to have one-off releases include Benny Gordon with "Gonna Give Her All The Love I Got", and a singer called Al Wilson. For some time there has been speculation and discussion among some Northern soul collectors and enthusiasts that the single "Help Me", composed and produced by Johnny Northern and Ralph Bailey, arranged by Robert Banks, is not the same

Al Wilson Aldra Kauwa Wilson (born June 21, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, and ...

who recorded " The Snake". It is believed by some that this may be a completely different singer who happened to have the same name.Soulful Detroi
Al Wilson Vs. Al Wilson
/ref>

List of artists

Benny Gordon Benjamin Gordon (born November 29, 1970) is an American professional stock car racing driver. Racing career Early career Prior to moving up to NASCAR's big leagues, Gordon competed in the NASCAR-sanctioned NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southea ...

B.J. Thomas Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his pop, country and Christian hits of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Popular songs by Thomas include "Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' ...

Bobby Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...

Brenton Wood Alfred Jesse Smith (born July 26, 1941), better known as Brenton Wood, is an American singer and songwriter known for his two 1967 hit song, hit single (music), singles, "The Oogum Boogum Song" (peaking at No. 34 on the US ''Billboard (magazin ...

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. The group is noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists and rock music. It was founded by two blues enthusiasts Alan Wilson and Bob ...

* Clarence Reid *

Dee Clark Dee Clark (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990) was an American soul singer best known for a string of R&B and pop hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the song " Raindrops", which became a million-seller in the United States in ...

Don and the Goodtimes Don and the Goodtimes were an American garage rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, United States, in 1964. Fronted by Don Gallucci, former keyboardist of the Kingsmen, the group made a name for itself in the Northwest rock scene performing in ...

The Esquires The Esquires were an American R&B group from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, principally active from 1957 to 1976. History The group first formed in 1957 around the Moorer family: Gilbert (born Gilbert Moorer, Jr., August 20, 1941, Birmi ...

Freddie Hughes Fred Willie Hughes Jr. (August 20, 1943 – January 18, 2022) was an American gospel, soul, and R&B singer, perhaps best known for his 1968 song, "Send My Baby Back". Hughes was born in Berkeley, California, in 1943, and grew up in Oakland, Cali ...

General Crook (musician) General Crook (born General Columbus Crook, February 28, 1945, Mound Bayou, Mississippi, United States) is an American soul musician. Crook was raised in Greenville, Mississippi, and moved to Chicago, Illinois, when he was 17. In 1969 he signed w ...

* The Independents *

Isley Brothers Isley is an English surname. The name can also be used as an anglicized variant for the German surnames Eisele and Eisler. Notable people with the surname include: *The Isley Brothers, American musical group **Ernie Isley (born 1952), American mus ...

* Jackie Moore * Jimmie Green * Joe Jeffrey Group *

Johnny Copeland John Clyde Copeland (March 27, 1937 – July 3, 1997) was an American Texas blues guitarist and singer. In 1983, he was named Blues Entertainer of the Year by the Blues Foundation. He is the father of blues singer Shemekia Copeland. In 2017, Cop ...

* The Last Five * L.C. Cooke * Lois Lane * The Masqueraders * Maxine Brown * Mel Wynn & the Rhythm Aces * The Monzas *

The Moving Sidewalks The Moving Sidewalks were an American four-person psychedelic blues rock band formed in 1966 from Houston, Texas, United States. They released several singles and an album, before bassist Don Summers and keyboardist Tom Moore were drafted into th ...

* Nella Dodds * The Next Five * Roscoe Robinson *

Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFadd ...

South Shore Commission South Shore Commission were an American Soul/ funk band from Washington D.C. that released a stand-alone single called "Right On Brother" on the Atlantic Records label in 1970. A self-titled album followed in 1975 on Wand records. Members include ...

* Tammy Montgomery (

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. ...

) * Timmy Shaw * Walter Lee & the Leeds * Dionne Warwick

References

External links

The Scepter/Wand Story
{{Authority control American record labels Record labels established in 1961 Record labels disestablished in 1976

Wand label artists

List of artists

See also

References

External links