Starday Records

Starday was the name of a company specializing in country and bluegrass music independent label, which was founded in 1953 and country stars such as Willie Nelson, George Jones and Roger Miller made famous.

History

Foundation

Label founder Jack Starnes managed first country singer Lefty Frizzell how, with whom he finished a Management Agreement on 26 January 1950. At the same time, he worked in his nightclub as a booking agent for artists and talent scouts. In June 1953 he founded with an initial investment of $ 1,000 in Beaumont, Texas, together with the plate wholesalers Harold " Pappy " Daily the company Starday Records. The company's name is composed of the initial letters of the last name of the owner: Starnes and Daily.

The small independent label made ​​in its inception phase a name with the East Texas Honky Tonk called. The first single from the Starday catalog was Mary Jo Chelettes Gee It's Tough To Be Thirteen / Cat Fishing ( Starday 101), which was published on 4 July 1953. English Teacher Arlie Duff took on in May 1953 You All Come ( Starday 104), which has already earned early success for the small label with number seven of the country charts. Among the first artists also Blacky Crawford, who played lead guitar in the sessions for Duff and his Western Cherokees from December 4, 1951 recordings for Coral Records made ​​before he moved to Starday in May 1953 belonged.

Rise

Don F. Pierce rose in September 1953 with $ 333 as 1/3-Anteil the label and became a label head, while the other co-owners took care of administration, production and sales. With Pierce, who had previously worked at 4 Star Records in Pasadena, also the new business idea of "custom pressings " to Starday came. In June 1955 Pierce and Daily acquired the company's shares by Starnes, who had previously discovered George Jones in his nightclub. Jones was the first artist of the label that rose to country music star later. Jones had initially played in the recording sessions for Arlie Duff rhythm guitar. George Jones ' first single was No Money in This Deal ( # 130), recorded on 19 January 1954 in Starnes living room. Jones developed 1954-1958 the most successful artists of the label. On August 25, 1955 Why Baby Why be added that the first hit was in the country charts with a rank four, successfully was covered by Webb Pierce & Red Sovine duet (Rank 1 for 4 weeks). Jones brought further country hits with What Am I Worth (recorded on August 27, 1955 # 7) You Gotta be my Baby ( March 1956; # 7) Yearning ( duet with Jeanette Hicks, August 1956 # 10) or Just One More ( August 1956; # 3) out. In March 1956, was with him at the Gold Star Studios (Houston ) with Rock it under the pseudonym Thumper Jones one of the greatest rockabilly title ever, in November 1956, Jones for the label whose first LP Starday - out. Jones should be Starday one of the great country stars who made in 2010 recordings.

Daily had meanwhile discovered in October 1957 Roger Miller, whose first plates under the label Mercury brand - Starday Records released. Reason was that entered into force on 1 January 1957 Label cooperation with Mercury Records, but this was disbanded in July 1958. Content of the cooperation was that the entire country Starday Mercury Division took over and panels of country artists who previously stood at Mercury under contract, released under the new label name, Mercury - Starday. One of the first releases on the label was combined Leon Payne's own composition, Lumberjack, which came on February 12, 1957 the market. As of yet totally unknown country singer Willie Nelson heard thereof, he made ​​contact with Mercury - Starday. Don Pierce initially saw little potential in the singer, but offered him in May 1957 to take the single and to have 300 copies pressed thereof. In May 1957 he took the title for the Label Catalog No Place For Me / Lumberjack at the radio station Kvan in Vancouver, within the Starday Custom series ( 45-628 ) were published and his first recordings were at all. The single is said to have sold 3,500 copies.

The piecemeal release of singles as " Starday ", " Starday - Mercury " or merely "Mercury " is an impediment to the historians the assignment. Baritone Jimmie Skinner in any case was a Starday Discovery and sang under the Mercury brand his own composition I Found my Girl in the USA, published on September 10, 1957, penetrated to rank five on the country charts. Jimmy Dean & His Texas Wildcats were already at other record labels, as they changed in April 1957 to Starday. However, their numerous recordings did not enter the charts. The last official single under the short-term liaison with Mercury were the Stanley Brothers A Life of Sorrow, published January 15, 1958. Mercury took over after the separation George Jones, which was allowed to continue production of Pappy Daily. Mercury was lucky with the division found, because George Jones succeeded for the first time with White Lightning, a fast-paced composition of the Big Bopper, the first rank of the country charts. Threat of conflicts of interest between a producing for Mercury Daily and participation of Starday had to be solved. Therefore, Don Pierce acquired in July 1958, the company's shares from Daily, so he rose to become sole owner. Pierce established in June 1960 with the Starday Sound Studios in Nashville his own recording studio, which was regularly booked by Red Sovine.

By 1959, Starday was able to solidify his reputation as a bluegrass label, the same year Pierce was Billboard magazine's Man of the Year in the category of country music. In November 1961 Arthur Smith came to the label, which in January 1962 tried with the Guitar Boogie Twist to build on the success of his recorded in September 1944 Instrumental Classic Guitar Boogie. Dottie West also began at Starday in his new recording studio in September 1960, but was able to celebrate their first big hits from 1963 to RCA Records producer Chet Atkins. Under the sole proprietor Pierce numerous hits for Starday originated in country sector as Blackland Farmer by Frankie Miller (published on March 9, 1959 Rank 5 ), taken on February 5, 1960 the biggest hit of the Starday catalog of Alabama Cowboy Copas (; 12 weeks at No. 1 ) or Giddyup Go by Red Sovine (4 August 1965, six weeks Rank 1). As Starday in October 1968 with King Records merged, Pierce's capital share of Starday had grown to $ 2,000,000.

Starday called in September 1963 the sub-label Nashville Records in life, the catalog consisted of country singers such as Bill Clifton or Red Sovine and published bluegrass recordings. The big record companies ignored the peripheral areas almost completely and instead focused on the more commercial marketing of the Nashville Sounds.

End

In October 1968 his label King Records of Starday was merged to Starday - King Records and sold in the same month of LIN Broadcasting for $ 5,000,000 after the death of King Sydney. Three years later the King - Starday catalog of Leiber & Stoller 's 1971 's Tennessee Recording & Publishing. 1975, the Starday master tapes for $ 375,000 at Moe Lytle of GML Inc. ( Gusto Records), Nashville, sold. Since then, the Starday catalog is used to compilations of historical Country Songs.

Red Sovine brought in July 1978, first published already in May 1976 Song Teddy Bear ( Starday / Gusto 142 ) found a number -one hit, which in Germany in March 1979 under the title reputation Teddy Bear One - four of Johnny Hill ( # 8) Trucker known sentimental song.

Starday Package Deal

The so-called Starday Package Deal was a sales idea that Don Pierce brought in 1955. Pierce had previously been employed at Four Star Records in California, and recently had Fourstar OP series ( Other People ) introduced. This program was about the artist himself recorded songs send along with the desired label name could. The record company then pressed plates with a circulation of 100 to 500 pieces, and sent her the artist who could sell the plates now. In this way, Willie Nelson's first single was sold under the label Willie Nelson Label.

What began in 1955 as a small project turned out to be very lucrative for Starday quickly out. Although other labels - such as Four Star, RCA Victor and Columbia Records - also offered this service, the Star Days Package Deal became a success. With the success of rock'n'roll, there were enough musicians who wanted to make records and turned to Starday.

The publications of the package deals were published in a separate series whose catalog numbers began in 1955 at 500 and the mid- 1960s to expire at over 1100, each with the prefix 45 in front. If no specific label name is specified, the songs on the Starday label ( from 1958 then in Dixie ) published.

Under Starday and Nashville publication Artist (select) which are not mentioned in the article

• Hoyt Scoggins
• Johnny Bond
• Pee Wee King
• Eddie Noack
• Willis Brothers
• Lewis Family
• Carl Story