Art Records

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Art Records is the abbreviation for American Recording and Transcription Service , a small independent US record label . It existed between 1945 and 1979 and was best known for its calypso recordings from the 1950s onwards .

history

Founder Harold E. Doane founded ART Records at the Cadillac Hotel in Miami Beach in 1949, moved within Miami for the third time in 1960, and then finally resided in Fort Lauderdale in the mid-1960s .

Beginnings

Doane began his activities in the record business in 1945. Since November 1944, he had settled back in his hometown Miami, where he had previously worked for various other companies. In early 1945 he opened a studio in the Cadillac Hotel in Miami Beach (304 Lincoln Road), the American Recording and Transcription Service, Inc. , and recorded celebrations such as weddings, funerals and club bands, which, however, did not appear on records. These early recordings were only intended for private use. During this time, many recordings were made in the Cadillac Hotel, clubs in Miami or on ships.

First calypso recordings

Alphonso "Blind Blake" Higgs & His Royal Victoria Hotel Calypso Orchestra - John B. Sail

After moving rooms in 1946 and 1948 (the new studio was finally set up in 1948 on 119th Street), he entered into a contractual collaboration with Charlie Freeman of the Royal Victoria Hotel in Nassau , Bahamas, to record the local musicians there in 1951 . Calypso, or Goombay Music at the time , was a genre in the early 1950s that was almost completely ignored by the major record labels. Doane's Art Records label was the first to bring this music onto the market, although the records were mostly intended for sale at concerts.

The first LP and one of the first singles were produced with Blind Blake Higgs and his Royal Victoria Hotel Calypso Orchestra . The blind Caribbean guitarist and calypso singer Alphonso "Blind Blake" Higgs made his calypso recordings in the Bahamas, including the two recorded LPs Blind Blake vol. 1 (ALP # 3) and vol. 2 (ART # 4), which appeared in September 1951 and June 1952, respectively. The Caribbean folk song John B. Sails was released as a single from the third Higgins LP at the end of 1952 (ART # 2). It is considered the second cover version of the title, which later became known by the Kingston Trio and in particular the Beach Boys (under the title Sloop John B. ).

This was followed by works with George Symonette, André Toussaint, Colin Kelly and the soundtrack for the Caribbean film Island Woman with Leslie Scott and Irene Williams in the leading roles (came into theaters in May 1958). By 1955, about 14 different albums had been released in the Calypso style.

Rockabilly at Art

In 1955, when rockabilly and rock'n'roll hit the US, Doane was an older man, but he saw the potential that this music had. With various musicians and bands doing demo recordings in his studio, Doane decided to get involved in these genres as well. In 1955 he founded Perfect Records and in 1957 AFS Records . The first rockabilly record on Art was released in 1956 with Tommy Spurlin's classic Hang Loose / One-Eyed Sam (Art 45-C-109).

Art and the two other labels were followed by further rockabilly recordings until 1958, including by Kent Westberry ( By Baby Don't Rock Me Now ; September 1958) and Tommy Spurlin. However, none of the singles got beyond regional successes, as Art had a maximum of 1000 copies pressed, hardly advertised and did not send any promotional records to Billboard .

Moved to Fort Lauderdale

In 1960, Art moved to Fort Lauderdale , Florida , because Doane needed to expand his Miami studio into a multi-track studio, which he claims would have been too costly. Fort Lauderdale mainly recorded LPs for bands and musicians who played on ships of the line. Art had contracts with various lines and took the groups of ships that docked in Miami and had them sold there.

Arts' many productions in the 1960s include albums by Ronnie Prophet , Teddy Greaves and others.

The End

Art's last records were released in the late 1970s, and Doane closed his studio and label as he was in his 80s himself. From 1951 to its dissolution in 1979, Art made more than 900 recordings and published an estimated 150 albums.

In 1999, Doane sold the master recordings catalog to Darryl Scott, previously employed by Epic Records , and Drake Sutton-Shearer; both had previously founded 2Tribes Entertainment in Miami .

Discography

Singles

Discography is not exhaustive.

Catalog number year Artist title
500 Blind Blake Higgs Those Good Ol 'Asta Boys
My Name is Asta
109 1956 Tommy Spurlin and the Southern Boys Hang Loose
One-Eyed Sam
131 Tommy Spurlin and the Southern Boys Heart Throb
No Times for Heartaches
170 1958 Randy Luck I Was a Teen-Age Cave Man
Twelve O'Clock
172 1958 Kent Westberry and the Chaperones My Baby Don't Rock Me
No Place to Park
174 1958 Kent Westberry Popcorn and Candybars
Turkish Doghouse Rock
175 1958 Roxsters So long
goodbye baby
1958 Jimmy Gale Quartet with the Imperials Dandy Sandy
Rock All Night
  1. ↑ Both titles were recorded by Art Studio in December 1957 and published by Art in 1958, but the catalog number is unknown.

Albums

  • ALP 3 - Blind Blake Higgs : Blind Blake (September 1951)
  • ALP 4 - Blind Blake Higgs : Blind Blake and his Victoria Calypsos (June 1952)
  • ALP 9 - Delbon Johnson's Calypso Rhythms: Dirty Dick's Famous Bar
  • ALP 10 - George Symonette: Calypso
  • ALP 14 - George Symonette Sextette: Calypso and the Bahamian Rhythms: A Second Calypso Album by George Sextette, Bahamian Troubador
  • ALP 18 - Mighty Panther & Lad Richards: West Indian Calypso Music (1957)
  • ALP 19 - Calypso Eddie: Calypso Eddie (1957)
  • ALP 32 - Personalities: Musical Mayhem & Madness Recorded Live at the Galt Ocean Mile Hotel (1963?)
  • ALP 34 - Personalities: Caught in the Act, Volume 2 (1964?)
  • ALP 36 - Bonnie Anderson: Bonnie Anderson Wrecks the Wreck (1964?)
  • ALP 39 - Interludes: An Interlude with the Interludes (1965?)
  • ALP 41 - Andy Bartha and his Deep South Dixieland Jazz Band: Oceana (1965?)
  • ALP 43 - Ronnie Prophet: Ronnie Prophet (Voluma 1) (1965)
  • ALP 44 - Christi & Coats: On Stage (1965?)
  • ALP 45 - Arnie & Chise: Rotsa Ruck (1965?)
  • ALP 50 - Abbey Albert: Abbey Albert at Lago Mar (1966?)
  • ALP 51 - Ronnie Prophet: Ronnie Propeht Sings and Playes (Volume 2) (1966)
  • ALP 53 - Blackie Nelson and the Personalities: Blackie Nelson & Personalities (1966)
  • ALP 56 - Bill Barner: A Night Out at the Oceana (1966)
  • ALP 60 - Herbie Brock: The Night and Herbie Brock at 700 Club (1966)
  • ALP 63 - Don Hayes: A Fun Evening with Don Hayes at his Baldwin Organ & Piano (1967?)
  • ALP 64 - Teddy Greaves: Living It Up with Teddy Greaves (1967?)
  • ALP 67 - Bonnie Anderson: Wrecks (1967?)
  • ALP 71 - Ronnie Prophet: Ronnie Prophet (Volume 3) (1968?)
  • ALP 73 - Crescendos: TheCrescendos (1968?)
  • ALP 75 - Danny Bridges: Danny and the Tunesmen, Volume 2 (1968?)
  • ALP 76 - Teddy Greaves: Here's Teddy Greaves and his Groovy Troup (1968?)
  • ALP 79 - Four Bits: Live in Miami (1968?)
  • ALP 82 - Jolene & Bill Alexander: Two Happy People (1969?)
  • ALP 83 - Personalities: Live, Volume 5 (1969?)
  • ALP 86 - Andy Bartha and his Deep South Dixieland Jazz Band: Andy Bartha and his Deep South Dixieland Jazz Band (1969?)
  • ALP 91 - Johnny Johnson: On the Road (1969?)
  • ALP 103 - Scotties: Hapiness Is the Scotties (197?)
  • ALP 109 - Lou Marsh & Tony Adams: These Jokers Are Wild (197?)
  • ALP 110 - G. David Howard: Hi Booger, Volume One (197?)
  • ALP 127 - Alan Sandlin: I Remember You (1975)
  • ALP 131 - Richard Thomas: Live! (197?)
  • ALP 152 - Dick Catin: I Make the Rondos of the Condos (197?)

literature

  • Rob Finnis: Miami Rockabilly . 1997, pp. 4-9; Ace Records

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ browardpalmbeach.com