Duke Records
Duke Records was an American independent label that existed between 1952 and 1974 and was based in Memphis (Tennessee) and Houston . Records of pop music were produced, with a focus on blues , rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul .
history
Duke Records was founded by the program director of the Memphis radio station WDIA , David James Mattis and Bill Fitzgerald, owner of the Tri-State Recording Company . It was founded in Memphis in 1952, and moved to Houston in 1953 after Don Robey joined the company. His record company Peacock Records and Duke formed the joint umbrella company Duke-Peacock in the future . Both brands remained on the market separately.
Duke Records began its singles program in 1952 under catalog number 101 with blues singer Rosco Gordon and the titles Tell Daddy / Hey, Fat Girl . Rosco had come to Duke from Chess Records . The first single that found inclusion in the Hot 100 of the US music magazine Billbord was Pledging My Love in January 1955 with Johnny Ace , who had started his recording career with Duke. The guarantee of success for Duke was the blues and soul singer Bobby Bland , who was under contract from 1952 to 1972. He had his first Hot 100 title with Farther Up the Road , which peaked at number 43 in the summer of 1957. In the 21 years at Duke, 47 titles were inducted into the Hot 100, of which Ain't Nothing You Can Do was the most successful at # 20. The label produced a total of 59 singles and twelve long-playing records. Far behind was the R&B singer Junior Parker , who released 33 singles and three LPs from 1954 to 1966. He appeared on the Hot 100 three times and had his greatest success with Annie Get Your Yo-Yo at number 51.
From 1952 to 1961 Duke used yellow and brown labels for his singles, the yellow company lettering in the brown field was in the upper part. During the year, the label was switched to a red label. The red turned into a yellow hue towards the middle. The lettering was black, the white, black bordered, western-style company lettering moved to the right edge. The promo plates were purple in all years. After producing about 480 singles and 23 long-playing records, Don Robey sold Duke-Peacock to ABC Dunhill on May 23, 1973 .
Most singles performers
- Bobby Bland (59)
- (Little) Junior Parker (33)
- Buddy Ace (17)
- Johnny Ace (16)
- Ernie K-Doe (10)
- Rosco Gordon (9)
- Earl Forest (7)
- John Roberts (7)
- James Davis (6)
- Miss La Vell (6)
- Paul Perryman (6)
- The El Toros (5)
Title in the Hot 100
entry | title | Performers | Catalog no. | space |
---|---|---|---|---|
1/1955 | Pledging my love | Johnny Ace | 136 | 17th |
7/1957 | Next Time You See Me | Little Junior Parker | 164 | 74. |
8/1957 | Farther Up the Road | Bobby Bland | 170 | 43. |
12/1959 | I'll take care of you | Bobby Bland | 314 | 89. |
10/1960 | Cry, Cry, Cry | Bobby Bland | 327 | 71. |
2/1961 | I pity the fool | Bobby Bland | 332 | 46. |
5/1961 | Driving wheel | Little Junior Parker | 335 | 85. |
7/1961 | Don't Cry No More | Bobby Bland | 340 | 71. |
12/1961 | Turn on Your Love Light | Bobby Bland | 344 | 28. |
3/1962 | Ain't That Loving You | Bobby Bland | 338 | 86. |
3/1962 | Annie Get Your Yo-Yo | Little Junior Parker | 345 | 51. |
3/1962 | Who Will the Next Fool Be | Bobby Bland | 347 | 76. |
8/1962 | Yield Not to Temptation | Bobby Bland | 352 | 56. |
9/1962 | Stormy Monday Blues | Bobby Bland | 355 | 43. |
1/1963 | Call on Me | Bobby Bland | 360 | 22nd |
1/1963 | That's the way love is | Bobby Bland | 360 | 33. |
7/1963 | Sometimes You Gotta Cry a Little | Bobby Bland | 366 | 56. |
11/1963 | The feeling is gone | Bobby Bland | 370 | 91. |
3/1964 | Ain't Nothing You Can Do | Bobby Bland | 375 | 20th |
6/1964 | Share your love with me | Bobby Bland | 377 | 42. |
10/1964 | Ain't Doing Too Bad (Part 1) | Bobby Bland | 383 | 49. |
12/1964 | Blind man | Bobby Bland | 386 | 78. |
1/1965 | Black Night | Bobby Bland | 386 | 99 |
4/1965 | Ain't no telling | Bobby Bland | 390 | 93. |
08/1965 | These hands | Bobby Bland | 385 | 63. |
1/1966 | I'm Too Far Gone | Bobby Bland | 393 | 62. |
05/1966 | Good time Charlie | Bobby Bland | 402 | 75. |
9/1966 | Poverty | Bobby Bland | 407 | 65. |
4/1967 | You're All I Need | Bobby Bland | 416 | 88 |
2/1968 | Driftin 'blues | Bobby Bland | 432 | 96. |
11/1968 | Rockin 'in the Same Old Boat | Bobby Bland | 440 | 58. |
5/1969 | Gotta get to know you | Bobby Bland | 447 | 91. |
8/1969 | Chains of Love | Bobby Bland | 449 | 60. |
1/1970 | If you've got a heart | Bobby Bland | 458 | 96. |
11/1970 | Keep on Loving Me | Bobby Bland | 464 | 89. |
5/1971 | I'm sorry | Bobby Bland | 466 | 97. |
1/1972 | Do What You Set Out to Do | Bobby Bland | 472 | 64. |
LPs
Performers | title | Catalog no. | year |
---|---|---|---|
Johnny Ace | Memorial album | 70 | 1955 * |
Bobby Bland / Junior Parker | Blues Consolidated | 72 | 1958 |
Various artists | Like 'Er Red Hot | 73 | 1960 |
Bobby Bland | Two Steps From the Blues | 74 | 1961 |
Bobby Bland | Here's the man | 75 | 1962 |
Junior Parker | Driving wheel | 76 | 1962 |
Bobby Bland | Call on Me | 77 | 1963 |
Bobby Bland | Ain't Nothing You Can Do | 78 | 1964 |
Bobby Bland | Soul of the Man | 79 | 1966 |
No. 80 and 81 unknown | |||
Various artists | Blues That Gave America Soul | 82 | 1966 |
Junior Parker | Best of Junior Parker | 83 | 1967 |
Bobby Bland | Best of Bobby "Blue" Bland | 84 | 1967 |
No. 85 unknown | |||
Bobby Bland | Best Of Bobby "Blue" Bland Volume 2 | 86 | 1968 |
No. 87 unknown | |||
Bobby Bland | Touch of the blues | 88 | 1967 |
Bobby Bland | Spotlighting the Man | 89 | 1967 |
Bobby Bland | If Loving You Is Wrong | 90 | |
Joe Hinton | Duke-Peacock Remembers | 91 | |
Bobby Bland | Introspective of the Early Years | 92 | 1970 |
* second edition 1961 under No. 71