Kent Records

Kent Records
Parent company	Modern Records Ace Records
Active years	1958-1973
founder	Saul Bihari, Jules Bihari
Seat	Los Angeles , California
Genre (s)	Blues , rhythm and blues , comedy

Kent Records was an American record label founded in 1958 as a subsidiary of the independent Modern Records . The label's musical focus was on the blues . After the bankruptcy of the parent company in the mid-1960s, the owners continued to run Kent as their main label.

history

The brothers Saul and Jules Bihari started Modern Records in 1945 in Los Angeles , California. In 1958 the Kent Records sub-label followed, which was designed primarily for single editions by the contractually bound blues performers of Modern. Celebrity bluesers like BB King , Elmore James and ZZ Hill have been released on Kent.

Between 1965 and 1973 the recordings of the discontinued mother label and the sister label Crown Records were now re-released in album form on Kent. The management and the issuing practice of Modern Records were taken over, in that old recordings were often only newly compiled and re-marketed. The equipment and quality of the records, on the other hand, have been improved compared to the previous editions by introducing liner notes and title lists and using better materials. In 1971, the release of singles was discontinued on Kent and transferred to the sister label United Superior .

Kent Records released around 200 singles by 1971 and at least 35 albums between 1965 and 1973, including a comedy series with Rudy Ray Moore .

Since 1982 Ace Records has released old recordings under license under the Kent label, and in 1990 the British company finally bought the Kent label and the original tapes that went with it. Initially, Ace Records used the Kent label for the release of Northern Soul , and from the late 1990s onwards increasingly for Southern Soul .

Artist

The following artists released on Kent Records in the order of their first single:

Danny Boy BB King Barker Brothers Marvin & Johnny Etta James Don Cole Lee Denson Chuck Rio Flash Terry Floyd Dixon Sonny Knight Artie Wilson Jesse James Betty and Dupree The Senders Hadda Brooks Joanna Dean Jesse Belvin Johnny Guitar Watson Elmore James John Lee Hooker Greg Young Woody Herman The Seniors

Jimmy Witherspoon The Jacks Maria Marshall The teen queens Jimmy Nelson Charlie Owens and the Ink Spots The Wanderers Rudy Ray Moore Tony Allen Joe Houston Jimmy McCracklin Teddy Reynolds Pat Hunt Hal Davis Roy Hawinns Mike Adams and the Red Jackets Bobby Bland with Ike Turner Classicals The Newports Bobby Sanders Roosevelt Sykes Beatrice Lee Lowell Fulsom Mighty Hannibal

Little Henry and the Shamrocks Terry and the Tyrants Johnny Williams Ike and Tina Turner ZZ Hill Vernon and Jewell Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns Billy Watkins Gene Taylor Count Popeye Big Mama Thornton Dick Michaels Sweethearts Booker T. Averhart and the Mustangs Esther Williams King Soloman Maxwell Davis The intentions Willie Garland Clay Hammond Willie Haeden The Saints Jimmy Holiday Felice Taylor

Jimmy Robins Joe Haywood Bobby White Billy Harner Willie Gauf Betty Bibbs Al King Long gone miles Charles Brown Model T Slim Johnny Otis Larry Davis Big Joe Turner Tommy Youngblood Merryweather Momma and Pappa Rock 'N Family Cliff Chambers JB and Water She Sherwood Fleming Packer Four tees Jimmy Bee Scott Johnny Copeland and the Soul Agents

Issue series

Singles

• Kent 300-512 (1958-1969)
• Kent 4511-4536 (1969-1971)

Albums

• Kent KLP-5000 – KLP-5030 in Mono (1965–1968)
• Kent KST-500 – KST-600 and KST-9011 in stereo (1969–1973)
• Kent Comedy Series 001-020

Web links

• David Edwards and Mike Callahan on Modern Records in BothSidesNow
• David Edwards and Mike Callahan's album discography from Kent Records in BothSidesNow
• 45 Kent Records discography at Global Dog Productions