Bethlehem
Formed in 1954 in New York City by swiss immigrant Gus Wildi, was known primarily as a jazz record company and had a fine stable of jazz recording artists, including Bobby Scott, Ruby Braff, Herbie Mann, Chris Connor, Carmen McRae, Errol Garner, Benny Carter. The Musical Director of the company was Sy Oliver and A&R was handled by Lee Kraft and Creed Taylor. Nina recorded for Bethlehem in a single session in (December?) 1957.
The label was then distributed by King Records owned by Sydney Nathan (1904-1968). In 1958 Wildi gave King Records half ownership as payment for distribution and in 1962 Wildi sold King Records the second half of Bethlehem Records. The company's office move to Cincinnati. When Sydney Nathan has passed on 1968, all of the masters recording were sold and resold to various company.
When Syd Nathan died in 1968, his label group (including Bethlehem) was acquired by Hal Neely's Starday Company. The label group was sold to Lin Broadcasting in 1970, which in turn sold it to Tennessee Recording and Publishing Company, owned by Freddy Bienstock, Hal Neely, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who sold it in 1974 to Gusto Records.
Around 1977 the Cayre Brothers (then owners of Caytronics Distributing ans Salsoul label) acquired (apparently in liquidation) the full catalogue and masters of Bethlehem through Caytronics. They intended to release the catalog for inexpensive 8-track tapes. Salsoul and Bethlehem fall under the same corporate umbrella, with Bethlehem credited as the primary distributorship for North America.
Salsoul went defunct in 1985, but revived in 1992 as Salsoul New Generation Records (also known as Double J Records) and a year later, it changed its name to Bethlehem Music Company.
The Bethlehem Music Company which includes Salsoul Records was acquired by Verse Music Group in 2011. In 2013 Verse announce the relaunch of jazz catalog of Bethlehem.
See Bethlehem Records article on Wikipedia.
Here the excellent discography at the Both Sides Now Publications web site.
Another discography at JazzDisco.org web site.
Here the Bethlehem discography at Rate Your Music and at Discogs.
Here the 45 RPM discography for Bethlehem Records at Global Dog Productions.
Bethlehem US Labels and Company Sleeves 1954-1970 at 45-sleeves
Interview to Ken Cayre of Salsoul
Interview to Gus Wildi of Bethlehem
A short history of Bethlehem in Los Angeles Times 24 March 1996.
Gus Wildi's Bebopping Jazz Baby: Bethlehem Records 2009
Colpix
Founded on October 1958 in New York City, Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures-Screen Gems. The label was discontinued in 1966. See Colpix Records article on Wikipedia.
Nina recorded for Colpix from 1959 to 1963.
Colpix discography at the Both Sides Now Publications.
Colpix discography at Rate Your Music.
Colpix discography at Discogs.
45 RPM discography at Global Dog Productions.
45 RPM discography at 45cat.com.
Colpix US Labels and Company Sleeves 1958-1966 at 45-sleeves
Colpix UK Labels and Company Sleeves 1963-1965 at 45-sleeves
Colpix records was licensed in UK from Pye International founded in 1958 as a subsidiary of Pye Records (then Pye-Nixa). Pye International label closed down in 1978.
45 RPM discography for Pye International at Global Dog Productions.
Here the Pye International discography at Rate Your Music.
Pye Records formed Pye Golden Guinea Records in 1957 as a budget-price album label, originally costing one guinea (£1 1s 0d). It was closed in 1974 and eventually replaced by Marble Arch Records, another Pye sublabel formed in the Sixties to target budget-priced compilation albums at teen audiences.
Here the Pye International discography at Rate Your Music.
Philips
The record label was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips as "Philips Phonographische Industrie" (PPI) in 1950. Philips also distributed recordings made by the US Columbia Records on the European continent. After the separation of English Columbia and American Columbia by the end of 1954, Philips also started distributing original Columbia recordings on the Philips label in Great Britain.
In the late 1950s Philips created a subsidiary label, Fontana Records. After Columbia formed its own international operations in 1961 adopting the name of its then parent CBS, Philips signed an exchange agreement with Mercury (US) and subsequently bought Mercury. This Philips Series were introduced in the U.S. in that period.
Although some of the titles are US releases of original Dutch (and other European) Philips recordings, many titles are also original US recordings, so we can regard this series as one of the subsidiary labels of Mercury Records. As a matter of fact, there are some recordings which was originally planned to be released under EmArcy or Mercury, but transfered to this Philips label. And there is even an interesting example which was originally planned to be released under Philips label, but transfered to Limelight label. Catalogue numbers for this series have PHM (Monaural) and PHS (Stereo) prefix. (from Microgroove)
In 1962 Philips Records and Deutsche Grammophon were linked and the joint venture becomes the Phonogram Records in 1970.
Nina recorded for Philips from 1964 to 1966 and the records were released in US, UK and NL with different catalog numbers and sometime different covers.
US catalog number prefix: PHM 200 (LP mono), PHS 600 (LP stereo)
UK
catalog number prefix: BL (LP mono) SBL (LP stereo)
NL catalog number prefix:
652 (LP mono) 852 (LP stereo)
45 RPM discography for Philips Records at Global Dog Productions.
Here the Philips discography at Rate Your Music.
RCA Victor
In 1929, Radio Corporation of America (RCA) purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company, then the world's largest manufacturer of phonographs (including the famous "Victrola") and phonograph records (in British English, "gramophone records"). The company then became RCA-Victor.
The company started pressing vinyl discs in 1946, and in 1949 they issued the first 45 rpm single. Around this time they began to be known as RCA Victor, and used that name on the labels in US.
In 1968 RCA change its image with a new modern logo that replaced the famous classic Nipper dog trademark. And the background colour, which had always been black, switch to orange.
Nina Simone recorded for RCA Victor from 1967 to 1974 and the records were released in US, UK, DE, IT, FR with different catalog numbers and sometime different covers.
US catalog number prefix: LPM (LP mono), LSP (LP stereo)
UK
catalog number prefix: SF (LP stereo)
DE catalog number prefix:
CL (LP stereo)
Here the RCA Victor discography at Rate Your Music.
RCA Italiana was founded in Rome (IT) in 1951 (90% quote was of RCA Victor, 10% of Vatican City) as a subsidiary label of RCA Victor. It become a major label, and one of the most important in Italy. In 1962 the label open their new studio in via Tiburtina, Rome. Initially the logo was a red circle, while in 1969 changed to be the same as american logo, in light blue. In Italy the trademark Victor is used as a sublabel. ARC and Camden are also sublabel. In 1987 RCA Italiana was sold to BMG.
Here the RCA Italiana discography at Rate Your Music.
In 1986 the company was acquired by Bertelsmann and renamed BMG Music. In 2004 BMG and Sony merged their music holdings into a joint venture called Sony BMG. In 2008, Sony acquired Bertelsmann's interest in the record company which was officially renamed Sony Music Entertainment at the start of 2009.
Bravo Records was formed in 1959 as a sub-label of Pickwick International, both disappeared in the early '80s with the decline of vinyl.
Here the Bravo discography at Rate Your Music.
Here the Pickwick discography at Rate Your Music.
Trip and Upfront are sub-labels of Springboard International, a US discount record label, principally active in the 1970s, generally releasing lesser-known recordings of major artists.
Here the Trip discography at Rate Your Music.
Here the Upfront discography at Rate Your Music.
Canyon, Roker, Contempo
Canyon was a record label founded by Wally and Renny Roker and based in Hollywood. Wally Roker had been a singer (bass of Heartbeats 1954-1960) and then became an executive in the music business. Canyon, started and ended in 1970, published some a dozen albums, including Gifted & Black with catalog number 7705. The album contains eight tracks recorded by Nina Simone perhaps in Philadelphia, perhaps in 1955. The songs where probably all recorded "live" in one take and were not intended for release. All tracks on the album were edited, and strings were added. The album cover reports "Producer: Stroud Productions and Enterprises, Inc."
Here the Canyon discography at Rate Your Music.
At the end of 1970 Rokers switched label's name because in conflicts with a similar firm in Denver (and perhaps because financial problems). Four new labels were started: RRG, Roker, Soul Clock and Stardom, all under the banner of Roker Record Group. Under Roker label was published the album Right On, catalog number 6001, with 7 tracks from live Nina Simone performances perhaps in Paris, perhaps in 1968. The album cover reports "Producer: Stroud Productions and Enterprises, Inc.".
Contempo was initially the UK company who published Blues and Soul magazine founded by John Abbey. The magazine started as Home of the Blues in 1966, and by issue #12 the title changed to Blues and Soul. In 1970 Contempo signed a deal with Polydor to direct the new label Mojo (1971-1973) and Wally Roker concluded a deal with Polydor to furnish material for its new label, from Roker, Canyon, RRG and Soul Clock catalogs. But in 1972 Contempo ended its involvement with Polydor and the next year Abbey started his own record label Contempo (1973-1977).
Contempo published Nina's album Right On in 1975 with new title In Concert and new cover.
Here the Contempo discography at Rate Your Music.
Charly Records
Charly Records was founded in France in 1974 by Jean-Luc Young and moved to the UK in 1975 where Young joined Joop Visser.
In the Eights Charly Records acquired the catalog of Bethlehem.
Charly Records Discography by Both Side News.
Disques Carrére
Founded by Claude Carrére
in Paris (FR) in 1967. In 1991 Carrére sold his society to Time Warner Music. In the late 90's Carrere Music became East West France, a Warner sub label.