Anthem Records | |
---|---|
Parent company | Anthem Entertainment (formerly Ole Media Management) |
Founded | 1977 |
Founder | Ray Danniels Vic Wilson |
Distributor(s) | Polydor (May 1977 – March 1978) Capitol-EMI (March 1978 – October 1989) CBS (later Sony) (October 1989 – October 1995) MCA (now Universal) (October 1995 – present) |
Genre | Hard rock, [1] alternative rock |
Country of origin | Canada |
Location | Toronto, Ontario |
Official website | anthementertainment |
Anthem Records is an independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The company was formed in May 1977 by Ray Danniels and Vic Wilson with initial recording artists Rush, Max Webster, Liverpool and A Foot in Coldwater. The three members of Rush, Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson became associate directors of Anthem.
The label's predecessor was Moon Records. Anthem was formed so that Rush would have more control of their work at home in Canada (their international deal with Mercury Records initially included Canada), and so other Canadian bands would have a home, as they could not get signed by the major labels' offices in Toronto or Montreal. Anthem's sister company is SRO Management, also run by Danniels and Wilson, overseeing flagship act Rush and other bands, on and off Anthem.
Lawrence Gowan had also recorded for the label before joining Styx in 1999.
In November 2015, Anthem was acquired by Ole Media Management. [2] In June 2019, Ole rebranded as Anthem. [3]
Geddy Lee Weinrib is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the rock group Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968 at the request of his childhood friend Alex Lifeson, replacing original bassist and frontman Jeff Jones. Lee's solo effort, My Favourite Headache, was released in 2000.
Rush was a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto in 1968 that primarily comprised Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson (guitar) and Neil Peart. The band's original line-up comprised Lifeson, drummer John Rutsey, and bassist and vocalist Jeff Jones, whom Lee immediately replaced. After Lee joined, the band went through a few line-up changes before arriving at its classic power trio line-up with the addition of Peart in July 1974, who replaced Rutsey four months after the release of their self-titled debut album; this line-up remained unchanged for the remainder of the band's career.
Barenaked Ladies (BNL) is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reached mainstream success in Canada when their debut with Reprise Records, Gordon, featuring the singles "If I Had $1000000" and "Brian Wilson", was released in 1992. The band's popularity subsequently spread into the US, beginning with versions of "Brian Wilson" and "The Old Apartment" off their 1996 live album Rock Spectacle, followed by their fourth studio album Stunt, their breakout success in 1998. The album featured their highest-charting hit, "One Week", as well as "It's All Been Done" and "Call and Answer". Their fifth album, Maroon, featuring the lead single "Pinch Me", also charted highly. The band is also recognized for creating and performing the theme song to the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Signals is the ninth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 9, 1982 by Anthem Records. After the release of their previous album, Moving Pictures, the band started to prepare material for a follow-up during soundchecks on their 1981 concert tour and during the mixing of their subsequent live album Exit...Stage Left. Signals demonstrates the group's continuing use of synthesizers, sequencers, and other electronic instrumentation. It is the last album produced by their longtime associate Terry Brown, who had worked with them since 1974.
2112 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in March 1976 by Mercury Records. It reached No. 5 in Canada and became the band's commercial breakthrough in the US, peaking at No. 61.
A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on Anthem Records on August 29, 1977. The album reached No. 11 in Canada and marked a growth in the band's international fanbase, becoming their first Top 40 album in the US and the UK.
Rush is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released on March 18, 1974, in Canada by Moon Records, the group's own label, before it was released internationally by Mercury Records later that year. Recorded five years after the band's formation, this first release shows much of the hard rock sound typical of many of the popular rock bands emerging earlier in the decade. Rush were fans of such bands as Led Zeppelin, Yes and Cream, and these influences can be heard in most of the songs on the album.
Fly by Night is the second studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released on February 14, 1975, by Mercury Records. It was the first Rush album to showcase elements of progressive rock for which the band has become known. It was also the first to feature lyricist and drummer Neil Peart, who replaced original drummer John Rutsey the previous summer just prior to the band's first North American tour. Peart took over as Rush's primary lyricist, and the abundance of fantastical and philosophical themes in his compositions contrasted greatly with the simpler hard rock of the band's debut album.
Caress of Steel is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 24, 1975, by Mercury Records. It was recorded immediately after the band concluded touring in support of their previous album, Fly By Night, and marked a development in the group's sound, moving from the blues-based hard rock style of their debut towards progressive rock. Caress of Steel is considered Rush's first progressive rock album. Songs such as "The Necromancer" furthered Rush's advancement into narrative-driven, fantasy-based compositions, while "The Fountain of Lamneth" was their first prog-rock "epic" to span an entire side of vinyl. Other tracks like "Bastille Day" and "Lakeside Park" became staples of the band's live setlists.
Counterparts is the fifteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released October 19, 1993, on Anthem Records. After the band finished touring its previous album Roll the Bones (1991) in mid-1992, the members took a break before starting work on a follow-up.
Max Webster was a Canadian hard rock band formed in Toronto in 1972. The band was relatively successful in Canada, with several best-selling albums, and had some minor success in the UK, before dissolving in 1981. The band's founder, Kim Mitchell, subsequently enjoyed a long and successful solo career in his native Canada. In 2023, the band was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.
Max Webster was the first record released by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The record was released in 1976 on Taurus Records, a short-lived label created by Rush manager Ray Danniels. The album was re-issued in January 1977 by Anthem Records in Canada and on Mercury Records in the US, with the title Hangover and different artwork.
Boys Brigade was a Canadian new wave band formed in 1980 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The band consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Malcolm Burn, guitarist and vocalist Tony Lester, bass guitarist Wayne Lorenz, drummer Billie Brock and percussionists David Porter and Jeff Packer. One critic noted, "What made Boys Brigade stand out was their strong use of percussionists in a standard rock/new wave format."
Canadian blues is the blues and blues-related music performed by blues bands and performers in Canada. Canadian blues artists include singers, players of the main blues instruments: guitar, harmonica, keyboards, bass and drums, songwriters and music producers. In many cases, blues artists take on multiple roles. For example, the Canadian blues artist Steve Marriner is a singer, harmonica player, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.
Snakes & Arrows is the eighteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on May 1, 2007, by Anthem Records. After their R30: 30th Anniversary Tour ended in October 2004 the band took a one-year break, during which they agreed to start work on a follow-up in January 2006. The album was recorded in five weeks with co-producer Nick Raskulinecz, a fan of the group who was praised by each member for his approach and technique. It contains three instrumental tracks, the most on any Rush album.
Moon Records is a Canadian record publishing company established in 1973 after Rush and their SRO management company run by Ray Danniels were unable to find a record label interested in signing them. Moon Records served as an outlet for the band's first single, "Not Fade Away", and self-titled debut album Rush in 1974. Moon was distributed by London Records of Canada.
The Juno Awards of 2015 honoured Canadian music industry achievements in the latter part of 2013 and most of 2014. They were presented in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, during the weekend of March 14-15. The main ceremony was conducted at FirstOntario Centre and televised on CTV. Various related concerts and events began on March 9. This marked the sixth time they were presented in Hamilton, which last hosted the Junos in 2001.
Ray Danniels is a Canadian music executive, record producer, and talent manager. He's the founder of SRO Management group, as well as independent record labels Moon Records and Anthem Records. He first rose to prominence as the manager of the Canadian band Rush Max Webster and Kim Mitchell he later served as the manager of Extreme, King's X, and Van Halen. Sammy Hagar says in his autobiography Red that Danniels was responsible for the fracturing of Van Halen in 1996.
An independent record label is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented by trade associations in their country or region, which in turn are represented by the international trade body, the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN).
Slash Puppet were a Canadian hard rock band that debuted in Toronto in 1989. The group originally consisted of lead vocalist Mif, guitarists Lou Garscadden and Frank Bartoletti, bassist Pete Dove and drummer Franklin Wyles. In 1992 Dave Carreiro joined the band taking over as bassist. The band released three records and received awards for Best Toronto Club Band and Best Independent Music Video before disbanding in 1995.
...Rush's hybrid of heavy metal, hard rock, and progressive rock.