Coed Records

Last updated
Coed Records
Parent companyBeach Road Music, LLC
Founded1958
Founder George Paxton, Marvin Cane
StatusActive
Genre Doo-wop, Pop
Country of origin U.S.

George Paxton and Marvin Cane formed Coed Records, Inc. in New York City in 1958, and had offices at 1619 Broadway in the Brill Building. [1] George Paxton produced many of the songs on this label, most of which were of the East Coast Doo-wop group style, and some of these became hit songs of the day. Between 1958 and 1965, Coed's biggest acts included the Crests, the Rivieras, the Duprees, the Harptones, Trade Martin and Adam Wade, among others.

Frequently working with arranger & songwriter Fred Weismantel, Paxton's big-band background came in particularly handy with the Duprees, who combined group vocals with deliberately nostalgic swing orchestra backing on hits like "You Belong to Me" and "Why Don't You Believe Me." [2] Other highlights include The Crests' "16 Candles" and three songs from the group's so-called "angel series," "The Angels Listened In," "Pretty Little Angel," and "Trouble In Paradise". [2] Coed Records' final singles were released in 1965.

Future co-founder of A&M Records, Jerry Moss, began his music career promoting The Crests' "16 Candles" record for Coed. [3]

In April 2010, the Coed Records catalogue was acquired by Los Angeles-based rights-management firm Beach Road Music, LLC. [4] In January 2011, Beach Road released the album From The Vault: The Coed Records Lost Master Tapes Volume 1.

See also

Related Research Articles

Jan and Dean American musical duo

Jan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence. In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music styles popularized by the Beach Boys.

Del Shannon American musician

Charles Weedon Westover, better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American rock and roll country musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number 1 Billboard hit "Runaway".

Connie Stevens American actress and singer

Connie Stevens is an American actress, director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and singer. Born in Brooklyn, New York City to musician parents, Stevens was raised there until age 12, when she was sent to live with family friends in rural Missouri after she witnessed a murder in the city. In 1953, at age 15, Stevens relocated with her father to Los Angeles, California.

Herb Alpert American musician

HerbAlpert is an American trumpeter who led Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss.

Carl Wilson American musician (1946–1998)

Carl Dean Wilson was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their lead guitarist, as the younger brother of bandmates Brian and Dennis Wilson, and as the group's de facto leader in the early 1970s. He was also the band's musical director on stage from 1965 until his death.

Kim Fowley American record producer and musician

Kim Vincent Fowley was an American record producer, singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and for managing the Runaways in the 1970s. He has been described as "one of the most colorful characters in the annals of rock & roll", as well as "a shadowy cult figure well outside the margins of the mainstream".

The Knickerbockers

The Knickerbockers were an American garage rock band, formed in Bergenfield, New Jersey, United States, in 1964. They released the 1965 hit "Lies", which was known for its resemblance to the Beatles.

The Brooklyn Bridge (band)

The Brooklyn Bridge is an American musical group, best known for their million-selling rendition of Jimmy Webb's "Worst That Could Happen" (1968).

Jerome S. Moss is an American recording executive, best known for being the co-founder of A&M Records, along with trumpet player and bandleader Herb Alpert.

The Duprees

The Duprees are an American musical group of doo-wop style who had a series of top-ten singles in the early 1960s. Their highest charting single, "You Belong to Me" reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. In 1970, they recorded as The Italian Asphalt & Pavement Company with moderate commercial success.

The Crests were an American doo-wop group, formed by bass vocalist J.T. Carter in the mid 1950s. The group had several Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s on Coed Records. Their most popular song, "16 Candles", rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1959 selling over one million copies and earning a gold disc status. The group's other hits include "Step By Step", "The Angels Listened In", "Trouble In Paradise", "Six Nights A Week", and "A Year Ago Tonight". The Crests were the first interracially mixed doo-wop group, consisting of three African American members, one Puerto Rican, and one Italian American.

Post Records is an American record label which was formed by Buzz Curtis in the early-1960s. Located in Philadelphia, PA. Curtis pressed many such compilations in the 1960s and 1970s. Most would contain one or two localized hits. Both volumes of "CKLW Solid Gold" were American LPs, pressed by Post Records of Philadelphia.

Gary S. Paxton American record producer, recording artist, and songwriter

Gary Sanford Paxton was an American record producer, recording artist, and Grammy and Dove Award winning songwriter. Paxton was a member of Skip & Flip and the Hollywood Argyles and was the producer of two number one Billboard Hot 100 singles, "Alley Oop" for the Hollywood Argyles in 1960 and "Monster Mash" for Bobby "Boris" Pickett in 1962.

Challenge Records was founded in Los Angeles in 1957 by cowboy singer Gene Autry and former Columbia Records A&R representative Joe Johnson. Autry's involvement with the label was short-lived as he sold his interest to the remaining partners in October 1958.

George Paxton Musical artist

George Paxton was an American big band leader, saxophonist, arranger, and publisher during the 1930s and 1940s. He was president of Coed Records and a producer for the label.

Trade Martin Musical artist

Trade Martin is an American musician, songwriter and producer.

16 Candles (song) 1958 single by The Crests

"16 Candles" is a 1958 song performed by The Crests and written by Luther Dixon and Allyson R. Khent.

Luther Dixon was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Dixon's songs achieved their greatest success in the 1950s and 1960s, and were recorded by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Jackson 5, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dusty Springfield, Jimmy Reed and others. As a producer, Dixon helped create the signature sound of the girl group the Shirelles.

The Earth Angels Spanish vocal group

The Earth Angels are a Spanish doo-wop vocal group from Barcelona, Catalonia which performs a cappella music. On tour, they also sing on city streets. The group formed in 2007, when bass-baritone Christian Carrasco announced that he was looking for a doo-wop singer and found lead vocalist Jordi Majó.

Omnivore Recordings American independent record label founded 2010

Omnivore Recordings is an independent record label founded in 2010. It specializes in historical releases, reissues and previously unissued vintage recordings, as well as select releases of new music, on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Omnivore Recordings is a part of Omnivore Entertainment Group LLC, which also incorporates sister companies Omnivore Music Publishing and Omnivore Creative, which provides A&R and art direction/design consulting for recording artists, artist estates, and other record labels.

References

  1. "Coed Album Discography". Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
  2. 1 2 allmusic ((( The Best of Coed Records > Overview )))
  3. Jerry Moss - Hollywood Star Walk LosAngelesTimes.com Retrieved 17 March 2011
  4. Baptista, Todd (March 2011). “Lost and Found”, Goldmine , Volume 37, Issue 797, Page 97.