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DJM Records | |
---|---|
Founded | 1969 |
Defunct | 1986 |
Distributor(s) | Pye Records |
Genre | various |
DJM Records (also known as Dick James Music) was a British independent record label, set up in the late 1960s by British music publisher Dick James. It was distributed by Pye Records in the UK, and various other companies around the world, including the US.
The first release on the label was by Dave Sealey and entitled "It Takes a Thief", which had been adapted from the theme music from the television series for which a lyric was written. Frank Neilson was A&R manager from 1976 to 1979, before he moved to Polydor Records. Andy Stinton was Promotions Manager for several years before moving to Canada in 1980 to start his own communications company.
Elton John was prominent on DJM, [1] except in the United States and Canada where his records were issued on the MCA Records label. In 1976, he began his own label, The Rocket Record Company. [2] He brought a lawsuit against DJM in the 1980s over the rights to his earlier (pre-1976) work.[ citation needed ]
Other acts on the label in the 1970s included Ireland's Celtic rockers Horslips; John Inman, Mr. Bloe, who included pianist Zack Laurence and harmonica player Harry Pitch; former Fleetwood Mac member Danny Kirwan, who recorded three albums for DJM, Second Chapter (1975), Midnight in San Juan (1976), and Hello There Big Boy! (1979); The Tremeloes, after their departure from CBS/Epic in 1974; singer and actor Dennis Waterman; and Johnny "Guitar" Watson, who had several successful singles and albums in the US.
Roger Hodgson – prior to joining Supertramp – issued a UK single on DJM under the name "Argosy". This record was also released on Congress Records (a division of Kapp Records) in the US.
DJM had a daughter label called "Weekend Records" for releases relating to the ITV contractor London Weekend Television such as T.V. themes and some releases appeared both on the DJM and "Weekend Records" labels. [3] Notable releases include "Hi Summer" by Carl Wayne. [4]
After Dick James' death in 1986, the DJM catalogue was acquired by PolyGram. Today, the catalogue is now owned by Polygram's successor-in-interest Universal Music Group.
Chrysalis Records is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Agency.
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is, as of 2013, a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest music management company in the world. It was also the world's largest independent owner of music intellectual property rights, with over 160,000 songs.
Lynsey de Paul was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. After initially writing hits for others, she had her own chart hits in the UK and Europe in the 1970s, starting with UK top 10 single "Sugar Me", and became the first British female artist to achieve a number one with a self-written song. She represented the UK in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest, coming second and scoring another chart-topping hit in Switzerland, and had a successful career as a songwriter, record producer, actress and television celebrity.
Dick James was a British music publisher and singer. He and Brian Epstein established the Beatles' publisher Northern Songs. Later, with his son Stephen, James founded the DJM record label and recording studios, which signed Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhood of Man (1975–1979). The label changed its name to PRT Records in 1980, before being briefly reactivated as Pye Records in 2006.
Charisma Records was a British record label founded in 1969 by former journalist Tony Stratton Smith. He had previously acted as manager for rock bands such as The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der Graaf Generator. Gail Colson was label manager and joint managing director.
Geno Washington is an American R&B singer who released five albums with the Ram Jam Band between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo albums beginning in 1976.
Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre of the 1970s. In addition to forming their own label, Philadelphia International Records, Gamble and Huff have written and produced 175 gold and platinum records, earning them an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the non-performer category in March 2008.
Ian Geoffrey Levine is a British songwriter, producer, and DJ. A moderniser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of hi-NRG, he has written and produced records with sales totalling over 40 million. Levine is known as a fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.
Brian Laurence Bennett, is an English drummer, pianist, composer and producer of popular music. He is best known as the drummer of the UK rock and roll group the Shadows. He is the father of musician and Shadows band member Warren Bennett.
Domenico Monardo, known as Meco, was an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of his band or production team. Meco is best known for his 1977 space disco version of the Star Wars theme from his album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk; both the single and album were certified platinum in the US.
David James McAleer is the main contributor for the Virgin Book of British Hit Singles, The Virgin Book of British Hit Albums and the Virgin Book of Top 40 Charts, and was the sole Music Consultant for the Guinness World Records between 1998 and 2011. McAleer is currently the OCC to the Official Charts Company. He was the Chief Consultant/Contributor for the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums for nine years, and has written or co-written over forty published music books.
John William Cann, later known by his stage name John Du Cann, was an English guitarist primarily known through his work in the 1970s band Atomic Rooster.
Greatest Hits 1976–1986 is a collection of hits by Elton John released in the United States only by MCA Records in 1992. It replaced an earlier compilation, Geffen's 1987 release Elton John's Greatest Hits Vol. 3. This was necessitated because of a shift in the control of copyrights and a resulting reshuffling of compilation albums.
The Addrisi Brothers were an American pop duo from Winthrop, Massachusetts. The brothers themselves were Donald "Don" Addrisi and Richard "Dick" Addrisi.
Sue and Sunny were a British vocal duo of session singers operating in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Although sisters, their stage names were Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie. For three years (1969–1972), they were members of British pop group Brotherhood of Man.
The Rocket Record Company is a record label founded by Elton John, along with Bernie Taupin, Gus Dudgeon, Steve Brown and others, in 1973. The company was named after John's hit song "Rocket Man". The label was originally distributed in the UK by Island and in the US by MCA Records, both of which John was also signed to.
"My Man and Me" is a song written, recorded and produced by the British female singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul for her second album, Taste Me... Don't Waste Me, and released as a single backed with de Paul's smoochy version of "Dancing on a Saturday Night" on 21 February 1975.
Hi Summer was a British television variety show made by London Weekend Television and shown on UK television in 1977 by ITV, the oldest commercial network in the UK. A total of eight episodes were made and featured a cast that included Leslie Crowther, Lena Zavaroni, Carl Wayne, Pearly Gates, Anna Dawson, Derek Griffiths, Chris Quinten and Stephanie Lawrence. This travelling variety show featured sketches, topical comedy and musical numbers that were recorded both in studio and on location. The theme tune was composed by Lynsey de Paul, and sung by Carl Wayne and was released as a single in 1977 as well as later that year on the album TV Themes . De Paul's theme was later re-used on commercials for TV Times.
"Hi Summer" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and recorded by Carl Wayne as a single released on the DJM/Weekend label on 5 August 1977, although curiously, the release of the single was announced in "The Stage" on 17 September 1977 The B-side of the single is another song composed by de Paul, "My Girl and Me". Both songs were produced by de Paul with "Hi Summer" being published by Standard Music. It was used as the theme tune to the popular Sunday night prime time ITV variety programme Hi Summer which also featured Carl Wayne as one of the performers. The song received good reviews, with notable British DJ and music critic James Hamilton writing "Ultra-brite and bouncy TV theme really does get ‘em jiving" for his weekly disco music feature in Record Mirror. That issue of Record Mirror also contained a half page advert for the single. Music Week also featured a full-page advert for the single. College DJ Andy Davids promoted an uptempo television theme playlist at the time, that included "Hi Summer" along with the theme tunes from "Happy Days" by Pratt & McClain as well as the Muppet Show.