Fenton Records

Last updated
Fenton Records
Founded 1960s
Founder Dave Kalmbach
Genre Garage rock
Country of origin U.S.
Location Sparta, Michigan
Official website www.rimpo.de/fenton.htm

Fenton Records was an independent record label founded by Dave Kalmbach in the early 1960s. The label was based in Sparta, Michigan, though is often regarded as a Grand Rapids, Michigan garage rock label.

An independent record label is a record label that operates without the funding of major record labels. Many artists begin their careers on independent labels.

Sparta, Michigan Village in Michigan, United States

Sparta is a village in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,140 at the 2010 census. The village resides in Sparta Township.

Garage rock is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced various revivals since then. The style is characterized by basic chord structures played on electric guitars and other instruments, sometimes distorted through a fuzzbox, as well as often unsophisticated and occasionally aggressive lyrics and delivery. Its name derives from the perception that groups were often made up of young amateurs who rehearsed in the family garage, although many were professional.

Contents

It is known for releasing albums by Michigan garage bands such as the Quests, the Plagues, the Barons, the Aardvarks, the Assortment, the Chancellors, the Ones, Tonto and the Renegades, and the Jades. Over a six-year span, the label released at least 100 45rpm records and a handful of LPs.

The Quests (American band)

The Quests were an American garage rock band formed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1964. Recording for Fenton Records between 1966 and 1967, the group released three singles in their career. Although the group was hampered by a lyrical controversary surrounding one of their tunes, they achieved regional popularity among their teen fanbase with the original songs "Scream Loud" and "Shadows in the Night". Since the Quests' disbandment, their material has been well-documented on garage rock compilation albums and prompted surviving members to occasionally reunite.

The Plagues

The Plagues were an American garage rock band from Lansing, Michigan who were active in the 1960s. They were led by bass player, principal songwriter, and vocalist William Malone. The group had a local and regional hit with "I’ve Been Through It Before". Malone left the band in 1966 to join the Frightened Trees, as the remaining members formed a new group out of the ashes of the Plagues, the Plain Brown Wrapper. Malone later became a successful Hollywood movie director, whose 2008 horror thriller Parasomnia included "I’ve Been Through It Before", as well as other songs by the Plagues and other 1960s garage bands. In the intervening years the Plagues work has attracted a following amongst garage rock enthusiasts and collectors.

The Aardvarks (band) American garage rock band active in the 1960s

The Aardvarks were an American garage rock band from Muskegon, Michigan who were active between 1964-1968. They were one of the most popular groups in the Muskegon area and recorded three singles, two of which were issued on Dave Kalmback's Fenton label based out of Sparta, Michigan. The group scored a local hit with "I'm Higher than I'm Down", which is now considered a garage rock classic, and their work as a whole is highly regarded by collectors and enthusiasts.

The record label

The Fenton Records label was started in the village of Sparta (near Grand Rapids) in the early 1960s by Dave Kalmbach, with help from business partner Bruce Smith. [1]

Many bands that recorded with the label were from Grand Rapids, however bands from other Michigan cities like Lansing, Cedar Springs, Greenville, Bay City, and Grand Ledge would travel to Sparta to record at the studio.

Lansing, Michigan Capital of Michigan

Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2010 Census placed the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan. The population of its Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was 464,036, while the even larger Combined Statistical Area (CSA) population, which includes Shiawassee County, was 534,684. It was named the new state capital of Michigan in 1847, ten years after Michigan became a state.

Cedar Springs, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Cedar Springs is a city in Kent County in the state of Michigan, United States, 20 miles north of Grand Rapids. The population was 3,509 at the 2010 census.

Bay City, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Bay City is a city in Bay County, Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Combined Statistical Area. The city, along with nearby Midland and Saginaw, form the Greater Tri-Cities region of Central Michigan, which has more recently been called the Great Lakes Bay Region.

The label and studio (Great Lakes Recording Studio) was operated out of a movie theater and was one of only three studios in the Grand Rapids area. The company was a "pay as you go" label, meaning the label offered bands recording, mastering services and vinyl pressing for a fee.

The vinyl was originally produced out of state, though later Fenton vinyl was pressed at American Record Pressing in Owosso, Michigan, which also made records for Motown. [1]

Owosso, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Owosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,194 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent. The city was named after Chief Wasso, an Ojibwa leader of the Shiawassee area.. Owosso is the largest city in Shiawassee County.

Motown Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered.

Fenton subsidiaries

Fenton Records was what is known as a "vanity" label, meaning bands paid for recording time and some vinyl records. Rumor has it that if Kalmbach thought the song lacked quality, he wouldn't release it on Fenton, instead it would be tagged with a sub-label, such as 4 Count or Buyit Records. Other times band members would be allowed to pick (or create) which label-name they wanted to be under, such as Sound of the Sceen and Vark. [2]

See also

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Tonto and the Renegades

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<i>Scream Loud!!! The Fenton Story</i> 2007 compilation album

Scream Loud!!! The Fenton Story is a garage rock compilation consisting of songs released by Fenton Records in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the assorted vanity labels that it had pressed and distributed for various regional acts, primarily from western Michigan in the 1960s, and is available on identical LP and CD formats.* The set focuses on basic upbeat and rocking material, but includes a couple of odd and more eclectic expetions. Fenton's founder was musician and entrepreneur Dave Kalmbach, who intended the label to be a place where un-established groups could have a place to record on either the Fenton label itself or on their own vanity labels, which were usually given special custom names chosen by the bands and their management, often under the arrangement that the bands would pay themselves for most of the recording and pressing costs, but receive a certain share in royalties. Commenting on how these recordings more-or-less function as aural snapshots taken from the bygone scrapbook of a more innocent time, Stephen Thomas Earlewine commented:

The Jades (American band)

The Jades were an American garage rock and band from Sparta, Michigan who were active in the 1960s. They were one of the most popular bands in Sparta and West Michigan and cut two singles for Fenton Records owned by Dave Kalmback, who eventually became the group's manager. They are remembered for songs such as "Please Come Back" and the topical "Confined Congregation", and their work is highly regarded today by garage rock collectors and enthusiasts.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Fenton Story". rimpo.de. Nov 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-08-13. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  2. "West Michigan Label Releases". grandrapidsrocks.com. Retrieved 2009-06-23.