Paradise Records was an American record label founded by Leon Russell in 1976 in Burbank, California.
Paradise Records was the second record label company founded by Russell, the first being Shelter Records which Russell co-founded with Denny Cordell in 1969. Russell ran Shelter with Cordell until 1976, when the two had a falling out. [1] In a settlement, Cordell became sole owner of the Shelter Records label, and Russell left to start his own label, Paradise Records.
Paradise Records was learning place for Steve Ripley and members of Concrete Blonde; Ripley later started the country retro group, The Tractors.
Paradise Records are currently made and distributed by Warner Bros. Records. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Paradise Records included Paradise Studios, a recording studio complex with two audio sound stages and one television production stage, as well as a remote recording bus and a remote television production bus that could support the stages or travel. The studio aired a weekly live television music show New Wave Theatre shown on USA Network. The studio produced music videos for James Taylor and Randy Meisner, and long-format videos for Willie Nelson, J.J.Cale, Bonnie Raitt and Leon Russell. [8] [9]
Russell sold the complex in 1982, after which it was home to Alpha Studios and then Oracle Post. In 2014, the facility became Bang Zoom! Entertainment's second multi-room production facility. [10]
J. J. Cale and Leon Russell recorded a live session at Paradise Studios in June 1979. The previously unseen footage was discovered in Nashville in 2001 and features several tracks from 5 album, including "Sensitive Kind", "Lou-Easy-Ann", "Fate of a Fool", "Boilin' Pot", and "Don't Cry Sister". Cale worked at Paradise Studios as an engineer. The footage was officially released in 2003 as J.J. Cale featuring Leon Russell: In Session at the Paradise Studios. [11] [12] [13] [14]