Playhouse Records

Last updated
Playhouse Records
Founded 1958 (1958)
Founder Jim Copp and Ed Brown
Genre Children's
Country of origin U.S.
Official website www.playhouserecords.com

Playhouse Records is a record label founded by Jim Copp and Ed Brown in 1958 to release children's music. Over the course of 13 years, Copp and Brown wrote, recorded, designed, produced and promoted nine albums of their own material and continued to run the label until 1978 when Ed Brown died from pancreatic cancer. The label resumed production and distribution of Copp and Brown's material on cassette and CD under the direction of Ted and Laura Leyhe in the 1990s.

A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing, promotion, and enforcement of copyright for sound recordings and music videos, while also conducting talent scouting and development of new artists, and maintaining contracts with recording artists and their managers. The term "record label" derives from the circular label in the center of a vinyl record which prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other information. Within the mainstream music industry, recording artists have traditionally been reliant upon record labels to broaden their consumer base, market their albums, and be both promoted and heard on music streaming services, radio, and television. Record labels also provide publicists, who assist performers in gaining positive media coverage, and arrange for their merchandise to be available via stores and other media outlets.

Jim Copp and Ed Brown American musical duo

Jim Copp and Ed Brown recorded and released nine albums of stories and songs for children between 1958 and 1971. Andrew James "Jim" Copp III wrote all of the stories and songs, and played and recorded all of the music. Ed Brown designed and illustrated all of the duo's album covers. Both men performed the various characters' voices, often with the help of tape manipulation and were among the first to devise and use multi-track recording and electronic music for children's records. Copp and Brown's work has been compared to that of Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Dr. Seuss, and Pee-wee Herman.

Children's music or kids' music is music composed and performed for children. In European-influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has historically held both entertainment and educational functions. Children's music is often designed to provide an entertaining means of teaching children about their culture, other cultures, good behavior, facts and skills. Many are folk songs, but there is a whole genre of educational music that has become increasingly popular.

Contents

Discography

The Original LPs

All nine of the original LPs were rereleased on cassette. Jim Copp Tales, Thimble Corner, East of Flumdiddle, A Fidgetty Frolic, A Journey to San Francisco with The Glups and Schoolmates have been released in their entirety on CD.

CD Collections

See also

Related Research Articles

Cassette culture

Cassette culture refers to the practices associated with amateur production and distribution of recorded music that emerged in the late 1970s via home-made audio cassettes. It is characterized by the adoption of home recording by independent artists, and involvement in ad-hoc self-distribution and promotion networks—primarily conducted through mail and fanzines. The culture was in part an offshoot of the mail art movement of the 1970s and 1980s, and participants engaged in tape trading in addition to traditional sales. The culture is related to the DIY ethic of punk, and encouraged musical eclecticism and diversity.

Snakefinger English musician, singer and songwriter

Philip Charles Lithman, who performed under the stage name Snakefinger, was an English musician, singer and songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his guitar and violin work and his collaborations with The Residents.

Fuck is an American indie rock band, formed in Oakland, California in 1993. The band consists of Timothy Prudhomme, Geoff Soule, Kyle Statham, and Theodore Ellison. They have recorded for a number of labels including Matador Records and Homesleep Records of Italy.

Resurrection Band American Christian rock band

Resurrection Band, also known as Rez Band or REZ, was a Christian rock band formed in 1972. They were part of the Jesus People USA Christian community in Chicago and most of its members have continued in that community to this day. Known for their blend of blues-rock and hard rock, Resurrection Band is credited as one of the forerunners of the Christian metal genre. Christianity Today called them "the most influential band in Christian music history." Following their debut in 1978, the band's greatest popularity was during the early 1980s, but later in the decade they received some crossover success when they had two music videos featured on MTV.

Royal Crown Revue band

Royal Crown Revue (RCR) is a band formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. They are often credited with starting the swing revival movement.

Tarentel (band)

Tarentel is a band based in San Francisco, California, which formed in 1995. Initially, the band consisted of Danny Grody and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. The line-up altered over the years and has included John Hughes, Trevor Montgomery, Patricia Kavanaugh, Kenseth Thibideau, Jeffrey Rosenberg, Jim Redd, Tony Cross, Steve Dye and others.

<i>We Care a Lot</i> 1985 studio album by Faith No More

We Care a Lot is the debut studio album by American rock band Faith No More, originally released in 1985 and distributed through San Francisco-based label Mordam Records. On the original vinyl release, the band is credited as "Faith. No More." on the album's liner notes, back cover, and on the record itself.

Danbert Nobacon musician

Nigel Hunter, known as Danbert Nobacon, is an English musician, the former vocalist and occasional keyboard player in the Leeds based anarchist band Chumbawamba.

Victims Family American hardcore punk band

Victims Family is a hardcore punk band formed in 1984 in Santa Rosa, California, by the bass guitarist Larry Boothroyd and the guitarist and vocalist Ralph Spight. Devon VrMeer completed the trio as drummer. Their sound blended punk, heavy metal and jazz, making them difficult to categorize into a single genre. Allmusic says, "Since its inception, the trio has refused to be pigeonholed to any single musical style — incorporating elements of hardcore punk, jazz, funk, hard rock, and noise into its challenging sound". They were known as one of the most musically diverse bands in the San Francisco underground music scene. Over the years, Victims Family went through four drummers and two break-ups. Their name was taken from a piece by the cartoonist B. Kliban.

Rough Trade (shops) independent record shops

Rough Trade is a group of independent record shops in the UK and the US with headquarters in London, UK.

Oranger was a San Francisco indie rock band.

Allen Gordon Clapp is the singer, guitarist and principal songwriter for the California rock band The Orange Peels. Since 1990, he has also periodically released material under his own name and under the moniker "Allen Clapp and his Orchestra."

Eric Gaffney is an American songwriter and recording artist., and has been home recording on cassette since 1981, as an active participant in the Western Mass hardcore scene. From 1983-1984, he founded, wrote songs for, and drummed with Grey Matter, opening hall shows with Jerry's Kids, F.U.'s, The Big Boys, Raw Power, Adrenalin O.D., Siege, and others.

Madigan Shive American punk rock cellist

Madigan Shive, or Bonfire Madigan Shive, is an American songwriter, performing artist, community organizer, and musician.

The Band of Holy Joy

The Band of Holy Joy are an English band formed in New Cross, London, and initially active between 1984, and 1993, releasing several albums. In 1992, they abbreviated their name to Holy Joy. They reformed in 2002, under their original name, releasing a new album called Love Never Fails. They concentrated on other musical projects during 2003 to 2006. The band began performing live again in 2007 and have since released a number of albums, including How To Kill A Butterfly in 2011, a limited edition double cassette City of Tales, Volume 1 and 2 in 2013, Easy Listening in 2014 and The Land Of Holy Joy in 2015. A new album Funambulist We Love You was released in October 2017.

The Green Pajamas are a musical group from Seattle, Washington. They formed in the spring of 1984 when Jeff Kelly and Joe Ross recorded and released their first album, Summer Of Lust. They are probably best known for the regional hit single "Kim the Waitress".

South Indies is a rights and publishing label established in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1984 as a vinyl records label and small book publisher. It released vinyl, books, cassettes and video-cassettes before moving into the leasing of material to distributing labels, and the protection of existing copyright.

Burger Records American independent record label

Burger Records is an American independent record label and record store in Fullerton, California, United States. The label was founded in 2007 by Sean Bohrman and Lee Rickard, members of the power pop band Thee Makeout Party. The record/video store co-owned by Sean Bohrman and Brian Flores was opened in 2009.

Rik Rue is an Australian experimental musician, and sound artist, known for his audio collages in recordings and live performance.

References