Regal Records (1949)

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Fourth USA Regal Records, c. 1950 USRegalRecord2.jpg
Fourth USA Regal Records, c. 1950

Regal Records was an American record label that issued popular music and jazz in the years after World War II. The label's headquarters were in Linden, New Jersey. This label was founded by David and Jules Braun, the founders of De Luxe Records, in 1949; it has no relation to the British, Spanish, or American versions from the 1920s. In the United States, there were also short-lived labels by this name based in California (1947–1949) and Michigan (1947), but these are unrelated to the Linden organization. This label also issued R&B and gospel music. A subsidiary called Tots and Teens issued children's records. [1]

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.

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, United States. It originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and developed from roots in blues and ragtime. Jazz is seen by many as "America's classical music". Since the 1920s Jazz Age, jazz has become recognized as a major form of musical expression. It then emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all linked by the common bonds of African-American and European-American musical parentage with a performance orientation. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions including blues and ragtime, as well as European military band music. Intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as "one of America's original art forms".

Linden, New Jersey City in Union County, New Jersey, U.S.

Linden is a city in southeastern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area, located about 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a borough of New York City, across the Arthur Kill. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 40,499, reflecting an increase of 1,105 (+2.8%) from the 39,394 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,693 (+7.3%) from the 36,701 counted in the 1990 Census.

Contents

Regal's catalogue included Alberta Hunter and Cab Calloway. [2]

Alberta Hunter American blues singer, songwriter, and nurse

Alberta Hunter was an American jazz singer and songwriter who had a successful career from the early 1920s to the late 1950s, and then stopped performing. After twenty years of working as a nurse, in 1977 Hunter successfully resumed her popular singing career until her death.

Cab Calloway American jazz singer and bandleader

Cabell Calloway was an American jazz singer, dancer, and bandleader. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City, where he was a regular performer.

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References

  1. Gart, Galen (1989). The American Record Label Directory and Dating Guide, 1940-1959. Milford, New Hampshire: Big Nickel Publications. p. 180. ISBN   0-936433-11-6.
  2. Rye, Howard (2002). Kernfeld, Barry, ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 3 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 392. ISBN   1-56159-284-6.

See also