Sonorous Records Inc. | |
---|---|
Parent company | Universal Music Group |
Founded | 2011 |
Founder | Dwayne Bigelow, Stephen Taub and Ivan Cavric [1] |
Distributor(s) | Virgin Music Group |
Location | 133 Richmond St. West Suite 310. Toronto, Ontario Canada |
Official website | sonorousrecordings |
Sonorous Records Inc. is an American company that was established in 2011 as an independent Christian record label by Dwayne Bigelow (Principal/CEO). The company's headquarters is located in Boca Raton, Florida, with its International Division located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2015 the company became Sonorous Records Inc. with headquarters in Toronto Ontario. Sonorous Entertainment remained as the publishing arm.
House of Beauty was a beauty salon established around 1948 by Carmen Murphy. In the 1950s she started funding gospel recordings and converted the salon's basement into a practice room. [2]
Ms Murphy's inspiration for HOB Records started when she attended a Good Friday Mass in her home town of Detroit. Finding herself particularly moved by the performances that evening she would eventually convert the basement of her salon "House of Beauty" into a rehearsal space for local Gospel acts. Later that year she funded the recording of a local Gospel star Rev. James Cleveland and the HOB Record label was born. Artists for the label included Shirley Caesar, Rev. James Cleveland, The Staple Singers, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Albertina Walker, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and many others.
Over the years the HOB Records label was owned and operated by a number of companies. The label grew commercially and successfully between 1964 and 1976 when Scepter Records owned it. In 1976 the owner of Scepter Records, Florence Greenberg decided to retire and sold her record labels to Springboard International. When Springboard went bankrupt, Gusto Records acquired the HOB catalog. In the years to follow the HOB catalog continued to change hands. [3]
In the Fall of 2011 Sonorous Entertainment acquired the House of Beauty (HOB) Music Catalog which gave Sonorous the copyrights to over 3,000 sound recordings and the publishing rights to over 200 songs. [4]
With a vast collection of songs from the HOB Music Catalog, Sonorous began producing its Platinum Gospel Series. This series included digitally remastered compilations of various and individual Gospel artists. Physical and digital distribution in the United States for the series was undertaken by Sonorous' distribution partner Capitol Records. [5]
Sonorous Entertainment currently operates under the umbrella of Interscope Capitol Labels Group.
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and 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.
Capitol Records, LLC, and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note in the United States in 1942 by Johnny Mercer, Buddy DeSylva, and Glenn E. Wallichs. Capitol was acquired by British music conglomerate EMI as its North American subsidiary in 1955. EMI was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2012, and was merged with the company a year later, making Capitol and the Capitol Music Group both distributed by UMG. The label's circular headquarters building is a recognized landmark of Hollywood, California.
London Recordings is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London name – as London American Recordings, often shortened to London American – was also used by British Decca in the UK market, for releases taken from American labels, which British Decca licensed.
Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll.
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus.
Word Records is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Curb Records, and is a part of Word Entertainment. It is distributed by Warner Records.
Wand Records was an American independent record label, started by Florence Greenberg in 1961 as a subsidiary of Scepter Records. Artists on Wand Records included The Isley Brothers, The Kingsmen, Mel Wynn & the Rhythm Aces, Chuck Jackson, and the Monzas.
Scepter Records was an American record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg.
Gusto Records is a Nashville, Tennessee-based record company that specializes in reissuing and licensing recordings.
Word Entertainment is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Curb Records. Word Entertainment represents Francesca Battistelli, for King & Country, Switchfoot, Skillet, Sidewalk Prophets, Chris August, Big Daddy Weave, in addition to many others, and is home to Word Distribution, 25 Live, Word Music Publishing and Word Label Group's Word Records and Fervent Records.
James Edward Cleveland was an American gospel singer, musician, and composer. Known as the "King of Gospel," Cleveland was a driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound by incorporating traditional black gospel, soul, pop, and jazz in arrangements for mass choirs.
Capitol Christian Music Group (Capitol CMG) (formerly known as EMI Christian Music Group) is an American music group that, since 2013, is under the ownership of Universal Music Group. It is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Capitol CMG is in the Christian Gospel music industry.
The Zomba Group of Companies was a music group and division owned by and operated under Sony Music Entertainment. The division was renamed to Jive Label Group in 2009 and was placed under the RCA/Jive Label Group umbrella. In 2011, the RCA/Jive Label Group was split in half. Multiple Jive Label Group artists were moved to Epic Records while others stayed with Jive as it moved under the RCA Music Group. In October 2011 Jive Records was shut down and their artists were moved to RCA Records.
Vickie Winans is an American gospel singer.
Malaco Records is an American independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, that has been the home of various major blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, Mel Waiters, Z. Z. Hill, Denise LaSalle, Latimore, Dorothy Moore, Little Milton, Shirley Brown, Tyrone Davis, Marvin Sease, and the Mississippi Mass Choir. It has received an historic marker issued by the Mississippi Blues Commission to commemorate its important place on the Mississippi Blues Trail.
Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) is a music distribution company owned by Warner Music Group, which represents the rights to various independent record labels. ADA provides "independent artist and label partners with access to the resources, relationships and experience required to share their creative vision with a global audience."
Florence Greenberg was an American record label owner, music executive, and record producer. She was the founder and owner of Tiara Records, Scepter Records, Hob Records, and Wand Records. She is best known for working as a record producer and music executive with several popular singers in the 1960s including Dionne Warwick, the Shirelles, Tammi Terrell, Chuck Jackson, and B.J. Thomas.