Vault Records

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Vault Records was a record label founded by Jack Lewerke and Ralph Keffel in Los Angeles in 1965. [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.

Vault is known for contributing to the popularity of surf rock by releasing Surfbeat , the debut album of the Challengers. ATCO Records distributed the label's recordings until 1965, when the task was taken over by Autumn Records, an independent label in San Francisco. After Autumn folded in 1966, Vault was given the catalogue. As surf rock lost popularity, Vault reissued some of its more obscure releases and signed psychedelic rock musicians. By 1969, Vault had released two nationally charting singles, and Lewerke sold the company to National Tape Distributors of Milwaukee. In 1971, he repurchased the master tapes and reissued material on JAS Records. [2] [3]

<i>Surfbeat</i> album by The Challengers

Surfbeat was the first album recorded by the Los Angeles-based surf rock group The Challengers. They recorded the album in a 3½ hour session at the end of 1962. The album was released in early 1963 and became a huge hit, helping to propel the surf genre. It was sought by collectors for many years and gained great notoriety in the obscure surf market. In 1994, Sundazed records, a company with a lot of vintage surf at its disposal, released the album on CD with two bonus tracks.

The Challengers was an instrumental surf rock band started in late 1962. They were located in Los Angeles. They represented a growing love for surf music and helped make the genre popular. Their debut album Surfbeat was the biggest selling surf album of all time and helped bring surf music from California to the rest of the world.

Autumn Records was a 1960s San Francisco-based pop record label. Among the notable acts on its roster was The Beau Brummels, a band who released a pair of top 20 singles, "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little".

Vault's jazz catalogue included albums by Hampton Hawes, Charlie Barnet, and Larry Bunker with Gary Burton. [1]

Hampton Hawes American jazz pianist

Hampton Barnett Hawes, Jr. was an American jazz pianist. He was the author of the memoir Raise Up Off Me, which won the Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975.

Charlie Barnet American saxophonist, composer, bandleader

Charles Daly Barnet was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.

Lawrence Benjamin Bunker was an American jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and percussionist. A member of the Bill Evans Trio in the mid-1960s, he also played timpani with the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra.

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References

  1. 1 2 Gardner, Mark (2002). Kernfeld, Barry, ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 3 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 835. ISBN   1-56159-284-6.
  2. ↑ "Vault Album Discography". bsnpubs.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Label Guide: Vault". cvinyl.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
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