Citizendia

Decca Records
Image:deccablacklogo.gif
Parent companyUniversal Music Group
Founded1929
FounderEdward Lewis
Distributing labelDecca Records (In the US and UK)
GenreVarious
Country of originUK
Official websiteOfficial website of Decca Records

Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Events May 3 - Francis Poulenc 's Concert champêtre for Harpsichord and orchestra is premiered in Paris Its U. S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades. Notable for its development of recording methods (in the United Kingdom) and for the development of original cast albums (in the United States) both wings are now part of the Universal Music Group. Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry.

Contents

Label

The name "Decca" dates back to a portable gramophone called the "Decca Dulcephone" patented in 1914 by musical instrument makers Barnett Samuel and Sons. That company was eventually renamed The Decca Gramophone Co. Ltd. and then sold to former stockbroker Edward Lewis in 1929. Within years Decca Records Ltd. was the second largest record label in the world, calling itself "The Supreme Record Company". The name "Decca" was coined by Wilfred S. Samuel by merging the word "Mecca" with the initial D of their logo "Dulcet" or their trademark "Dulcephone. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored "[1] Decca bought the UK branch of Brunswick and continued to run it under that name.

Popular music

US Decca label from 1934 featuring the band of trumpet star Henry Busse.
US Decca label from 1934 featuring the band of trumpet star Henry Busse. Henry Busse Sr (born May 19 1894 in Magdeburg Germany died Apr 23 1955 in Memphis Tennessee was a Jazz Trumpeter known for work with Sweet bands
For a list of artists using the Decca records label see List of Artists under the Decca Records label. Decca Records is a recording label A division of Universal Classics, it is also known as Decca Music group.

Decca bought out the bankrupt UK branch of Brunswick Records in 1932 , which added such stars as Bing Crosby and Al Jolson to its roster. Brunswick Records is a United States based Record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular Al Jolson (May 26 1886 October 23 1950 born in Lithuania, Russian Empire, was a highly acclaimed American singer comedian and actor and the first openly Decca also bought out the Melotone and Edison Bell record companies. By 1939, Decca and EMI were the only record companies in the UK. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in

In 1934, a US branch of Decca was launched. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Decca became a major player in the depressed American record market thanks to its roster of popular artists, particularly Bing Crosby, and the shrewd management of former US Brunswick General Manager Jack Kapp. Jack Kapp was a record company executive with Brunswick Records who founded Decca Records in 1934 The following year, the pressing and Canadian distribution of US Decca records was licensed to Compo Company Ltd. Compo Company Ltd was Canada's first independent record company in Lachine, Quebec, a breakaway and rival of Berliner Gram-o-phone Co. Lachine was a city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. 1897 Berliner Gramophone Recordby George W Johnson of Montreal, Quebec. Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec (Compo was acquired by Decca in 1951 although its Apex label continued in production for the next two decades. )

Artists signed to Decca in the 1930s and 1940s included Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Jane Froman, The Boswell Sisters, Billie Holiday, The Andrews Sisters, Ted Lewis, Judy Garland, The Mills Brothers, Billy Cotton, Guy Lombardo, Chick Webb, Louis Jordan, Bob Crosby, Dorsey Brothers (and subsequenrtly Jimmy Dorsey after the brothers split), Connee Boswell and Jack Hylton, Victor Young, Earl Hines, Claude Hopkins, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe - the original 'soul sister' of recorded music. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter William "Count" Basie ( August 21, 1904 &ndash April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, Organist James Melvin "Jimmie" Lunceford ( June 6, 1902 &ndash July 12, 1947) was an American Jazz alto Saxophonist Jane Froman ( November 10 1907 &ndash April 22 1980) was an American Singer and actress. The Boswell Sisters were a Close harmony singing group that attained national prominence in the USA in the 1930s Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7 1915 – July 17 1959 was an American Jazz singer and songwriter The Andrews Sisters were a Close harmony singing group consisting of sisters LaVerne Sophie Andrews ( Contralto; July 6, 1911 &ndash May Theodore Leopold Friedman, better known as Ted Lewis ( June 6, 1892 &ndash August 25, 1971) was an American entertainer Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10 1922 – June 22 1969 was an American actress and singer The Mills Brothers were a major African-American Jazz and pop vocal Quartet of the 20th century producing more than 2000 recordings that sold William Edward Cotton ( 6 May[[ 899]] &ndash 25 March[[ 969]] better known as Billy Cotton, was a British Band leader Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (born June 19, 1902 in London Ontario; died November 5, 1977) was a Canadian William Henry Webb, usually known as Chick Webb ( February 10, 1905 – June 16, 1939) was a Jazz and Swing music Louis Jordan ( July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was a pioneering American Jazz, Blues and Rhythm & blues Bob Crosby ( August 23, 1913 Spokane Washington &ndash March 9, 1993 La Jolla California) was an American The Dorsey Brothers consisted of a studio group fronted by musicians Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. James "Jimmy" Dorsey ( February 29, 1904 &ndash June 12, 1957) was a prominent American Jazz Clarinetist Constance "Connee" Boswell ( December 3, 1907 - October 11, 1976) was an American female vocalist born in Kansas City Jack Hylton ( 2 July 1895 &ndash 29 January 1965) was a British Band leader and Impresario. Not to be confused with the actor Victor Sen Yung who was sometimes billed as Victor Young Victor Young ( August 8, 1900 - Earl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, ( 28 December, 1903 Duquesne Pennsylvania &ndash 22 April Claude Driskett Hopkins (1903&ndash1984 was an American Jazz stride Pianist and Bandleader. Rosetta Tharpe ( March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was a pioneering Gospel singer songwriter and recording artist who attained

Al Jolson, who had recorded for the Victor Talking Machine, Columbia Records, and Brunswick Records, made a series of recordings for Decca from 1946 until his death in 1950, following the success of Columbia Pictures Technicolor film biography The Jolson Story (1946). Al Jolson (May 26 1886 October 23 1950 born in Lithuania, Russian Empire, was a highly acclaimed American singer comedian and actor and the first openly Victrola redirects here For other uses see Victrola (disambiguation The Victor Talking Machine Company ( 1901 – 1929 Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Brunswick Records is a United States based Record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment. }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation The Jolson Story is a 1946 musical biography which purports to tell the life story of singer Al Jolson.

In 1942, Decca released the first recording of "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby. " White Christmas " is an Irving Berlin song whose lyrics reminisce about White Christmases. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular He recorded another version of the song in 1947 for Decca, which became the best-selling single ever at that time (and remained so until 1997). Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar

In 1943, Decca ushered in the age of the original cast album in the United States, when they released an album set of nearly all the songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, performed by the same cast who appeared in the show on Broadway, and using the show's orchestra, conductor, chorus, and musical and vocal arrangements. A cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience Richard Rodgers (1902 &ndash 1979 and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895 &ndash 1960 were a well-known American songwriting duo Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The enormous success of this album was followed by original cast recordings of Carousel and Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun, both featuring members of the original casts of the shows and utilizing those shows' vocal and choral arrangements. Carousel is a musical by Richard Rodgers (music and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics that was adapted from Ferenc Molnar Irving Berlin (11 May 1888 &ndash 22 September 1989 was a Russian-born American Composer and Lyricist, and one of the most prolific American songwriters Because of the technical restrictions of recording on 78 rpm records, none of these scores were recorded totally complete; they were shorter than cast albums made after LPs were introduced. A gramophone Long play (LP record albums are 33⅓  Rpm vinyl Gramophone records (phonograph records generally either 10- or 12- Inches in diameter But Decca had made history by recording Broadway musicals, and the influence of these releases influenced the recording of theatrical shows in U. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. S continues - in Decca's home country, the UK original cast albums had been a fixture for years. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Columbia Records followed with theater recording albums, starting with the 1946 revival of Show Boat. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book (based on a novel by Edna Ferber) and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein In 1947, RCA Victor in released an original cast album of Brigadoon. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. By the 1950s, many recording companies released Broadway show albums recorded by their original casts. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive

In 1954, American Decca released "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets. For the movie named after the song see Rock Around the Clock (film. This article is specifically about the rock and roll band See Bill Haley for biographical information regarding Haley himself Produced by Milt Gabler, the recording was initially only moderately successful, but when it was used as the theme song for the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle, it became the first international rock and roll hit, and the first such recording to go to No. Milton Gabler ( May 20, 1911 - July 20, 2001) was an American Record producer, responsible for many innovations in the recording Blackboard Jungle is a 1955 Social commentary film about teachers in an inner-city school Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African 1 on the American musical charts. According to the Guinness Book of Records, it went on to sell 25 million copies, returning to the US and UK charts several times between 1955 and 1974. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U

During the 1950s, American Decca released a number of soundtrack recordings of popular motion pictures, notably Michael Todd's production of Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) with the music of veteran film composer Victor Young. Michael Todd can refer to Mike Todd (1909&ndash1958 American film producer Mike Todd Jr Not to be confused with the actor Victor Sen Yung who was sometimes billed as Victor Young Victor Young ( August 8, 1900 - Since Decca had access to the stereophonic tracks of the Oscar-winning film, they quickly released a stereo version in 1958.

Decca was also the first record label for which Gary Glitter recorded, under the name Paul Raven. Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944 is an English Glam rock Singer and Songwriter, and is better known by his Stage name Gary

The American RCA label severed its longtime affiliation with EMI's His Master's Voice (HMV) label in 1957, which allowed British Decca to market and distribute Elvis Presley's recordings in the UK on the RCA and RCA Victor labels. RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986 The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in His Master's Voice, today usually abbreviated to HMV, is a famous Trademark in the music business and for many years was the name of a large record label His Master's Voice, today usually abbreviated to HMV, is a famous Trademark in the music business and for many years was the name of a large record label RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment.

UK Decca label from 1964 - Everything's Al' Right by The Mojos
UK Decca label from 1964 - Everything's Al' Right by The Mojos

British Decca had several missed opportunities. " Everything's Alright " is a song written and performed by The Mojos. The Mojos (renamed from 'The Nomads' was a Beat group from the 1960s best known today for their hit British single, " Everything's In 1960, they refused to release "Tell Laura I Love Her" by Ray Peterson and even destroyed thousands of copies of the single. " Tell Laura I Love Her," a Teenage tragedy song written by Jeff Barry and Ben Raleigh, was an American Top Ten Popular Ray T Peterson ( April 23 1935 &ndash January 25 2005) was an American Pop music singer A cover version by Ricky Valance was released by EMI on the Columbia label, and it went to #1 on the British charts for three weeks. In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released Ricky Valance (born David Spencer, 10 April 1939, Ynysddu, Monmouthshire, near Wattsville, South Wales The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest Gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. In 1962 , British Decca executive Dick Rowe turned down a chance to record The Beatles in favour of local beat combo Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Dick Rowe (died June 6 1986) was an A&R man at Decca Records from the 1950s to the 1960s The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 The Tremeloes are a British Rock and roll band founded in the late 1950s in Dagenham, Essex. Dick Rowe, head of the pop division, said of the Beatles, “We don’t like their sound, and ‘guitar music’ is on the way out” (see The Decca audition). The Decca audition is the name given to the now-famous Beatles audition for Decca Records at their Decca Studios in West Hampstead, north In retrospect this was a historic mistake. Later refusals of note include The Yardbirds and Manfred Mann. The Yardbirds are an English rock band noted for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous Guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck This article is about Manfred Mann the band For Manfred Mann the man see Manfred Mann (musician. However they earlier accepted another Merseyside singer, Billy Fury. Billy Fury (born Ronald William Wycherley, 17 April 1940 - 28 January, 1983) was an internationally successful British Delia Derbyshire, an early pioneer of Electronic Music was turned down for an interview for a sound engineers post as Decca would not employ woman in such posts. Delia Ann Derbyshire ( 5 May 1937 – 3 July 2001) was a British musician and composer of Electronic music.

Ironically, the turning down of The Beatles led indirectly to the signing of one of Decca's biggest 1960s artists, The Rolling Stones. Dick Rowe was judging a talent contest with George Harrison, and Harrison mentioned to him that he should take a look at The Stones, whom he had just seen live for the first time a couple of weeks before. George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001 was an English rock Guitarist Singer - Songwriter, Author Rowe saw the Stones, and quickly signed them to a contract.

British Decca lost a key source for American records when Atlantic Records switched British distribution to Polydor Records in 1966 in order for Atlantic to gain access to British recording artists which they didn't have under Decca distribution. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock Polydor Records is a Record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

The 1970s were disastrous for Decca, apart from Dana's 1970 two-million selling single, "All Kinds of Everything", issued on their subsidiary label, Rex Records. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. Dana Rosemary Scallon (born Rosemary Brown on 30 August 1951 is better known simply as Dana, an Irish singer and former politician " All Kinds of Everything " was the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970, written by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith, and sung in Rex Records was a United Kingdom based Record label founded in 1933 by the Crystalate Gramophone Record Manufacturing Company, also the parent The Rolling Stones left the label in 1970, and other artists followed. Decca's deals with numerous other record labels began to fall apart; RCA Records, for instance, abandoned Decca to set up its own UK office in 1971. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The Moody Blues were the only international rock act that remained on the label. The Moody Blues are an English psychedelic rock band originally from Erdington in the city of Birmingham. Although Decca had set up the first of the British "progressive" labels, Deram Records, in 1966, by the time the punk era set in 1977, Decca had become known primarily as a classical label which had only sporadic pop success with such acts as John Miles, novelty creation Father Abraham and The Smurfs, and productions by longtime Decca associate Jonathan King. Deram Records was a Record label set up by Decca Records. It was active from 1966 until 1979 John Miles (born John Errington, 23 April 1949 Jarrow, Tyne & Wear, England) is an English vocalist, Songwriter The Smurfs is a Belgian comics series, created by Peyo in 1958 and popularized in the English speaking world mainly through the 1981-1989 Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King, 6 December 1944 London, England) is a British Singer, Songwriter, TV personality Decca sadly became a label of last resort, dependent on re-release of its back catalogue. Contemporary signings such as the pre-stardom Adam Ant and Slaughter & The Dogs were firmly second division and second rate when compared to likes of PolyGram, CBS, EMI, and newcomer Virgin's rosters of hitmakers. Adam Ant (born Stuart Leslie Goddard on 3 November 1954 is an English Musician, who gained popularity as the Lead singer of 1980s Slaughter & The Dogs is an English Punk rock band that formed in the late 1970s in Manchester, England. PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the Major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945 Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Virgin Records is a British Record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell

Country music

Short-lived Decca Records country music label logo.
Short-lived Decca Records country music label logo.
Main article: MCA Nashville Records

From the late 1940s on, the US arm of Decca had a sizable roster of Country artists, including Kitty Wells, Johnny Wright, Ernest Tubb, Webb Pierce, Wilburn Brothers, Bobbejaan Schoepen, and Red Foley. Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group 's Country music subsidiary Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Ellen Muriel Deason, known professionally as Kitty Wells (born August 30, 1919) is an American country music singer. Ernest Dale Tubb ( February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984) nicknamed the "Texas Troubadour" was an American Singer Webb Pierce ( 8 August 1921 - 24 February 1991) was an American Country music Singer. The Wilburn Brothers were a popular American Country music duo from the 1950s to the 1970s Bobbejaan Schoepen ( Pseudonym of Modest Schoepen, 16 May 1925, Boom, Antwerp) is a Flemish pioneer in Belgian Clyde Julian "Red" Foley ( June 17 1910 – September 19 1968) was a Country music Singer. In the late 1950s, Patsy Cline was signed to the US Decca label from 4 Star Records. Patsy Cline (b Virginia Patterson Hensley September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American Country As part of a leasing deal, Patsy’s contract was owned by 4 Star; though she recorded for Decca as part of this deal, she recorded an album but saw little money. In 1960, she signed with Decca outright and released two more albums and numerous singles while she was alive and several more albums and singles produced after her untimely death in a 1963 plane crash. The Wilburn Brothers were ultimately signed to a lifetime contract with Decca. The Wilburn Brothers were a popular American Country music duo from the 1950s to the 1970s Doyle Wilburn of the Wilburn Brothers obtained a recording contract for Loretta Lynn who signed to Decca in the early 1960s and remained with the label for the next several decades. Loretta Lynn (born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1934) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter; she was one of the leading The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Owen Bradley was the A&R man for all of these artists. Owen Bradley (c October 21, 1915 - January 7 1998) was an influential American Record producer Decca quickly became the main rival of RCA Records as the top label for American country music by the early 1950s and remained so for decades. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment.

Decca's country music branch was revived in 1994, with Dawn Sears being the first act signed to the newly-reformed label. Dawn Sears is an American Country music Singer-songwriter. In addition to her work as a backing vocalist in Vince Gill 's band Dawn has recorded three solo [2] Other artists signed to the label would include Rhett Akins, Gary Allan, Mark Chesnutt, and Lee Ann Womack; of these, all but Sears would be shifted to the MCA Nashville roster after parent Universal Music absorbed PolyGram in 1998 and shut down Decca Nashville. Rhett Akins (born October 13 1969 in Valdosta Georgia) is an American Country music artist Gary Allan (born December 5, 1967) is an American Country music artist Mark Nelson Chesnutt (born September 6, 1963 in Beaumont Texas) is an American Country music singer known for his Neotraditionalist Lee Ann Womack (born August 19, 1966) is a Grammy Award -winning American country-pop artist Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group 's Country music subsidiary Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry. PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the Major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945

In 2008, the Decca country division was restarted again, with One Flew South serving as the first act to the newly re-established label. One Flew South are an American Country music group composed of Eddie Bush Chris Roberts and Royal Reed all three of whom sing Lead vocals and play Acoustic

Classical music

Original 1929 Decca release of Sea Drift by Delius, first published recording of the work, but deleted by 1936.
Original 1929 Decca release of Sea Drift by Delius, first published recording of the work, but deleted by 1936. Frederick Albert Theodore Delius CH (29 January 1862 &ndash 10 June 1934 was an English Composer born in Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire

In classical music, Decca had a long way to go from its modest beginnings to catching up with the established HMV and Columbia labels (later merged as EMI). His Master's Voice, today usually abbreviated to HMV, is a famous Trademark in the music business and for many years was the name of a large record label The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest Gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Decca’s emergence as a major classical label may be attributed to three concurrent events: the emphasis on technical innovation (first the development of the FFRR technique, then the early use of stereophonic recording), the introduction of the long-playing record, and the recruitment of John Culshaw to Decca’s London office. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical A gramophone John Royds Culshaw ( May 28, 1924 - April 27, 1980) was a pioneering English classical Record producer

Decca logo used for classical music releases.
Decca logo used for classical music releases.

For many years, Decca's British classical recordings were issued in the U. S. under the London Records label; with the advent of compact discs, the practice was gradually eliminated. London Records is a Record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin American Decca made a modest number of classical recordings, primarily with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Max Rudolf. As the fifth-oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra ( CSO) has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances Max Rudolf ( June 15, 1902 — February 28, 1995) was a German conductor who spent most of his career in the United States

The pre-War classical repertoire on Decca was not extensive, but was select. The 3-disc 1929 recording of Delius' Sea Drift, arising from the Delius Festival that year, suffered by being crammed onto six sides and was withdrawn before 1936. Frederick Albert Theodore Delius CH (29 January 1862 &ndash 10 June 1934 was an English Composer born in Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire Sea Drift is among the larger-scale musical works by the composer Frederick Delius. However it won Decca the loyalty of the baritone Roy Henderson, who went on to record for them the first complete Dido and Aeneas of Purcell with Nancy Evans and the Boyd Neel ensemble (Purcell Club, 14 sides, pre-1936); and Henderson's famous pupil Kathleen Ferrier was recorded and issued by Decca through the period of transition from 78 to LP (1946-1952). This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Roy Galbraith Henderson CBE ( July 4, 1899 &ndash March 16, 2000) was a leading English Baritone in the 1920s Dido and Æneas is an Opera by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell, from a libretto by Nahum Tate. Henry Purcell (ˈpɜrsəl 10 September 1659 (? – 21 November 1695 was an English Baroque Composer. Louis Boyd Neel ( July 19 1905 - September 30 1981) was an English (and later Canadian conductor and academic Kathleen Mary Ferrier CBE ( 22 April 1912 &ndash 8 October 1953) was an English Contralto Heinrich Schlusnus made important pre-war lieder recordings for Decca. Heinrich Schlusnus ( August 6, 1888 - June 18, 1952) was Germany's foremost lyric Baritone of the period between World War One de Lied (plural de Lieder) (liːt plural) is a German word meaning literally " Song " among English speakers however the word

FFRR

FFRR (full frequency range recording) was a spin-off of Decca’s development during the Second World War of a high fidelity hydrophone capable of detecting and cataloguing individual German submarines by each one's signature engine noise, and enabled a greatly enhanced frequency range (high and low notes) to be captured on recordings. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including High fidelity or hi-fi reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts ( Audiophiles to refer to high-quality reproduction A hydrophone (Greek "hydro" = "water" and "phone" = "sound" is a Microphone designed to be used underwater for recording or listening Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Critics regularly commented on the startling realism of the new Decca recordings. The frequency range of FFRR was 80-15000 Hz, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 60dB. Signal-to-noise ratio (often abbreviated SNR or S/N) is an Electrical engineering concept also used in other fields (such as scientific Measurements While Decca's early FFRR releases on 78-rpm discs had some noticeable surface noise, which diminished the effects of the high fidelity sound, the introduction of long-playing records in 1949 made better use of the new technology and set an industry standard that was quickly imitated by Decca's competitors. Nonetheless titles first issued on 78rpm remained in that form in the Decca catalogues into the early 1950s.

The LP

The Long-Playing record was launched in the USA in 1948 by Columbia Records (not connected with the British company of the same name at the time). Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest Gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. It enabled recordings to play for up to half an hour without a break, compared with the three minutes playing time of the existing records. The new records were made of vinyl (the old discs were made of shellac), which enabled the FFRR recordings to be transferred to disc very realistically. A vinyl compound is any Organic compound that contains a vinyl group (also called ethenyl) &minus C[[Hydrogen H]] =CH sub>2 Shellac is the commercial resin marketed in the form of amber flakes made from Lac, the secretion of the family of lac-producing insects though most commonly from the In the UK Decca took up the LP promptly and enthusiastically, in 1949, giving the company an enormous advantage over EMI, which for some years tried to stick exclusively to the old format, thereby forfeiting competitive advantage to Decca, both artistically and financially.

Decca recorded high fidelity versions of all the symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams except for the ninth, under the personal supervision of the composer, with Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Ralph (reɪf Vaughan Williams OM (12 October 1872 &ndash 26 August 1958 was an English Composer of symphonies, Chamber music WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Sir Adrian Cedric Boult CH ( 8 April 1889 The London Philharmonic Orchestra ( LPO) based in London, is one of the major Orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Benjamin Britten conducted recordings of many of his compositions for Decca, from the 1940s through the 1970s; some of these recordings have been reissued on CD. Edward Benjamin Britten Baron Britten, OM CH (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976 was an English Composer, conductor, A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio

Stereo (FFSS)

The Decca recording engineers Arthur Haddy and Kenneth Wilkinson developed in 1954 the famous Decca tree, a stereo microphone recording system for big orchestras. The Decca Tree is a spaced Microphone array most commonly used for orchestral recording Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical Decca started recording in stereo on 14-28 May 1954, in Victoria Hall in Geneva, the first European record company to do so, only three months after RCA Victor began recording in stereo in the U. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. S. Decca archives show that Ernest Ansermet and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande recorded Thamar by Mily Balakirev; the overture to Benvenuto Cellini by Hector Berlioz; Stenka Razin by Alexander Glazunov; and Anatoly Liadov's Baba-Yaga, Eight Russian Folksongs, and Kikimora. Ernest Alexandre Ansermet ( November 11, 1883 &ndash February 20, 1969) was a Swiss conductor. The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Orchestra of French-speaking Switzerland OSR) was founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet. This article is about the Byzantine noble For the Queen of Georgia please see Tamar of Georgia Thamar Angelina Komnene, was born in the latter Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev ( Милий Алексеевич Балакирев, Milij Alekseevič Balakirev) ( 2 January 1837 Benvenuto Cellini For the place in Azerbaijan see Stepan Razin Azerbaijan. Stepan (Sten'ka Timofeyevich Razin ( Russian: Степан (Стенька Aleksandr Konstantinovich Glazunov (Александр Константинович Глазунов Aleksandr Konstantinovič Glazunov; Glazounov Glasunow &ndash 21 March Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov or Liadov (Анатолий Константинович Лядов ( May 11 (old style April 29) 1855 St Petersburg - Baba Yaga (Ба́ба-Яга́ Баба Рога Баба Яга Баба Рога Polish, Czech, Baba Jaga Baba Roga is in Slavic folklore, a witch-like Kikimora (кики́мора is a female house spirit in Slavic Mythology, sometimes said to be married to the Domovoi. These performances were initially issued only in monaural sound; the stereo versions were finally issued in the 1960s as part of the "Stereo Treasury" series. [3] The Decca Stereo format was called (in succession to FFRR), 'FFSS', i. e. 'Full Frequency Stereophonic Sound'. With most competitors not using stereo until 1957, the new technique was a distinctive feature of Decca's. Even after stereo became standard and into the 1970s, Decca boasted a special, spectacular sound quality. In the 1960s and 1970s, the company developed its "Phase 4" process which produced greater sonic realism that rivaled the quadraphonic recordings introduced by other companies in the early 1970s. Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic) sound &ndash the most-widely-used early term for what is now called 4

Digital recording & mastering

Starting in the late 1970s, Decca developed their own digital audio recorders used in-house for recording, mixing, editing, and mastering albums. Digital audio uses Digital signals for Sound reproduction. This includes analog-to-digital conversion, digital-to-analog conversion, storage Each recorder consisted of a modified IVC model 826P open-reel 1-inch VTR, connected to a custom "codec" unit with time code capability (using a proprietary time code developed by Decca), as well as outboard DAC and ADC units connected to the codec unit. International Video Corporation or IVC, was a company that manufactured several models of low to middle-end Videotape recorders, or VTRs for industrial and professional VTR redirects here For other meanings see VTR (disambiguation. A codec is a device or program capable of encoding and/or decoding a Digital Data stream or signal. In Electronics, a digital-to-analog converter ( DAC or D-to-A) is a device for converting a digital (usually binary code to an Analog signal An analog-to-digital converter (abbreviated ADC, A/D or A to D) is an electronic integrated circuit which converts continuous signals to The codec recorded audio to tape in 16 bits (although later versions of the system used 20 bits). With the exception of the IVC VTRs (which were modified to Decca's specifications by IVC's UK division in Reading), all the electronics for these systems were developed and manufactured in-house by Decca (and by contractors to them as well). Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between These digital systems were used for mastering most of Decca's classical music releases to both LP and CD, and were used well into the late 1990s.

Decca Special Products

Decca Special Products developed a number of ground-breaking products for the audio marketplace. These included:

The Decca phono cartridges were a unique design, with fixed magnets and coils. A tweeter is a Loudspeaker designed to produce high frequencies typically from around 2000 Hertz to 20000 hertz (20000 Hz generally considered to be the upper A magnetic cartridge is a Transducer used for the playback of Gramophone records on a turntable or phonograph. The stylus shaft was composed of the diamond tip, a short piece of soft iron, and an L-shaped cantilever made of non-magnetic steel. A cantilever is a beam supported on only one end The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and Shear stress. Since the iron was placed very close to the tip (within 1 mm), the motions of the tip could be tracked very accurately. Decca engineers called this "positive scanning". Vertical and lateral compliance was controlled by the shape and thickness of the cantilever. Decca cartidges had a reputation for being very musical; however early versions required more tracking force than competitive designs - making record wear a concern.

The Decca International tone arms were fluid-damped unipivot designs. Damping is any effect either deliberately engendered or inherent to a system that tends to reduce the amplitude of Oscillations of an oscillatory system They were designed to complement the Decca phono cartridges.

Decca Special Products was spun off, and is now known as London Decca. London Decca is a manufacturer of Phonograph tonearms and pick-up cartridges.

John Culshaw

John Culshaw, who joined Decca in 1946 in a junior post, rapidly became a senior producer of classical recordings. John Royds Culshaw ( May 28, 1924 - April 27, 1980) was a pioneering English classical Record producer He revolutionised recording – of opera, in particular. Hitherto, the practice had been to put microphones in front of the performers and simply record what they performed. Culshaw was determined to make recordings that would be ‘a theatre of the mind’, making the listener’s experience at home not second best to being in the opera house, but a wholly different experience. To that end he got the singers to move about in the studio as they would onstage, used discreet sound effects and different acoustics, and recorded in long continuous takes. His skill, coupled with the incomparable Decca engineering, took Decca into the first flight of recording companies. His pioneering recording (begun in 1958) of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen conducted by Georg Solti was a huge artistic and commercial success (to the chagrin of other companies). Der Ring des Nibelungen ( The Ring of the Nibelung) is a cycle of four epic Music dramas by the German composer WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Sir Georg Solti, KBE ( 21 October 1912 In the wake of Decca’s lead, artists such as Herbert von Karajan, Joan Sutherland and later Luciano Pavarotti were keen to join the company’s roster. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Herbert von Karajan ( April 5 WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE (born 7 November 1926 WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes. Thank you--> Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( October 12,

Today Decca makes fewer major classical recordings, but still has a full roster of stars including, Cecilia Bartoli and Renee Fleming. Cecilia Bartoli (born 4 June 1966, Rome) is an Italian Mezzo-soprano Opera singer and recitalist WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> Renée Fleming (born February 14 1959 is an accomplished American Soprano specializing Its back catalogue remains one of the glories of classical music. The Solti Ring was voted best recording of all time by readers of the influential magazine The Gramophone and Luciano Pavarotti remained an exclusive Decca artist throughout his recording career. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Sir Georg Solti, KBE ( 21 October 1912 Gramophone is a magazine published monthly in London by Haymarket devoted to classical music and particularly recordings of classical WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes. Thank you--> Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( October 12,

Later history

PolyGram acquired the remains of Decca UK within days of Sir Edward Lewis's death in January 1980. PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the Major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945 British Decca's pop catalogue was taken over by Polydor Records. Polydor Records is a Record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

1960s American Decca logo with the harlequin holding a globe which was American Decca's trademark. This was similar to the first MCA Records logo[1] introduced in the United Kingdom in 1967.
1960s American Decca logo with the harlequin holding a globe which was American Decca's trademark. Harlequin ( Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French) is the most popular of the Zanni or comic servant characters from This was similar to the first MCA Records logo[1] introduced in the United Kingdom in 1967.

The American branch of Decca functioned separately for many years as it was sold off during World War II; it bought Universal Pictures in 1952, and eventually merged with MCA in 1962, becoming a subsidiary company under MCA. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American MCA Inc (or Music Corporation of America) was an American Corporation in the music and television businesses Dissatisfied with American Decca's promotion of British Decca recordings and because American Decca held the rights to the name Decca in the US and Canada, British Decca sold its records in the United States and Canada under the label London Records beginning in 1947. London Records is a Record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin In Britain, London Records became a mighty catch-all licensing label for foreign recordings from the nascent post-WW II American independent and semi-major labels such as Cadence, ABC-Paramount, Atlantic, Imperial and Liberty. Conversely, British Decca retained a non-reciprocal right to license and issue American Decca recordings in the UK on their Brunswick Records (US Decca recordings) and Coral Records (US Brunswick and Coral recordings) labels; this arrangement continued through 1967 when a UK branch of MCA was established utilizing the MCA Records imprint, with distribution fluctuating between British Decca and other English companies over time. Brunswick Records is a United States based Record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment. For the label that owned Coral Records see Decca Records. MCA Records was an American -based record company owned by MCA Inc

In Canada, the Compo Company was reorganized into MCA Records (Canada) in 1970. Compo Company Ltd was Canada's first independent record company [2]

The Decca name was dropped by MCA in America in 1973 in favour of the MCA Records label. The first-run American Decca label went out with a big bang with its final release, "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray in 1973 (label #33057), reaching #5 on the Billboard chart and receiving gold record status. " Drift Away " (also known erroneously as " Give Me The Beat Boys " is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Victor Ainsworth 26 July 1940) is an African American Musician / Singer best known for his cover of Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry In the mid-1990s, MCA Nashville Records revived Decca in the US as a country music label. Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group 's Country music subsidiary The Decca label is currently in use by Universal Music Group worldwide; this is possible because Universal Studios (which officially dropped the MCA name after the Seagram buyout in 1997) acquired PolyGram, British Decca's parent company in 1998, thus consolidating Decca trademark ownership. Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American For the rapper Seagram, see Seagram Miller The Seagram Company Ltd In the US, the Decca country music label was shut down and the London classical label was renamed Decca. In 1999, Decca was merged with Philips Records to create the Decca Music Group (known as Universal Music Classics Group in the USA). Philips Records is a Record label that was founded by Dutch electronics giant Philips. Universal Music Classics Group is Universal Music Group 's Classical music holdings

Today, Decca is a leading label for both classical music and Broadway scores although it is branching out into pop music from established recording stars; its most recent hit was Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA (2007) by Boyz II Men, which reached #27 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. Motown A Journey Through Hitsville USA is an album by Boyz II Men that was released on November 13, 2007 by Decca Records. Boyz II Men is a four-time Grammy Award -winning American R&B / soul singing group from Philadelphia Pennsylvania. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry In December of 2007, it was announced that Morrissey would be joining the Decca roster. Steven Patrick Morrissey (ˈmɒɹɪsiː born May 22, 1959) known primarily as Morrissey, is a British Singer and Lyricist As mentioned, it is reentering the American country music scene in 2008. There are two Universal Music label groups now using the Decca name. The Decca Label Group is the US label whereas the London-based Decca Music Group runs the international classical and pop releases.

It is also the parent label of Point Music, a progressive music label. POINT Music was a Record label that was started in 1992 as a joint venture between Philips Classics and Michael Riesman & Philip Glass ’s Euphorbia Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved Ironically, the American Decca classical music catalogue is managed by co-owned Deutsche Grammophon. Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical Record label. The company has long been known for its high standards of audio fidelity. They include the recordings of guitarist Andrés Segovia. Andrés Torres Segovia 1st Marquess of Salobreña ( 21 February 1893 &ndash 2 June 1987) was a Spanish Classical guitarist [3] Before Deutsche Grammophon founded its own American branch in 1969, it had a distribution deal with American Decca. American Decca's jazz catalogue is managed by Verve Records. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Verve Records is an American Jazz Record label now owned by the Universal Music Group. The American Decca rock/pop catalogue is managed by Geffen Records. Geffen Records is an American Record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label The Decca Broadway imprint is used for both newly recorded musical theatre songs and Universal Music Group's vast catalogues of musical theatre recordings from record labels UMG and predecessor companies acquired over the years. Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Shepherd
  2. ^ "This Month's Music: Dawn Sears: "Runaway Train"" (July 1994). This is a list of notable Record labels Due to the large number of entries the list has been divided by the first character of the label's name See also New Country: 6. ISSN 1074-536X. An International Standard Serial Number ( ISSN) is a unique eight-digit number used to identify a print or electronic Periodical publication.  
  3. ^ www. charm. kcl. ac. uk/content/gray_disco/british/deccalp_2. html

References

External links

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