Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records | |
---|---|
Parent company | Concord |
Founded | 1949 |
Founder | Max Weiss Sol Weiss |
Distributor(s) | Universal Music Group (reissues are co-labeled with Craft Recordings) |
Genre | Rock, Americana, Alternative, R&B, Jazz |
Country of origin | United States |
Location | Los Angeles, California |
Official website | www |
Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its investors, but in more recent years the label has been known for its recordings of comedian Lenny Bruce, jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, the last recordings made on the Wurlitzer organ in the San Francisco Fox Theatre before the theatre was demolished, organist Korla Pandit, the 1960s rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival,[1] bandleader Woody Herman, and Disco/R&B singer Sylvester.
Formation
In 1949, Jack Sheedy, owner of a San Francisco-based record label called Coronet, was talked into making the first recording of an octet and a trio featuring Dave Brubeck (not to be confused with either the Australian
When Brubeck signed with Fantasy, he believed he had 50 percent interest in the company. He worked as an unofficial artists and repertoire (A&R) assistant, encouraging the Weiss brothers to sign Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, and Red Norvo. When he discovered that all he owned was 50 percent of his own recordings, he signed with Columbia Records.[4]
Fantasy was known for its unique colored-vinyl pressings. Monaural records were pressed in red vinyl while stereo pressings were pressed in blue. Later stereo pressings were red vinyl with a blue label. Eventually the company switched to black vinyl for all pressings and the label design went through several revisions as well.
Acquisitions
In 1955, Saul Zaentz joined the company. Jazz musician Charles Mingus gave Debut Records to Zaentz as a wedding gift; at the time, Zaentz was marrying Mingus's ex-wife, Celia, who had helped found Debut with Mingus and musician Max Roach. After an unsuccessful attempt by Audio Fidelity Records to buy Fantasy,[5] Zaentz became president in 1967. He and a group of investors bought Fantasy from the Weiss brothers that year.[6] He then acquired Prestige Records (1971), Riverside (1972), and Milestone (1972).[1][7]
Ralph Kaffel, who was vice-president of Fantasy from 1971, became president in 1973. He continued the policy of acquisitions: Stax Records (1977), Good Time Jazz (1984), Contemporary (1984), Pablo (1986), Specialty (1991),[1] Kicking Mule (1995), and Takoma (1995).[7]
Fantasy's first subsidiary was Galaxy Records in 1951. Years later, it started the short-lived subsidiary Scorpio, which tried to capitalize on the British Invasion. Still later, it had a subsidiary named Reality Records that concentrated on hip hop and released the first two albums by Doug E. Fresh.
Vince Guaraldi
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Saul Zaentz's acquisitions had been funded in part by the success of the rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival, a group that he had managed. Creedence was signed by Fantasy Records in 1964 as the Blue Velvets, but the label renamed it the Golliwogs so it would fit in with the bands of the British Invasion. After a series of failed releases under that name on the Fantasy and Scorpio labels, the group changed its name to Creedence Clearwater Revival. In 1968, it released its first hit record, a cover version of the song "Susie Q".
In 1971, Fantasy built its headquarters at the corner of Tenth and Parker in Berkeley, California. The building was nicknamed "The House That Creedence Built".[8]
In 2004, Fantasy was sold to a consortium led by American television writer, producer, and activist
Shortly after Fantasy was purchased by Concord, John Fogerty, the lead singer and songwriter of Creedence Clearwater Revival, re-signed with the label after leaving it in the mid-1970s after a falling out with Zaentz, who died in 2014.[9][10]
Fantasy Studios closed in 2018 with its studios being auctioned off, in response to financial difficulties.[11]
Fantasy Records recording artists (current)
- Bailen
- Ry Cooder
- Devon Gilfillian
- DIIV
- Natalie Hemby
- Valerie June
- Avi Kaplan
- The Marcus King Band
- Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
- Gov't Mule
- Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
- Steve Perry
- Grace Potter
- L.S. Dunes
- Tyler Ramsey
- Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
- Allison Russell
- Seether
- Switchfoot
- Taking Back Sunday
- James Taylor
- Tedeschi Trucks Band
- Layla Tucker
- Tanya Tucker
- Andrea von Kampen
- Odetta and Larry[12]
References
- ^ ISBN 1561592846.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-5902-5. Archived from the originalon 6 April 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ISBN 0520217292.
- ISBN 0520217292.
- ^ "Billboard". Google Books. Nielsen Business Media. 25 March 1967. pp. 6–. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "7 Distributors Take Control Of Fantasy; Zaentz at Helm". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 40. 7 October 1967.
- ^ a b "Fantasy Records". www.zaentz.com. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ "2600 Tenth Street". Warehamproperties.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-20. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
- ^ Saperstein, Pat (2014-01-04). "Oscar-Winning Producer Saul Zaentz Dies at 92". variety.com. Variety Media LLC. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (2014-01-09). "Saul Zaentz: What Does a Producer Do, Anyway?". time.com. Time Inc. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
- ^ Dinkelspiel, Frances (31 July 2018). "Berkeley's Fantasy Studios closure came because of financial struggles". berkeleyside.com.
- ISBN 978-0-252-09642-6.