At Rate Your Music, there's been a discussion going on about posters'
favorite labels. Here's what I contributed to the thread (which you can
view at http://rateyourmusic.com/board_message/message_id_is_1546983):
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My favorite labels are probably the ones you'd expect of a guy with my
tastes. Forsooth:
Apollo (Mahalia Jackson and some of the best early R&B group singles
ever.)
Atlantic, Atco, et al (No explanation necessary; at least I hope not!)
Avco/Embassy (Mainly for the Stylistics)
Bear Family (Oh, those boxed sets!)
Capitol (Especially for the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Merle Haggard and
Buck Owens.)
Chess, Checker, et al (Again, I don't think you need an explanation for
this pick.)
Coral/Brunswick (The Johnny Burnette Trio, Buddy Holly, and a whole lot
of other kick-ass rockabilly.)
End (Little Anthony & The Imperials, the Chantels, the Flamingos....
Easily one of doo-wop's best labels.)
Fortune (Could this great Detroit R&B label have been any MORE eccentric?)
Gee (Another great New York doo-wop label. This one blessed us with such
luminaries as the Cleftones and Frankie Lymon.)
Goldwax (James Carr. 'Nuff said.)
Hi (If Stax was Memphis' greatest soul label, then Hi certainly was the
runner-up. Al Green alone locks up the nomination for Hi!)
Hot Wax/Invictus (Holland-Dozier-Holland's post-Motown project produced
some damned fine early '70s soul. The artist roster included the Flaming
Ember, Freda Payne, Glass House, Honey Cone, and Chairmen of the Board.)
Imperial (Fats Domino AND Smiley Lewis. What more do you need to know?)
King/Federal (Among the Cincinnati label's many musical highlights:
Wynonie Harris, Bull "Moose" Jackson, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters,
Freddy King, and James Brown.)
London (Especially for the Rolling Stones)
Motown, Tamla, Gordy, et al (Well, duh!)
Okeh (Formed in the '20s as the "race music" arm of Columbia, the label
was revived in the '50s with acts like the Treniers and Screamin' Jay
Hawkins. Okeh continued well into the '60s, producing fine soul music
from the likes of Walter Jackson, Major Lance, and the reinvented Little
Richard.)
Philadelphia International (On which Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff
consistently demonstrated why they were the most successful production
team of the '70s.)
Philles (Hard to go wrong with the Phil Spector Wall of Sound!)
RCA (Mostly for Elvis and its country roster)
Rhino (One of the best reissue labels ever!)
Savoy (One of the consistently finest R&B labels of the '40s and '50s.)
Specialty (Little Richard alone would ensure Specialty's inclusion here.
But let's not forget Lloyd Price, Jimmy and Joe Liggins, Larry Williams,
and all that amazing gospel music!)
Stax/Volt (Another no-brainer.)
Sugar Hill (The first rap label and, almost 30 years later, still one of
the genre's best.)
Sun (Had I forgotten this one, I'd give you permission to kick me in the
groin.)
T-Neck (The Isley Brothers' own label produced much of their greatest
material.)
Tommy Boy (Another of hip-hop's finest labels.)
Vee-Jay (Any label whose first two signed acts were the Spaniels and
Jimmy Reed is all right in my book! Vee-Jay also gave us such luminaries
as Jerry Butler, the early Impressions, the El Dorados, Gene Chandler,
Betty Everett, the Four Seasons, and even some early Beatles, like
"Please Please Me.")
Westbound (Denise LaSalle, the Detroit Emeralds, early
Parliament/Funkadelic.... What's not to love?)
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