Apollo Records

Apollo Records was an independent American record company established in New York City in 1944 by Hy Siegel and Ted Gottlieb. Its name referred to Harlem's Apollo Theater, located near the Rainbow Record Shop on 125th Street, where Siegel and the Berman family worked. The label was sold to Ike and Bess Berman in 1945, beginning the period most closely associated with its historical importance. Apollo initially operated several numbered product series. Its 300 series concentrated on rhythm and blues and jazz, while the 100 series carried a broader assortment that included gospel, calypso, country music, and Jewish comedy. The 100 series later became primarily a gospel line, and a separate series beginning at number 750 was marketed as Jazz Masterworks. The label recorded performers such as Dinah Washington and Wynonie Harris before their wider success elsewhere, and Dean Martin made a brief appearance in its catalogue in 1947. Apollo's decisive breakthrough came through gospel. The Bermans signed Mahalia Jackson in 1946, when she was already respected in the gospel field but had made relatively few commercial recordings. Her January 1948 release of "Move On Up a Little Higher" became a major success and created demand that required expanded production shifts. Jackson became Apollo's principal seller and most frequently recorded artist. Between roughly 1948 and 1952, Apollo built a substantial gospel roster that included the Roberta Martin Singers, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Robert Anderson Singers, Professor Alex Bradford's group, the Ivory Gospel Singers, the Two Gospel Keys, and other church-based ensembles. James Cleveland also made early recordings for Apollo-related groups. The label also participated in the development of vocal-group rhythm and blues. Bess Berman reshaped the Selah Jubilee Singers as the Larks, whose recording of "Eyesight to the Blind" reached number five on the R&B chart in 1951. She later renamed the Royal Sons Quintet the "5" Royales, whose subsequent career surpassed the Larks' commercial performance. In 1954 Apollo created Lloyd's Records as a related doo-wop imprint and issued recordings by a reorganized version of the Larks. Apollo's fortunes declined as its major artists moved to larger labels and legal pressure affected the business. Hy Siegel departed in 1953 to establish Timely Records. Mahalia Jackson signed with Columbia in 1954, while the "5" Royales moved to King Records. A copyright-infringement dispute brought by Hill & Range challenged credits on recordings involving compositions associated with Thomas A. Dorsey and other writers; Jackson publicly denied knowing about the alleged arrangement. Apollo's later pop-oriented singles achieved limited commercial impact. The company stopped producing 78-rpm records and ended its regular gospel recording program in 1956, shifting toward 45-rpm pop releases, reissues, and compilations. Apollo ceased operations in 1962. It issued very few LPs, most of them reissues, and never released a stereo recording. During the following decade, Kenwood Records reissued much of the catalogue and issued additional compilations, including a memorial album after Jackson's death in 1972. From the 1980s onward, Relic Records helped keep parts of Apollo's doo-wop catalogue available through compilations, while Delmark Records issued some Apollo jazz material. Apollo and Bess Music were acquired by George Hocutt in 1989, followed in 1990 by the sale of a 50 percent interest to Couch and Madison Partners of Malaco Music Group. The label's master acetate discs are preserved in the Apollo Records Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Apollo is therefore best understood today as a defunct historic label and catalogue rather than an active recording company.

Apollo Records emerged from Harlem's independent record-retail and music community during the 1940s. Hy Siegel and Ted Gottlieb founded the company in New York City in 1944 and named it for the nearby Apollo Theater. The label was sold to Ike and Bess Berman the following year. Siegel initially served as president, while Ike Berman oversaw the pressing plant that manufactured the records. Bess Berman later assumed the presidency and became one of the relatively few women to lead a record company during the 78-rpm era. Apollo's first catalogue was deliberately broad. Its 300 series covered rhythm and blues and jazz, while its 100 series included gospel alongside calypso, country music, and Jewish comedy. The 100 series eventually focused exclusively on gospel. A third line, Jazz Masterworks, began in the 750 numbering range. The company recorded Dinah Washington and Wynonie Harris before their later success with other companies, and Dean Martin recorded briefly for Apollo in 1947. Gospel became Apollo's defining business. The 1946 signing of Mahalia Jackson transformed the label's prospects. Jackson's "Move On Up a Little Higher," issued in January 1948, became a major hit and led Apollo to add production shifts to satisfy demand. From 1948 through 1952, Apollo concentrated heavily on gospel and released work by the Roberta Martin Singers, Dixie Hummingbirds, Robert Anderson Singers, Professor Alex Bradford Singers, Harold Ivory Williams and the Ivory Gospel Singers, Rev. B. C. Campbell and his congregation, the Daniels Singers, and the Two Gospel Keys. James Cleveland made some early recordings with Apollo-associated ensembles, including the Gospelaires and Gospel All-Stars. Bess Berman also pursued the expanding market for African American vocal groups. She renamed the Selah Jubilee Singers as the Larks, a move that helped produce the 1951 R&B-chart success "Eyesight to the Blind." She subsequently renamed the Royal Sons Quintet the "5" Royales, whose later success exceeded that of the Larks. In 1954 Apollo created Lloyd's Records, a connected imprint devoted to doo-wop, and recorded a new Larks lineup organized around Gene Mumford. The company weakened in the middle of the 1950s. Siegel left in 1953 to form Timely Records. Jackson moved to Columbia in 1954, and the "5" Royales moved to King Records. Hill & Range then announced a copyright-infringement suit involving 20 recordings that it said used compositions by Thomas A. Dorsey and other writers while assigning credits to Berman and Jackson. Jackson denied knowing about the alleged arrangement. The second Larks lineup failed to establish itself commercially and broke up in 1955. In 1956 Apollo stopped producing 78-rpm records and discontinued its gospel recording program. It concentrated on 45-rpm pop singles, issuing records by groups including the Opals, Romeos, Gentlemen, and Casanovas. Few of these releases were profitable, although "The Fire Burns No More" by the Chesters was the label's last popular record in 1957. The Sparks of Rhythm first recorded "Handy Man" for Apollo in 1959; the song became a hit only after Jimmy Jones rerecorded it for Cub Records in 1960. By then Apollo had largely stopped making new recordings and was focused on reissues. Apollo issued only one or two LPs annually from 1954, generally reusing earlier material, and never produced a stereo recording. One late release, a 1962 Mahalia Jackson album, presented earlier Apollo recordings in a package designed to resemble a live document of her 1961 European tour. Apollo closed in 1962. Kenwood Records reissued much of its album catalogue during the next decade and produced further compilations, including a memorial release after Jackson died in 1972. Relic Records later circulated doo-wop selections, while Delmark issued some of the jazz material. Apollo Records and Bess Music were purchased by George Hocutt on May 4, 1989. In January 1990, Hocutt sold half of his interest to Couch and Madison Partners of Malaco Music Group in Jackson, Mississippi. The catalogue's master acetate sound recordings are held by the Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Bess Berman died in 1997. Although the label has had limited digital-era activity, its recordings remain important documents of gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz, and early vocal-group music.

• 1990

  Malaco-related partners acquire a half interest

  [1]Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org

  Couch and Madison Partners purchase 50 percent of Hocutt's interest.

• 1989

  Apollo and Bess Music are sold

  [1]Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org

  George Hocutt acquires Apollo Records and its affiliated publishing company.

• 1962

  Apollo Records closes

  [1]Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org

  The company ceases operations after increasingly emphasizing reissues over new recordings.

• 1956

  Apollo shifts away from gospel and 78s

  [1]Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org

  The label ends its gospel recording program and 78-rpm production, focusing on 45-rpm pop releases.

• 1954

  Lloyd's Records is launched

  [1]Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org

  Apollo establishes a doo-wop-oriented related imprint.

• 1951

  The Larks reach the R&B chart

  [1]Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org

  The Larks' "Eyesight to the Blind" reaches number five on the R&B chart.

• 1948

  Mahalia Jackson delivers Apollo's breakthrough

  [1]Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org

  "Move On Up a Little Higher" becomes a major success and drives exceptional demand for Apollo product.

• 1946

  Mahalia Jackson signs with Apollo

  [1]Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org

  Apollo signs Mahalia Jackson, who becomes its leading gospel artist.

• 1945

  The Berman family acquires the label

  [1]Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org

  Ike and Bess Berman purchase Apollo and begin the ownership period associated with its best-known catalogue.

• 1944

  Apollo Records is founded in New York City

  [1]Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org

  Hy Siegel and Ted Gottlieb establish Apollo Records and name it after Harlem's nearby Apollo Theater.

A Harlem-rooted independent label that served as an important outlet for African American gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz, and vocal-group music during the 1940s and 1950s.

• Gospel and miscellaneous recordings · 1944

  Apollo 100 series

  Apollo's 100 series originally covered multiple genres, including gospel, calypso, country music, and Jewish comedy. As the label developed, the series became primarily or exclusively associated with gospel releases and carried important recordings by Mahalia Jackson and other church-based performers.

• Rhythm and blues and jazz recordings · 1944

  Apollo 300 series

  The 300 series was Apollo's principal early line for rhythm and blues and jazz. It included work by artists who later became prominent elsewhere, reflecting the label's role as a New York independent that recorded African American performers before larger companies captured their audiences.

• Jazz catalogue · 1944

  Jazz Masterworks

  Beginning in the 750 numbering range, Jazz Masterworks formed a dedicated Apollo line for jazz material. The releases were part of the label's broader effort to maintain a distinct jazz identity alongside its increasingly important gospel catalogue.

• Gospel recordings · 1946

  Apollo gospel catalogue

  Apollo's gospel catalogue was its most influential product area, especially during the label's peak from approximately 1948 to 1952. It included Mahalia Jackson, the Roberta Martin Singers, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Two Gospel Keys, Professor Alex Bradford's group, and other major gospel performers.

• Doo-wop imprint · 1954

  Lloyd's Records

  Lloyd's Records was a related Apollo division created in 1954 for doo-wop and vocal-group releases. It issued recordings by a reorganized version of the Larks and extended Apollo's participation in the rapidly changing vocal-group market.

• 1954

  Hill & Range copyright-infringement dispute

  Hill & Range announced a lawsuit against Bess Berman, Apollo, and Lloyd's concerning credits on 20 recordings that allegedly used copyrighted compositions associated with Thomas A. Dorsey and other writers. Mahalia Jackson denied knowledge of the alleged arrangement.

  Source

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• 1989

  George Hocutt acquires Apollo and Bess MusicM&A

  Background

  The defunct label's catalogue and affiliated publishing assets remained valuable as historical repertoire.

  Action taken

  George Hocutt purchased Apollo Records and Bess Music on May 4, 1989.

  Aftermath

  Hocutt sold half of his interest to Couch and Madison Partners of Malaco Music Group in January 1990.

  Source

• 1962

  Apollo closes and moves into catalogue preservationOther

  Background

  Apollo had largely ceased new recording activity and was issuing reissues and archival material.

  Action taken

  The company closed, after which Kenwood and later specialist labels circulated portions of its catalogue.

  Aftermath

  Apollo's recordings continued to appear through reissues, compilations, and archival collections.

  Source

• 1956

  Apollo abandons regular gospel and 78-rpm productionStrategy

  Background

  The departure of leading artists and the weakening performance of new releases reduced the viability of Apollo's established model.

  Action taken

  The label stopped producing 78-rpm records and ended its gospel recording program, concentrating on 45-rpm pop singles.

  Aftermath

  The later pop releases produced few commercial successes, and Apollo increasingly relied on reissues before closing in 1962.

  Source

• 1954

  Apollo launches Lloyd's RecordsProduct launch

  Background

  The popularity of African American vocal groups created an opportunity to separate doo-wop releases from Apollo's core gospel presentation.

  Action taken

  Apollo established Lloyd's Records as a connected imprint and recorded a new Larks lineup.

  Aftermath

  The reorganized Larks failed to chart consistently and broke up in 1955.

  Source

• 1948

  Apollo makes gospel its core commercial focusStrategy

  Background

  Mahalia Jackson's success demonstrated the scale of the market for professionally recorded gospel music.

  Action taken

  Apollo expanded production capacity and concentrated much of its peak-era activity on gospel artists and repertoire.

  Aftermath

  Gospel became the defining identity of the label and generated its most historically important recordings.

  Source

1. 1Apollo Records (1944)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Apollo Records Collection, Southern Folklife Collectionfinding-aids.lib.unc.edu