Cardinal Records

Cardinal Records was a Belgian record label established in 1964 by singer, songwriter, and musician Rocco Granata together with Craeynest. The label operated within Belgium's popular-music recording sector and became associated with several notable performers of the period. Its documented roster included Louis Neefs and Jacques Raymond, who also performed under the name Ray Mondo. The label therefore occupied a position in the domestic Belgian music market at a time when locally based labels played an important role in recording, distributing, and promoting Flemish and Belgian popular artists. Cardinal Records was closely connected to Granata from its foundation. In its later period, Granata became the label's sole owner, making the company both a record business and a vehicle for his own artistic output. Under that later ownership structure, the label concentrated primarily on recordings by Granata himself rather than maintaining a broad, independently documented roster. This shift suggests a move from a label with multiple recognized artists toward a more focused artist-centered imprint. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about Cardinal Records' catalogue, management, commercial performance, distribution arrangements, and ultimate corporate status. No reliable information is supplied here about a formal parent company, a current website, listing status, financial results, or a confirmed closure date. The label is best documented as a historical Belgian imprint founded in 1964 and later controlled by Granata, with its principal significance deriving from its connection to Granata and its association with Belgian performers including Louis Neefs and Jacques Raymond.

Cardinal Records was founded in Belgium in 1964 by Rocco Granata and Craeynest. Granata was already an established figure in Belgian popular music, and the creation of the label gave him a direct role in the production and release of recorded music. The label emerged during a period in which national and regional record companies helped develop local artists and circulate popular music alongside the catalogues of larger international firms. The label's documented artistic activity included work by Louis Neefs and Jacques Raymond, the latter also known as Ray Mondo. Their association with Cardinal Records indicates that the imprint was not initially limited to Granata's own recordings. It participated in the broader Belgian popular-music ecosystem by releasing or representing music from more than one recognized performer. Detailed information about individual releases, sales, chart positions, recording facilities, distributors, and contractual arrangements is not established by the available reference material. In later years, ownership changed in practical terms when Granata became Cardinal Records' sole owner. This consolidated the label around its founder and principal artist. During this period, the imprint focused primarily on Granata's own work, making Cardinal Records increasingly resemble a personal or artist-led label rather than a broadly rostered independent company. The transition is an important turning point in the label's history because it links its business identity directly to Granata's continuing recording activities. The available sources do not document a precise date for the end of the label, any acquisition, a successor company, or a formal dissolution. Accordingly, Cardinal Records is treated as a historical Belgian record-label brand with an unknown present operating status. Its known historical importance rests on its 1964 foundation, its role in the careers or catalogues of Belgian performers such as Louis Neefs and Jacques Raymond, and its later concentration on recordings by Rocco Granata.

• 1964

  Cardinal Records is founded

  [1]Cardinal Records (1964)en.wikipedia.org

  Rocco Granata and Craeynest establish Cardinal Records in Belgium.

• Granata becomes sole owner

  [1]Cardinal Records (1964)en.wikipedia.org

  At an undocumented later date, Rocco Granata becomes the label's sole owner, after which the imprint concentrates mainly on his own recordings.

A Belgian popular-music record label that later functioned primarily as an artist-centered imprint for Rocco Granata.

• Recorded music · 1964

  Cardinal Records music catalogue

  The label's core products were recorded-music releases, including singles and albums associated with Belgian popular artists. Documented artists connected with the imprint include Rocco Granata, Louis Neefs, and Jacques Raymond, also known as Ray Mondo. The surviving reference material does not provide a complete discography or enough detail to identify particular release titles with confidence.

1. 1Cardinal Records (1964)en.wikipedia.org