Lost Nite Records

Lost Nite Records was an American independent record label established in 1959 by Al Trommers, Jerry Greene, Jared Weinstein, and Johnny Esposito. Rather than operating primarily as a contemporary artist-development label, it specialized in reissuing older, obscure, and difficult-to-find recordings, particularly doo-wop and rhythm and blues. Its defining early transaction was the acquisition of the master recording of "There's a Moon Out Tonight" by the Capris from Planet Records. Lost Nite reissued the song in 1960, turning a previously obscure recording into the label's best-known release and an enduring example of the commercial and cultural value of doo-wop revival programming. After the label's launch, Greene and Weinstein moved from New York City to Philadelphia, which became the center of the operation. Disc jockey Jerry Blavat, a prominent promoter of oldies and doo-wop music, was also a partner for part of the label's history. Blavat sold his interest back to Greene and Weinstein in the late 1960s. This ownership change left Greene and Weinstein as the principal figures associated with Lost Nite during the period when the label was especially important to the renewed circulation of early vocal-group music. Lost Nite operated alongside the related Crimson Records label and became associated with a broad catalog of rare vocal-group, doo-wop, and R&B material. During the late 1960s and 1970s, when doo-wop was no longer at the center of the mainstream singles market, the label helped keep the style available to collectors, specialist radio programmers, and revival audiences. Its releases supplied recordings that were often unavailable through the original labels or difficult to locate in the secondhand market. The catalog included singles, albums, compilations, and artist-focused collections involving groups such as the Paragons, Lee Andrews and the Hearts, the Flamingos, the Five Satins, the Spaniels, the Moonglows, the Channels, and the Turbans. The label's catalog also included historical and themed compilations, including releases connected with radio-station history and oldies programming. Its Collectors Limited Edition album series, documented with releases dated 1981, presented numerous doo-wop and R&B artists in dedicated volumes. These issues illustrate Lost Nite's role as a catalog and archival label rather than a label built around a continuously changing roster of new performers. Lost Nite Records eventually ceased operating. The available reference material does not establish a precise closure year or provide a detailed account of the disposition of every master. In 1980, former founder Jerry Greene established Collectables Records, another company focused on reissues and music catalog preservation. Through its best-known Capris release, its partnership history, its relationship with Crimson Records, and its extensive reissue work, Lost Nite occupies an important place in the history of American independent oldies and doo-wop labels.

Lost Nite Records emerged in 1959 during a period when independent entrepreneurs and specialist music dealers were beginning to recognize the long-term value of recordings that had disappeared from the mainstream market. Al Trommers, Jerry Greene, Jared Weinstein, and Johnny Esposito founded the label after acquiring the master of "There's a Moon Out Tonight" by the Capris from Planet Records. Lost Nite released the recording again in 1960, establishing the label's identity as a reissue business and making the song its signature title. The label's subsequent development was closely linked to the movement of its principals and to the regional oldies culture of the northeastern United States. Greene and Weinstein relocated from New York City to Philadelphia, where Lost Nite's activities became centered. Disc jockey Jerry Blavat participated as a partner until the late 1960s, when he sold his interest back to Greene and Weinstein. Blavat's involvement connected the label with the radio, performance, and revival circuits that helped sustain interest in doo-wop and early rhythm and blues. Lost Nite and its sister label, Crimson Records, concentrated on recordings that were rare, unavailable, or difficult for collectors to obtain. This specialization became particularly significant in the late 1960s and 1970s. Doo-wop had largely fallen out of the contemporary pop mainstream, but oldies radio, record collectors, and revival performers continued to create demand for the music. By reissuing vocal-group recordings and compiling material by individual artists, Lost Nite helped preserve a working commercial channel for the genre. The label's catalog included the Paragons and a wide range of other vocal groups and R&B performers. Its releases were not limited to individual singles. The company also issued LPs and compilation projects, including radio-history titles and a Collectors Limited Edition series. The latter series, with issues documented in 1981, included albums devoted to Lee Andrews and the Hearts, the Jesters, the Paragons, the Collegians, the Flamingos, the Five Satins, the Charts, the Bop Chords, Jackie and the Starlites, Lewis Lymon and the Teenchords, the Kodaks, the Channels, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Spaniels, the El Dorados, the Dells, Jerry Butler and the Impressions, the Moonglows, the Turtles, and the Turbans. Lost Nite eventually disappeared as an operating label, although the reference material does not specify the exact date of closure or provide a complete account of its catalog ownership. Its legacy is closely connected to Jerry Greene's later creation of Collectables Records in 1980. Collectables continued the broader reissue and catalog-preservation tradition associated with Greene. Lost Nite's historical importance therefore rests less on a long sequence of contemporary hits than on its role in preserving, repackaging, and redistributing American doo-wop and R&B recordings for later audiences.

• 1981

  Collectors Limited Edition series documented

  [1]Lost Nite Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Lost Nite's catalog included a substantial LP series devoted to doo-wop and R&B artists and groups.

• 1980

  Jerry Greene establishes Collectables Records

  [1]Lost Nite Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Former Lost Nite founder Jerry Greene founded Collectables Records, continuing a related focus on reissues and music catalog preservation.

• 1976

  Radio-history compilation issued

  [1]Lost Nite Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label released a two-LP set titled "WFIL History of Rock: The 50s, Part 3" in its LN2X series.

• 1969

  Jerry Blavat exits partnership

  [1]Lost Nite Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Blavat sold his interest back to Greene and Weinstein in the late 1960s.

• 1960

  Capris recording reissued

  [1]Lost Nite Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Lost Nite reissued "There's a Moon Out Tonight" after acquiring the master from Planet Records, creating its best-known release.

• 1960

  Philadelphia operations established

  [1]Lost Nite Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Jerry Greene and Jared Weinstein relocated from New York City to Philadelphia, which became the label's operating base.

• 1959

  Label founded

  [1]Lost Nite Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Al Trommers, Jerry Greene, Jared Weinstein, and Johnny Esposito established Lost Nite Records as an independent reissue label.

An archival and collector-oriented independent label devoted to reissuing rare and hard-to-find doo-wop, rhythm-and-blues, and related oldies recordings.

• Reissued single · 1960

  "There's a Moon Out Tonight"

  Lost Nite's defining release was its 1960 reissue of the Capris recording "There's a Moon Out Tonight." The label had acquired the master from Planet Records. The release exemplified Lost Nite's central business model: locating older recordings with renewed appeal and returning them to circulation for oldies listeners, collectors, and doo-wop audiences.

• Artist compilation LPs · 1981

  Collectors Limited Edition series

  This series assembled dedicated LP volumes covering numerous doo-wop and rhythm-and-blues performers. Documented 1981 issues included collections associated with Lee Andrews and the Hearts, the Jesters, the Paragons, the Flamingos, the Five Satins, the Spaniels, the Channels, the Moonglows, the Turbans, and other vocal groups. The series was designed for catalog listening and collector use rather than contemporary chart promotion.

• Historical compilation albums · 1976

  Radio-history compilation series

  Lost Nite issued historical compilations connected with oldies radio and the history of rock and roll. Documented examples include "WFIL History of Rock: The 50s, Part 3" and "WCBS-FM History of Rock: The Sixties, Part 1," the latter described as a two-LP picture-disc release.

1. 1Lost Nite Recordsen.wikipedia.org