Original Sound
Original Sound is a Los Angeles record label associated with oldies compilations, early rock and rhythm-and-blues reissues, and the 1959 hit "Teen Beat."
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Original Sound is a Los Angeles-based record label founded in the early 1950s by Art Laboe, a disc jockey and broadcaster associated with the presentation of older rhythm-and-blues, doo-wop, rockabilly, and rock-and-roll music. Rather than concentrating only on newly recorded releases, the label developed a business around collecting, compiling, and reissuing earlier recordings. This approach helped make older songs available to a new audience and established Original Sound as an important early specialist in the oldies-compilation market. The label's most prominent commercial property was the Oldies But Goodies series. The initial LP volumes assembled earlier pop, rhythm-and-blues, and rock-and-roll recordings into accessible themed collections. Volume 1 was especially successful: it reached number 12 on the Billboard album chart and remained there for 183 weeks. Across the series, 15 LP volumes were issued. The commercial performance of these compilations demonstrated that catalog recordings and songs that had not necessarily been major contemporary hits could be repackaged successfully for sustained consumer demand. The series also influenced other record companies to issue compilations built from older hits and near-hits. Original Sound's catalog activity continued beyond the original LP era. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Oldies But Goodies albums were reissued on CD. The CD editions retained the original volume numbering, but their track lists often differed substantially from the LP releases; some CD volumes reportedly shared no songs with the corresponding original LP. This makes the series both a commercial reissue program and a historically important example of how catalog material was reformatted for a new medium. The label also released and promoted newly recorded material. Its biggest self-recorded single hit was Sandy Nelson's instrumental "Teen Beat," which reached number four on the Billboard chart in 1959. Other acts connected with the Original Sound catalog included Preston Epps, whose releases included "Bongo Rock" and "Bongo, Bongo, Bongo"; The Music Machine, known for "Talk Talk" and "The People In Me"; Dyke & the Blazers, associated with "Funky Broadway"; and Bobby Mac, whose Original Sound release paired "Walkin' Together" with "Keep On." Original Sound expanded its catalog in approximately 1972 by purchasing the catalog of Double Shot Records. The acquisition added another body of recordings to the label's holdings and reinforced its role as a custodian and distributor of popular-music catalog material. The business was also connected to recording infrastructure. In 1959, Laboe opened Original Sound Recording Studios at 7120 West Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. The facility was used by artists recording for Original Sound and by artists working with other labels. Paul Buff, who had previously operated Pal Recording Studio, became one of the studio's principal engineers in 1963. He introduced technical innovations, including a custom-built 10-track recording machine. Producer Frank Slay also made recordings at the facility. The studio remained active as a notable Los Angeles recording location into the 1980s, with credits associated with performers including Captain Beefheart, The Music Machine, the Ramones, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Sugarloaf, and Frank Zappa. Original Sound is therefore best understood as both a record-label brand and a catalog-oriented music business. Its historical significance rests on the combination of oldies reissues, long-running compilation albums, selected hit singles, catalog acquisition, and an affiliated studio that served a wider recording community. Public reference material does not establish a current corporate owner, present operating status, current executive team, or an official active website.
History
Original Sound emerged in Los Angeles during the early 1950s under the direction of Art Laboe, a disc jockey whose work was closely connected to the circulation and appreciation of older popular music. The label began on a relatively small scale, specializing in compilations and reissues of earlier rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll recordings. At a time when the recorded-music business was still primarily organized around new releases, Original Sound helped establish a durable commercial model for presenting older songs as a coherent retail product. The label's defining achievement was the Oldies But Goodies series. These albums collected older hits and near-hits from pop, doo-wop, rhythm-and-blues, and early rock-and-roll repertories. The first volume became a major success, reaching number 12 on the Billboard album chart and remaining on the chart for 183 weeks. Fifteen LP volumes were eventually issued. Their performance helped demonstrate that catalog recordings could produce sustained sales well after their original release periods. The series also contributed to the wider recognition of songs whose original chart performance had been modest. The Five Satins' "In the Still of the Night," for example, later benefited from the renewed visibility associated with oldies culture despite having reached only number 24 on the pop chart in 1956. Original Sound was not limited to archival compilation. Its largest self-recorded single success was Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat," an instrumental that reached number four on the Billboard chart in 1959. The label's broader artist and release history included Preston Epps, The Music Machine, Dyke & the Blazers, and Bobby Mac. These releases gave the company a presence in current popular music while its compilation program continued to define its public identity. In 1959, Laboe opened Original Sound Recording Studios at 7120 West Sunset Boulevard. The studio extended the brand beyond record distribution and provided a Los Angeles facility for recording artists associated with Original Sound and with other labels. Paul Buff joined the operation as a principal recording engineer in 1963 after operating Pal Recording Studio. At Original Sound, Buff worked on technical improvements that included a custom-built 10-track recording machine. Producer Frank Slay also used the studio. The facility continued to attract notable performers and groups into the 1980s, including Captain Beefheart, The Music Machine, the Ramones, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Sugarloaf, and Frank Zappa. Around 1972, Original Sound acquired the catalog of Double Shot Records. The purchase broadened the label's holdings and strengthened its catalog-management role. In later decades, the Oldies But Goodies program was adapted for the CD market. Fifteen CD editions were issued during the 1980s and 1990s, although the CD contents did not consistently reproduce the corresponding LP track lists. Some CD volumes with the same number as an LP reportedly contained entirely different selections. This illustrates both the commercial flexibility of the catalog and the editorial changes that often accompanied format reissues. The available reference material does not establish a precise founding year, a current parent company, a current owner, an active corporate website, or the label's present operating status. Its documented historical importance lies in its pioneering oldies-compilation strategy, its successful reissue business, its occasional hit recordings, its acquisition of the Double Shot catalog, and the affiliated Los Angeles studio.
- 1972
Original Sound acquires the Double Shot catalog
[1]The label purchased the catalog of Double Shot Records at approximately this time, expanding its recorded-music holdings.
- 1963
Paul Buff becomes a principal studio engineer
[1]Paul Buff joined the studio operation and introduced technical developments including a custom-built 10-track recording machine.
- 1959
Original Sound opens an affiliated recording studio
[1]Art Laboe opened Original Sound Recording Studios at 7120 West Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
- 1959
"Teen Beat" reaches the Billboard top five
[1]Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat," released through the label, became Original Sound's biggest self-recorded single hit and reached number four on Billboard.
Original Sound is established in Los Angeles
[1]Art Laboe founded the label in the early 1950s, initially focusing on compilations and reissues of older rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll recordings.
Oldies But Goodies becomes a major compilation property
[1]The first volume reached number 12 on the Billboard album chart and stayed there for 183 weeks; the series ultimately comprised 15 LP volumes.
Oldies But Goodies is reissued on CD
[1]The 15-volume compilation program was later reissued on CD during the 1980s and 1990s, with track lists that often differed from the original LP editions.
Products and positioning
A Los Angeles record label positioned around the preservation, compilation, reissue, and commercial circulation of older popular music, while also releasing selected contemporary recordings and operating an associated recording studio.
Compilation album series
Oldies But Goodies
Original Sound's signature compilation series collected earlier pop, rhythm-and-blues, doo-wop, and rock-and-roll recordings. Fifteen LP volumes were issued, with the first volume becoming a particularly durable chart success. The series helped popularize the commercial idea that older recordings and near-hits could be repackaged for a new audience and sold as a continuing album program. Later CD editions used the same volume numbering but frequently changed the selections, making the CD line a distinct reissue configuration rather than a simple duplication of the LP catalog.
Single · 1959
"Teen Beat"
An instrumental recording by drummer Sandy Nelson, "Teen Beat" was Original Sound's most successful self-recorded single. Released in 1959, it reached number four on the Billboard chart and gave the label a major contemporary hit alongside its better-known compilation and reissue activities.
Recorded-music catalog
Original Sound catalog
The catalog includes Original Sound singles and albums, oldies compilations, and recordings associated with artists such as Preston Epps, The Music Machine, Dyke & the Blazers, and Bobby Mac. The holdings were expanded through the approximately 1972 purchase of the Double Shot Records catalog.
Brand decisions
1972
Purchase of the Double Shot Records catalogM&ABackground
Original Sound had developed a business centered on recorded-music catalog exploitation and reissues. Acquiring Double Shot Records' catalog broadened the material available to the label.
Action taken
The label purchased the Double Shot Records catalog at approximately this time.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Original Sound's catalog holdings, although the available reference does not identify subsequent ownership arrangements or financial terms.
- Migration of Oldies But Goodies from LP to CDOther
Background
The success of the original LP compilation series created an opportunity to bring the catalog to the CD market during the 1980s and 1990s.
Action taken
Original Sound issued CD editions of all 15 Oldies But Goodies volumes.
Aftermath
The CD editions preserved the volume numbers but frequently used different track lists from the LP releases, with some corresponding volumes sharing no songs.
Sources2 sources
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