RKO/Unique Records

RKO/Unique Records was a United States record-label operation whose roots lay in Unique Records, a New York City pop label established in 1955. The business operated during a period when independent record companies were attempting to exploit the rapidly expanding market for popular music, while larger broadcasting, film, and communications groups sought ways to combine recorded music with radio and other entertainment assets. Unique Records achieved several modest pop successes in its early period. Its best-known release was “Man in the Raincoat,” performed by fourteen-year-old Priscilla Wright. The label’s initial identity was that of a small New York pop imprint rather than a major entertainment corporation, but its ownership changed in 1957 when it was acquired by RKO Teleradio, a subsidiary and entertainment vehicle associated with General Tire. Stanley Borden, who had owned Unique Records, was placed in charge of the music-entertainment division after the acquisition. From that point, the label was generally presented as RKO/Unique. The acquisition formed part of General Tire’s broader attempt to create an integrated entertainment system. General Tire had assembled major broadcasting interests, including Mutual Broadcasting System and WOR, and had combined those interests with the RKO film studio after acquiring the studio from Howard Hughes in 1955. The resulting corporate structure, RKO Teleradio Pictures, sought to use radio exposure and other media assets to promote its recorded-music properties. RKO/Unique was therefore positioned not simply as a label, but as one component of a wider film, radio, and music strategy. The label’s repertoire strategy reflected management’s belief that the contemporary rock-and-roll boom might be temporary and that older styles of popular entertainment would retain long-term commercial value. RKO/Unique signed or recorded established performers associated with earlier decades, including Rudy Vallee, the Harmonicats, and Ted Lewis. It also released material by film and television personalities such as Herb Jeffries, Edie Adams, Frances Langford, and George DeWitt, as well as performers connected with vaudeville and RKO’s film history. One notably unusual release was Leona Anderson’s album “Music To Suffer By,” which later became associated with the label’s eccentric catalog. To strengthen the connection between the record business and broadcasting, General Tire and RKO Teleradio Pictures created the Mutual radio program Studio X to feature RKO/Unique material. The cross-promotional plan did not produce the intended commercial results. The radio and record operations accumulated substantial losses, and the broader entertainment-synergy strategy was judged unsuccessful. By 1960, General Tire had divested the relevant assets: Mutual was sold to 3M, while RKO/Unique was sold to an unidentified buyer. The label was revived in 1965 after its acquisition by Reach Entertainment. During this later phase, the operation was divided into two related but distinct imprints: RKO Records and Unique Jazz. The separation gave the jazz-oriented catalog its own identity while retaining the RKO name for the broader record-label activity. Reach Entertainment eventually ceased operations, and both RKO Records and Unique Jazz shut down. The historical RKO/Unique name consequently refers to a defunct mid-century label group remembered for its connection to General Tire’s broadcasting-and-film ambitions, its conservative repertoire strategy, and its unusual mixture of pop, jazz, nostalgia, and celebrity recordings.

RKO/Unique Records originated as Unique Records, a New York City pop label founded in 1955. Its early catalog included small pop successes, most notably “Man in the Raincoat,” recorded by the young singer Priscilla Wright. The label initially operated as an independent imprint in the competitive American popular-music market. In 1957, Unique Records was acquired by RKO Teleradio, the General Tire-associated entertainment company that had assembled broadcasting and film interests. General Tire’s communications strategy had developed through its control of radio properties, including Mutual Broadcasting System and WOR, and through the 1955 acquisition of the RKO film studio from Howard Hughes. These assets were subsequently brought together under the RKO Teleradio Pictures structure. The record-label acquisition was intended to support a broader entertainment ecosystem in which radio exposure, film associations, and recorded music could reinforce one another. Following the acquisition, the label was billed as RKO/Unique, and Stanley Borden, the former owner of Unique Records, was placed in charge of the music-entertainment division. Management pursued a repertoire policy that favored established acts and nostalgic entertainment. It treated rock and roll as a potentially temporary trend and sought to capitalize on performers associated with earlier eras of American popular culture. The roster and catalog included Rudy Vallee, the Harmonicats, Ted Lewis, Herb Jeffries, Edie Adams, Frances Langford, George DeWitt, and the Vagabonds. The label also issued Leona Anderson’s unusual album “Music To Suffer By.” RKO Teleradio Pictures attempted to give the label national exposure through Mutual Broadcasting System. The company created Studio X, a radio program designed to carry or promote RKO/Unique material. This initiative represented the group’s effort to turn corporate ownership of broadcasting and recorded music into a coordinated promotional advantage. The plan did not succeed. The repertoire assumptions behind it were poorly aligned with the continuing strength and cultural expansion of rock and roll, and both the radio-network and record-label operations incurred major losses. By 1960, General Tire was unwinding the arrangement. Mutual was sold to 3M, while RKO/Unique went to an unidentified buyer. The label therefore left General Tire’s direct control only a few years after the acquisition. A later revival came in 1965, when Reach Entertainment acquired the operation. During the revival, the business was divided into RKO Records and Unique Jazz, creating separate identities for the general RKO catalog and its jazz-oriented activities. Reach Entertainment eventually ceased operations, and the successor imprints shut down. RKO/Unique Records is consequently a defunct label group rather than an active contemporary brand. Its historical importance lies in the way it connected a small New York record label with a large corporate experiment involving radio, cinema, and music, as well as in the distinctive mixture of pop, nostalgia, jazz, celebrity recordings, and unusual albums preserved in its catalog.

• 1965

  Reach Entertainment revives the operation

  [1]RKO/Unique Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Reach Entertainment acquires the label group and separates it into RKO Records and Unique Jazz.

• 1960

  RKO/Unique is divested

  [1]RKO/Unique Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Following losses in the broader radio-and-recording strategy, General Tire sells RKO/Unique to an unidentified buyer.

• 1957

  RKO Teleradio acquires Unique Records

  [1]RKO/Unique Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The General Tire-related RKO Teleradio organization acquires the label, with Stanley Borden placed in charge of the music-entertainment division. The label becomes known as RKO/Unique.

• 1957

  Studio X is created

  [1]RKO/Unique Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  RKO Teleradio Pictures launches a Mutual radio program intended to promote RKO/Unique recordings and create cross-media entertainment synergy.

• 1955

  Unique Records is founded

  [1]RKO/Unique Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Unique Records begins as a New York City pop-music label.

• Successor labels close

  [1]RKO/Unique Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Reach Entertainment eventually ceases operations, followed by the closure of RKO Records and Unique Jazz.

A mid-century American record-label operation positioned around popular music, nostalgia-oriented entertainment, celebrity performers, and cross-promotion through radio and related media. Under RKO Teleradio, it emphasized established pre-rock-and-roll acts and entertainment personalities rather than concentrating exclusively on contemporary youth-oriented rock music.

• Pop singles · 1955

  Unique Records pop singles

  The label’s initial output consisted primarily of American pop singles. Its most visible early success was “Man in the Raincoat,” performed by fourteen-year-old Priscilla Wright. These releases established Unique Records as a small New York pop imprint before its acquisition by RKO Teleradio.

• Popular music recordings · 1957

  RKO/Unique catalog

  After the 1957 acquisition, RKO/Unique issued recordings by performers from several generations of American entertainment. The catalog included older popular acts, film and television personalities, vaudeville-associated performers, and other nostalgia-oriented material, reflecting management’s attempt to compete through established entertainment identities rather than a narrow focus on contemporary rock music.

• Jazz recordings · 1965

  Unique Jazz

  Unique Jazz was created during Reach Entertainment’s 1965 revival of the former RKO/Unique operation. It functioned as a distinct jazz-oriented imprint alongside RKO Records. The imprint later closed when Reach Entertainment ceased operations.

• Record label · 1965

  RKO Records

  RKO Records was the companion imprint created during Reach Entertainment’s restructuring of the revived label group. It carried the RKO identity for the general record-label operation, while Unique Jazz served as the separately branded jazz outlet. Both imprints ultimately ceased operations.

• Album

  Music To Suffer By

  Leona Anderson’s “Music To Suffer By” was an unusual album issued by the RKO/Unique operation. It is associated with the label’s eclectic catalog and illustrates its willingness to release material outside conventional mainstream pop programming.

• 1957Studio X

  United States

  RKO Teleradio Pictures created Studio X as a Mutual radio program intended to promote RKO/Unique recordings and turn the group’s broadcasting assets into a national promotional channel for its music business.

  Outcome. The cross-media initiative was unsuccessful and was associated with losses suffered by both the radio and record operations.

  Source

• 1965

  Separate RKO Records and Unique JazzStrategy

  Background

  Reach Entertainment sought to revive the dormant label operation after acquiring it.

  Action taken

  The revived business was divided into the RKO Records and Unique Jazz imprints.

  Aftermath

  The two labels operated as distinct entities for a period but eventually shut down after Reach Entertainment ceased operations.

  Source

• 1960

  Divest the record-label operationStrategy

  Background

  The RKO/Unique and Mutual properties were suffering substantial losses within General Tire’s broader entertainment structure.

  Action taken

  General Tire sold RKO/Unique to an unidentified buyer while separately selling Mutual to 3M.

  Aftermath

  RKO/Unique left General Tire’s ownership and continued under an unidentified owner before its later acquisition by Reach Entertainment.

  Source

• 1957

  Acquire Unique Records and integrate it with RKO TeleradioM&A

  Background

  General Tire’s entertainment strategy linked broadcasting, film, and recorded music under the RKO Teleradio Pictures structure.

  Action taken

  RKO Teleradio acquired Unique Records and renamed or presented the operation as RKO/Unique, with Stanley Borden leading the music-entertainment division.

  Aftermath

  The label became part of a larger cross-media experiment, but the strategy later produced losses and the label was divested.

  Source

• 1957

  Emphasize established entertainment acts over rock and rollStrategy

  Background

  Management believed rock and roll might be a passing fashion and expected older styles of popular entertainment to remain commercially durable.

  Action taken

  RKO/Unique recorded or signed performers associated with earlier popular music, film, television, vaudeville, and nostalgia-oriented entertainment.

  Aftermath

  The repertoire strategy failed to deliver the expected commercial performance as rock and roll continued to expand, contributing to losses and eventual divestiture.

  Source

1. 1RKO/Unique Recordsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2RKO/Unique album discographybsnpubs.com