Zodiac Records

Zodiac Records emerged from the Stebbing family’s Auckland recording business in 1950. Eldred Stebbing and his brother Phil founded the label and initially operated as partners. Their partnership ended in 1952 after a disagreement, and Phil departed. Following a five-year hiatus, Eldred restarted Zodiac, bringing his wife Margaret into the business and later involving their sons Robert and Vaughan from the late 1960s onward. The label developed during a formative period in New Zealand music. Domestic performers were increasingly recording material for local release, but the country’s market remained relatively small and local infrastructure was still developing. Zodiac’s connection with Stebbing Recording and Sound Ltd. gave it access to a recording and production environment in Auckland. Until 1965, the label was originally owned by Stebbing Recording and Sound Ltd.; it subsequently operated through Zodiac Records Ltd. The business issued both 78-rpm and 45-rpm records, documenting the change from older shellac-era formats to the smaller vinyl singles that became central to popular music in the late 1950s and 1960s. Zodiac’s catalogue was stylistically broad. Releases included Hawaiian and Polynesian performances, vocal groups, country and easy-listening material, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, novelty recordings, and beat-era pop. Artists associated with the label included Howard Morrison, Herma Keil and the Keil Isles, Ray Columbus and the Invaders, Allison Durbin, Sandy Edmonds, the Pleazers, and the Gremlins. The label also issued records by performers such as Daphne Walker, Eddie Howell, Red Hewitt and the Buccaneers, Peter Posa, the Apaapa Sisters, and other local acts. Its catalogue numbering shows sustained activity across the second half of the 1950s and the 1960s. Among Zodiac’s documented achievements was becoming the first New Zealand record label to have a number-one hit outside New Zealand. This marked an important step for the country’s recording industry because it showed that locally produced artists and recordings could compete in overseas markets. Ray Columbus and the Invaders became particularly associated with Zodiac’s international profile, with “She’s a Mod” later remaining one of the label’s most recognizable recordings. Zodiac also had a distribution relationship with Viscount Records, a label owned by Gary Daverne, who was related to Eldred Stebbing. This arrangement extended the Stebbing-linked network beyond Zodiac’s own imprint. Later archival activity helped preserve the label’s catalogue. Notable reissue and compilation products include a sampler covering 1964–1972 and a CD collection dedicated to Ray Columbus and the Invaders. The reference material does not provide a definitive date for the end of Zodiac Records’ operations. Eldred Stebbing died on 6 December 2009, while the wider family business continued under the name Stebbing Recording Centre Ltd. Zodiac is consequently best understood as a historically significant New Zealand imprint whose catalogue remains part of the country’s recorded-music heritage.

• 2009

  Ray Columbus archival collection is issued

  [1]Zodiac Records (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org

  A CD titled Ray Columbus & The Invaders: The Definitive Collection is listed among later Zodiac-related catalogue releases.

• 2009

  Eldred Stebbing dies

  [1]Zodiac Records (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org

  Founder Eldred Stebbing dies on 6 December 2009.

• 1965

  Ownership structure changes

  [1]Zodiac Records (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org

  The label’s original association with Stebbing Recording and Sound Ltd. ends, with Zodiac Records Ltd. subsequently identified as the operating company.

• 1960

  Expansion of the domestic catalogue

  [1]Zodiac Records (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org

  The catalogue expands across numerous 45-rpm and 78-rpm releases by New Zealand singers, bands, vocal groups, and instrumentalists.

• 1958

  Howard Morrison Quartet recordings appear

  [1]Zodiac Records (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org

  Zodiac releases early singles by the Howard Morrison Quartet, including the group’s first documented single for the label.

• 1957

  The label is restarted

  [1]Zodiac Records (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org

  After a five-year break, Eldred Stebbing revives Zodiac Records, later joined by Margaret Stebbing.

• 1952

  Phil Stebbing leaves the partnership

  [1]Zodiac Records (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org

  The founding partnership ends after a disagreement, with Phil Stebbing departing the business.

• 1950

  Zodiac Records is founded

  [1]Zodiac Records (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org

  Eldred Stebbing and Phil Stebbing establish Zodiac Records in Auckland as part of the Stebbing recording business.

A domestic New Zealand label focused on recording and releasing local popular music, while also distributing associated labels and later supporting archival reissues.

• Physical music release · 1950

  78-rpm singles

  Zodiac’s early catalogue included 78-rpm records issued during the label’s first phases of operation. These releases covered Hawaiian, Polynesian, vocal, country, and popular repertoire, and include recordings by performers such as the Hager Sisters, Daphne Walker, Bill Wolfgramm’s Hawaiians, and the Howard Morrison Quartet.

• Physical music release · 1957

  45-rpm singles

  The label expanded into 45-rpm singles as that format became central to postwar popular music. Its 45-rpm catalogue documented New Zealand rock and pop, rhythm and blues, country, novelty, and vocal releases, including work by Ray Columbus and the Invaders, Herma Keil, Eddie Howell, Red Hewitt, and Peter Posa.

• Compilation album

  Zodiac Records Sampler 1964–1972

  A compilation presenting material from the label’s 1964–1972 period. It serves as an archival overview of Zodiac’s artists and repertoire during the imprint’s mature catalogue era.

• Archival compilation · 2009

  Ray Columbus & The Invaders: The Definitive Collection

  A CD collection devoted to Ray Columbus and the Invaders, one of the most internationally visible acts associated with Zodiac. The collection preserves recordings connected with the group’s contribution to New Zealand popular music and the label’s overseas breakthrough.

• 1957

  Restarting the Zodiac imprintStrategy

  Background

  After a five-year interruption following the breakdown of the founding partnership, Eldred Stebbing returned Zodiac to operation.

  Action taken

  Eldred revived the label and rebuilt the family-operated business with Margaret Stebbing and, later, their sons.

  Aftermath

  The restarted imprint developed a substantial catalogue of New Zealand recordings and became associated with several nationally prominent performers.

  Source

• 1957

  Expansion from 78-rpm to 45-rpm releasesOther

  Background

  The label operated during the industry’s transition toward the 45-rpm single.

  Action taken

  Zodiac issued releases in both 78-rpm and 45-rpm formats, including early 45-rpm-only catalogue entries.

  Aftermath

  The dual-format catalogue allowed Zodiac to serve established listeners while participating in the modern pop-single market.

  Source

1. 1Zodiac Records (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Stebbing Recordingstebbing.co.nz