Dome Records is a British record label, which has existed since 1992, specializing in soul

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 and rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

 music.

History

The label, also known as Dôme Records, was formed in 1992, and has consistently been voted as the United Kingdom's leading black music

Black music

Black music is a term encompassing music produced or inspired by black people. In the 20th century, this term has come to usually refer to the many music genres of African American music, especially in the United States and Brazil.-See also:* African music...

 label, by readers of Blues & Soul

Blues & Soul

Blues & Soul is a British music magazine covering black music. Genres covered include soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. It was first published in 1966 and is known for first using the term Northern Soul....

 magazine. Artists signed by Dome Records include Beverley Knight

Beverley Knight

Beverley Knight MBE is a British soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released six studio albums to date...

, Hill St Soul, Dennis Taylor

Dennis Taylor (singer)

Dennis Taylor is a soul singer and performer, best known in the UK.As a child, Dennis was singing as part of a church choir in Brooklyn at the age of 7, but later moved to Virginia, and signed up to the US Air Force at 18, with whom he served for six years...

, Eric Roberson

Eric Roberson

Eric Roberson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter from Rahway, New Jersey, United States. He is sometimes referred to simply as Erro....

, Tortured Soul, Incognito

Incognito (band)

Incognito is a British band, as well as one of the members of the United Kingdom's acid jazz movement. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981, with thirteen more albums following, the last of which, Transatlantic RPM, was released in 2010....

, Brenda Russell

Brenda Russell

Brenda Russell is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Known for her eclectic musical style, her recordings have encompassed several different genres, including pop, soul, dance, jazz and adult contemporary...

, Rahsaan Patterson

Rahsaan Patterson

Rahsaan Patterson is an American singer and actor, best known for portraying "The Kid" on the popular 1980s television show Kids Incorporated. He is a native of The Bronx, New York. He was named after '60s jazz saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk...

, Donnie, Angela Johnson, Martha Redbone

Martha Redbone

Martha Redbone is a musician of part Shawnee, Choctaw and African-American descent. She has won awards for her contemporary Native American music. Her music is a mix of rhythm and blues, and soul music influences, fused with elements of traditional Native American music...

, Carleen Anderson

Carleen Anderson

Carleen Anderson is an American soul singer, who has had success in the United Kingdom. She is the daughter of the singer Vicki Anderson and stepdaughter of Bobby Byrd, and is most well known as the lead singer in the Young Disciples as well as for her own solo career.-Early career:Anderson was...

, George Duke

George Duke

George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...

, Full Flava

Full Flava

Full Flava are Rob Derbyshire and Paul Solomon, a Birmingham’s innovative production team assisted by backing singer Tee, that specialize in producing R&B and Soul records for many established artists such as Chantay Savage, Beverlei Brown, Ruby Turner, Carleen Anderson, Hazel Fernandes, Alison...

 and Don-E. The label also issued Lulu's

Lulu (singer)

Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...

 Independence

Independence (Lulu album)

Independence is an album released by Lulu in 1993. It was her first release of new material since 1982.-History:Rolling Stone gave the album three stars, describing it as "a classy, good-hearted effort." Spin Magazine recommended the album, describing Lulu as having assumed "the mantle of soul...

album in 1993, with a title track

Title track

Title track may refer to:*Title track, a recorded song having the same name as the album or movie it comes from*Title Track, a song on the album The Stage Names*Title Track, a song on the album We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes...

 that became particularly popular in Europe. "I'm Back For More", a duet on the album with Lulu and Bobby Womack

Bobby Womack

Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...

, became the label's first chart success. Dome Records is also the British label for the late American singer-songwrter Andrew Gold

Andrew Gold

Andrew Maurice Gold was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" , as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" , and "Never Let Her Slip Away" ....

.

The label was started by Peter Robinson and was initially associated with EMI Records

EMI Records

EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...

. The label became fully independent in 1995. Prior to starting Dome Records, Robinson had been an A&R

A&R

Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...

 person for the RCA

RCA Records

RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

, Chrysalis

Chrysalis Records

Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...

 and CBS

CBS Records

CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...

 labels.

The label's orientation towards urban black music commenced with the release of Beverley Knight

Beverley Knight

Beverley Knight MBE is a British soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released six studio albums to date...

's album, The B-Funk

The B-Funk

The B-Funk is the 1995 debut album by British soul singer Beverley Knight.-History:The album was released released in November, 1995, on independent record label Dome Records...

, in 1994. The label was noted for developing longstanding relationships with certain artists, such as Full Flava. Initially focusing on British acts, the label accepted offers to produce, develop or distribute a number of American acts, such as Eric Roberson and Rahsaan Patterson. The latter two are American, artists previously signed to major labels, who now release their music independently in the United States, and through Dome Records in the United Kingdom.