Dot Records
Encyclopedia
Dot Records was an American
record label
and company that was active between 1950
and 1977
. It was founded by Randy Wood
. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC
in Nashville and its R&B (later black gospel) air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen. The label was known to hire artists to record remakes of their previous hits.
The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee
, in fact many of the older recording were recorded in radio station WHIN
, which Wood owned at the time. WHIN was a daytime only radio station so recording sessions were held at night when the station was off the air. In 1956, the company moved to Hollywood, California.
In its early years, the label specialized in artists from around Tennessee
. Then it branched out to include musicians and singers from across the United States. It recorded a variety of country music
, rhythm & blues, polkas & waltzes, gospel music
, rockabilly
, pop music
, and early rock & roll. After the move to Hollywood, Dot Records bought up many recordings by small local independent labels and issued them nationally.
, but he remained the president of the company for another decade. Dot Records then began to release soundtrack album
s, including Elmer Bernstein
's score for The Ten Commandments
(1956), a 2-LP set that played longer than the usual record album.
In 1958, Dot Records started a subsidiary label, Hamilton Records
, for rockabilly and rhythm & blues. They distributed Jeff Barry
's Steed Records
and also distributed the only record from Carnival Records
. In addition, Dot Records created two other subsidiary labels: Crystalette and Acta. In 1967, Dot Records picked up distribution of Bob Crewe
's DynoVoice label from Bell Records. In 1967, Randy Wood left to co-found the Ranwood Records
label with Lawrence Welk
.
Pat Boone
recorded his most popular songs for the label. Both Boone's albums and singles were very successful. Dot recordings were distributed in the United Kingdom
on the London
label.
Eddie Fisher
recorded some of his later albums for the label. Eddie Fisher Today was the most popular and included popular standards of the day, but he did not have a substantial hit single
in his time with them.
, the Dot Records label was rebranded as a country music label under the umbrella of Famous Music
Group. This included the Paramount
, Stax
(until 1970) and Blue Thumb
labels, along with distribution of Sire Records
(now owned by Warner Music Group
) and Melanie Safka
's Neighborhood Records
(which later moved to Arista Records
). By 1968, Lawrence Welk
had acquired his Dot catalog which was reissued on his Ranwood Records
label.
In 1974, the label (along with the rest of the Famous Music Group) was bought by ABC Records
(which ironically had tried to purchase Dot years before) and discontinued the label at the start of 1978. The ABC/Dot headquarters became the Nashville
office of ABC Records, a division of the American Broadcasting Company
, which coincidentally had been bought by Paramount's old theater chain
in 1953 (which helped the network catch up to its rivals CBS
and NBC
), and had started a good relationship with Paramount's TV division
(wherein Paramount produced a number of hit series on ABC).
ABC Records was sold to MCA Records
in 1979. The Dot/Paramount catalog is now owned by Universal Music Group
, with Geffen Records
(which absorbed MCA Records, and was founded by David Geffen
, who become a co-founder of Paramount's one-time sister studio DreamWorks
) managing the pop/rock back catalog, and MCA Nashville Records managing the country back catalog.
Family members report that Randy Wood died in La Jolla, California on April 9, 2011 after a fall in his home at age 93.
Dot Records artists
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and company that was active between 1950
1950 in music
-Events:*January 3 – Sam Phillips launches Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.*August – Herbert Howells' Hymnus Paradisi is premiered at the Three Choirs Festival.*Malcolm Sargent becomes chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra....
and 1977
1977 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1977.-January–February:*January 1 – The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, The Roxy....
. It was founded by Randy Wood
Randy Wood (producer)
Randolph Clay "Randy" Wood was an American record producer who founded Dot Records. Wood died from complications from a fall at his home in La Jolla, California, on April 9, 2011, at the age of 94.-References:...
. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC
WLAC
WLAC is a clear channel radio station based in Nashville, Tennessee, operating at 1510 kHz on the AM dial.-Early history:Its first broadcast took place on November 24, 1926. The call letters were chosen to contain an acronym for the first owner of the station, the Life and Casualty Insurance...
in Nashville and its R&B (later black gospel) air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen. The label was known to hire artists to record remakes of their previous hits.
The early years
The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
, in fact many of the older recording were recorded in radio station WHIN
WHIN
WHIN , licensed to Gallatin, Tennessee, is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. The station is owned by Whin, Inc..-History:...
, which Wood owned at the time. WHIN was a daytime only radio station so recording sessions were held at night when the station was off the air. In 1956, the company moved to Hollywood, California.
In its early years, the label specialized in artists from around Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Then it branched out to include musicians and singers from across the United States. It recorded a variety of country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, rhythm & blues, polkas & waltzes, gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and early rock & roll. After the move to Hollywood, Dot Records bought up many recordings by small local independent labels and issued them nationally.
Paramount ownership
In 1957, Wood sold ownership of the label to Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, but he remained the president of the company for another decade. Dot Records then began to release soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
s, including Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions...
's score for The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (1956 film)
The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic film that dramatized the biblical story of the Exodus, in which the Hebrew-born Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince, becomes the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. The film, released by Paramount Pictures in VistaVision on October 5, 1956, was directed by...
(1956), a 2-LP set that played longer than the usual record album.
In 1958, Dot Records started a subsidiary label, Hamilton Records
Hamilton Records
Hamilton Records was an American record label started in 1958 as a subsidiary label of Dot Records.Its catalog is now owned by Universal Music Group and managed by Geffen Records....
, for rockabilly and rhythm & blues. They distributed Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early career:...
's Steed Records
Steed Records
Steed Records was a record label founded by songwriter-record producer Jeff Barry in 1967 in New York City. The label was active until 1971. It was first distributed by Dot Records, then by Gulf+Western's Famous Music Group after it absorbed Dot....
and also distributed the only record from Carnival Records
Carnival Records
Carnival Records was a record label started in 1961 by Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert.They released two records, one which was distributed via Dot Records outside California. Dore Alpert was the name Herb used as a vocalist in those days...
. In addition, Dot Records created two other subsidiary labels: Crystalette and Acta. In 1967, Dot Records picked up distribution of Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe is an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist. He is known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons...
's DynoVoice label from Bell Records. In 1967, Randy Wood left to co-found the Ranwood Records
Ranwood Records
Ranwood Records was started in 1968 by Randy Wood together with Lawrence Welk. Ranwood acquired Welk's Coral Records and Dot Records catalog for reissue on Ranwood. Most of Welk's recorded musical output from that point on was released on the Ranwood label. Welk acquired Wood's interest in the...
label with Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
.
Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
recorded his most popular songs for the label. Both Boone's albums and singles were very successful. Dot recordings were distributed in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on the London
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
label.
Eddie Fisher
Eddie Fisher (singer)
Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher , was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered...
recorded some of his later albums for the label. Eddie Fisher Today was the most popular and included popular standards of the day, but he did not have a substantial hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in his time with them.
Later years
In 1968, two years after Paramount was purchased by Gulf and WesternGulf+Western
Gulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
, the Dot Records label was rebranded as a country music label under the umbrella of Famous Music
Famous Music
Famous Music was the worldwide music publishing division of Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom since 1994. Its copyright holdings span several decades and includes music from such Academy Award-winning motion pictures as The Godfather and Forrest Gump...
Group. This included the Paramount
Paramount Records (1969)
Paramount Records was a record label started in 1969 by Paramount Pictures after acquiring the rights to the name from George H. Buck. The previous label with the same name had been unconnected to Paramount Pictures. The new Paramount label reissued pop releases by sister label Dot Records, which...
, Stax
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
(until 1970) and Blue Thumb
Blue Thumb Records
Blue Thumb Records was an American record label founded in 1968 by Bob Krasnow, along with former A&M Records executives Tommy LiPuma and Don Graham. Krasnow had been in the record business for a number of years, working as a promotion man for King Records and also working for Buddah/Kama Sutra...
labels, along with distribution of Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
(now owned by Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
) and Melanie Safka
Melanie Safka
Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk is an American singer-songwriter. Known professionally as simply Melanie, she is best known for her hits "Brand New Key", "Ruby Tuesday" and "Lay Down ".-Early career:...
's Neighborhood Records
Neighborhood Records
Neighborhood Records was a record label founded by Melanie Safka and her husband Peter Schekeryk in 1971. The label's biggest hit was Melanie's #1 single "Brand New Key"....
(which later moved to Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
). By 1968, Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
had acquired his Dot catalog which was reissued on his Ranwood Records
Ranwood Records
Ranwood Records was started in 1968 by Randy Wood together with Lawrence Welk. Ranwood acquired Welk's Coral Records and Dot Records catalog for reissue on Ranwood. Most of Welk's recorded musical output from that point on was released on the Ranwood label. Welk acquired Wood's interest in the...
label.
In 1974, the label (along with the rest of the Famous Music Group) was bought by ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
(which ironically had tried to purchase Dot years before) and discontinued the label at the start of 1978. The ABC/Dot headquarters became the Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
office of ABC Records, a division of the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, which coincidentally had been bought by Paramount's old theater chain
United Paramount Theatres
Plitt Theatres was one of the largest chain of cinemas in the United States.The theater chain was divested from Paramount Pictures as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. ....
in 1953 (which helped the network catch up to its rivals CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
), and had started a good relationship with Paramount's TV division
Paramount Television
Paramount Television was an American television production/distribution company that was active from January 1, 1968 to August 27, 2006.Its successor is CBS Television Studios, formerly CBS Paramount Television...
(wherein Paramount produced a number of hit series on ABC).
ABC Records was sold to MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
in 1979. The Dot/Paramount catalog is now owned by Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, with Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
(which absorbed MCA Records, and was founded by David Geffen
David Geffen
David Geffen is an American record executive, film producer, theatrical producer and philanthropist. Geffen is noted for creating Asylum Records in 1970, Geffen Records in 1980, and DGC Records in 1990...
, who become a co-founder of Paramount's one-time sister studio DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
) managing the pop/rock back catalog, and MCA Nashville Records managing the country back catalog.
Family members report that Randy Wood died in La Jolla, California on April 9, 2011 after a fall in his home at age 93.
Dot Records artists
(** indicates a master purchase (or lease) from another record company)
|
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Bob Gaddy Bob Gaddy was an American East Coast blues and rhythm and blues pianist, singer and songwriter. He is best remembered for his recordings of "Operator" and "Rip and Run," and musical work he undertook with Larry Dale, Wild Jimmy Spruill, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.-Biography:Gaddy was born in... The Fireballs The Fireballs, sometimes billed as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, is an American rock and roll group, particularly popular at the end of the 1950s and in the early 1960s... Bonnie Guitar Bonnie Guitar is an American Country-Pop Singer. She is best remembered for her 1957 Country-Pop crossover hit "Dark Moon"... Roy Head Roy Head is an American singer, best known for his hit "Treat Her Right."-Career:Head achieved fame as a member of a musical group out from San Marcos, Texas known as The Traits. The group's sponsor landed their first recording contract in 1958 with TNT Music in San Antonio, Texas while they were... Tab Hunter Tab Hunter is an American actor, singer, former teen idol and author who has starred in over forty major films.-Background:... Gunilla Hutton Gunilla Hutton is a Swedish-born American actress and singer, perhaps most notable for her roles as the second Billie Jo Bradley on Petticoat Junction , and as a regular cast member in the television series Hee Haw until 1992.... The Illusion (band) The Illusion were an American hard rock band from Long Island, New York. They released three full-length albums in the U.S., the first of which was also issued in the United Kingdom. All three albums were produced by the famous Jeff Barry. The group had one major hit in the U.S... (Steed) Danny Kaye Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian... The Kendalls The Kendalls was an American country music duo, consisting of Royce Kendall and his daughter Jeannie Kendall . Between the 1960s and 1990s, they released sixteen albums on various labels, including five on Mercury Records... Gary Usher Gary Usher was an American surf rock musician, songwriter, and record producer.-Biography:Usher's early life was spent in Grafton, Massachusetts. He attended Norcross Grammar School with his sister, Sandra, who was in the same class and was likely his twin. Gary was kiddingly called "Chicken Feed"... |
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic... Anita Kerr Anita Jean Grilli , known profesioanlly as Anita Kerr, is an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer. She recorded and performed successfully with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Europe.-Nashville:Kerr was born in Memphis, Tennessee... Andy Kim Andrew Youakim, performing as Andy Kim, is a Lebanese Canadian pop rock singer and songwriter. He grew up in Montreal, Quebec in Canada. Kim is known for a number of hit singles that he released in the late 1960s and early 1970s such as "Rock Me Gently", which topped the US singles charts. In 1968,... (Steed) The Lennon Sisters The Lennon Sisters are a singing group consisting of four siblings: Dianne , Peggy , Kathy , and Janet . They were all born in Los Angeles, California of German/Irish and Mexican ancestry. The original quartet were the eldest four in a family of twelve siblings... Liberace Wladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned... Jim Lowe Jim Lowe is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1956 number-one hit record, "The Green Door". He also served as a disc jockey and radio host and personality, and has been considered an expert on the popular music of the 1940s and 1950s.-Biography:Born in Springfield, Missouri, Lowe... Robin Luke Robin Luke is an American rockabilly singer who is best known for his 1958 song, "Susie Darlin". 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Wink Martindale Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:... Robin McNamara Robin McNamara is an American singer, songwriter and musician.In 1963, while in tenth grade, McNamara formed a rock and roll group with a few school mates; they christened their band Robin and the Hoods, performing locally in the New England area with McNamara as the lead vocalist... (Steed) Vaughn Monroe Vaughn Wilton Monroe was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader and actor, most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording and radio.-Biography:... Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels.... Ken Nordine Ken Nordine is an American voiceover and recording artist best known for his series of Word Jazz albums. His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many commercial advertisements and movie trailers. One critic wrote that "you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you'll almost... Nervous Norvus Nervous Norvus was the performing name of Jimmy Drake . His novelty song "Transfusion" was a major hit in 1956, as was a second song, "Ape Call," released later that year.... ** Larry Novak Lawrence R. "Larry" Novak is an American jazz pianist. He is the father of Gary Novak.Larry Novak was born in Chicago. He learned piano from age five and began playing jazz at 14. He studied at Loyola University Chicago and the University of Minnesota, followed by a stint playing in a military... Tommy Overstreet Tommy Overstreet is an American country singer. Often known simply as "T.O." by fans and radio disc jockeys, Overstreet has five top five hit singles in the Billboard country charts and 11 top 10 singles. His popularity peaked in the 1970s.-Early life:Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Overstreet... Eddie Peabody Captain Edwin Ellsworth Peabody was an American musical entertainer. His career spanned five decades and he was perhaps the most famous plectrum banjo player ever... Nancy Priddy Nancy Lee Priddy is an American actress and singer-songwriter. As an actress, she has appeared on many television series, including Bewitched, The Waltons, and Matlock.-Career:... Louis Prima Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the... Jimmie Rodgers (pop singer) James Frederick "Jimmie" Rodgers is an American singer. He is not related to the country singer of the same name.-Career:... Mitch Ryder William S. Levise, Jr , better known by his stage name Mitch Ryder, is an American musician who has recorded over two dozen albums in more than four decades.-Career:... (DynoVoice) |
John Wesley Ryles John Wesley Ryles is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1968 with the single "Kay", a Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, and the title track to his debut album for Columbia Records.Ryles later recorded one album, Reconsider Me, for the Plantation label,... Lalo Schifrin Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations... John Serry, Sr. John Serry, Sr. was an accomplished concert accordionist virtuoso, arranger, composer, organist and educator who performed on the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks... Ray Sharpe Ray Sharpe is an American R&B and rockabilly singer, guitarist and songwriter.He grew up influenced by country as well as blues music, and many of his recordings are classed as rockabilly – he was described by one record producer as "the greatest white-sounding black dude ever"... Six Fat Dutchmen The Six Fat Dutchmen was a polka band formed around 1932 by Harold Loeffelmacher in New Ulm, Minnesota. The band was known mostly for playing the "Oom-pah" style of polka music that originated from Germany and the German-speaking areas of Czechoslovakia... Keely Smith Keely Smith is an American jazz and popular music singer who enjoyed popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. She collaborated with, among others, Louis Prima and Frank Sinatra.-Career:... Jo-El Sonnier Jo-El Sonnier is an American singer-songwriter and accordionist who performs country music and Cajun music. Originally signed to Mercury Nashville Records, Sonnier charted several minor singles on the Billboard country charts in the late 1970s... Dodie Stevens Dodie Stevens is an American pop singer. She is best known for her million selling 1959 song "Pink Shoe Laces", which made her a star when she was only 13 years old.-Early life:... Gale Storm Gale Storm was an American actress and singer who starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show.-Early life:... The String-A-Longs The String-A-Longs were an instrumental group from Plainview, Texas, produced by Norman Petty on Warwick Records. They consisted of Richard Stephens, lead guitar, Keith McCormack and Jimmy Torres, rhythm guitars, Aubrey de Cordova, bass guitar and Don Allen, drums.Their biggest hit single was... The Sunshine Boys The Sunshine Boys is a play by Neil Simon that was produced on Broadway in 1972 and later adapted for film and television.-Plot:The play focuses on aging Al Lewis and Willy Clark, a one-time vaudevillian team known as "Lewis and Clark" who, over the course of forty-odd years, not only grew to hate... The Surfaris The Surfaris were an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles, California area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" on the A-side and "Wipe Out" on the B-side of a 45 RPM single.-Career:The original... ** Diana Trask Diana Trask is an Australian and American country and pop singer born in Melbourne, Australia. She was a popular country singer during the 1970s in the United States and also was a popular star in her native Australia... Helen Traubel Helen Francesca Traubel was an American opera and concert singer. A dramatic soprano, she was best known for her Wagnerian roles, especially those of Brünnhilde and Isolde. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, she began her career as a concert singer and went on to sing at the Metropolitan... Leroy Van Dyke Leroy Frank Van Dyke is an American country music singer best known for his hits, "The Auctioneer" and "Walk On By" .-Biography:... Billy Vaughn Richard "Billy" Vaughn was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and A&R man for Dot Records.... Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982... Margaret Whiting Margaret Whiting was a singer of American popular music and country music who first made her reputation during the 1940s and 1950s.-Youth:... Lew Williams Lew Williams is an American rockabilly singer and songwriter, known as the "Cab Calloway of rockabilly".... Mac Wiseman Malcolm B. Wiseman , better known as Mac Wiseman, is an American bluegrass singer, nicknamed The Voice with a Heart. The bearded singer is one of the cult figures of bluegrass.... George Wright (organist) George Wright was an American musician, possibly the most famous virtuoso of the theatre organ of the modern era.... Barry Young (musician) Barry Young was an American pop singer who recorded for Dot Records in the 1960s. His biggest hit single was a recording of the tune "One Has My Name ", which had previously been a #1 hit on the country charts for Jimmy Wakely in 1948. The song hit #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 early in 1966... |
See also
- List of record labels
Dot Records artists
External links
- The Dot Records Story
- Singles discography
- Velva Darnell Electronics
- Billy Vaughn & Dot recording stars (interviewed 2.22.1968) on the Pop ChroniclesPop ChroniclesThe Pop Chronicles are two radio documentary series which together "may constitute the most complete audio history of 1940s-60s popular music." Both were produced by John Gilliland.-The Pop Chronicles of the 50s and 60s:...
(audio).