Light Records was a gospel

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....

 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,...

 founded in 1966

1966 in music

-Events:*January 3 – Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work it Out".*January 8 – Shindig! airs for the last time on ABC, with musical guests the Kinks and the Who...

 by Ralph Carmichael

Ralph Carmichael

Ralph Carmichael is a composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music, being regarded as one of the pioneers of the latter genre...

 as a joint venture with the Waco

Waco, Texas

Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

-based Word Records

Word Records

Word Records is a Christian record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a division of Word Entertainment , which, itself is co-owned by Warner Music Group and Curb Records...

.

History

Early-on, Light Records' first roster included Ralph Carmichael, the Carmichael Young People, Ralph Carmichael's 102 Strings recordings, and Ralph's daughter Kim (Carol) Carmichael

Carol Parks

Carol Celeste Parks was an American singer and composer. She was the former wife of musician Dean Parks.-Early life:...

. Other artists included Jimmy Durante

Jimmy Durante

James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...

 and Thurl Ravenscroft

Thurl Ravenscroft

Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft was an American voice actor and singer best known as the deep voice behind Tony the Tiger's "They're grrreat!" in Frosted Flakes television commercials for more than five decades. Ravenscroft was also known, however uncredited, as the vocalist for the song "You're a Mean...

 (the voice of Tony the Tiger

Tony the Tiger

Tony the Tiger is the advertising cartoon mascot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal, appearing on its packaging and advertising. More recently, Tony has also become the mascot for Tony's Cinnamon Krunchers and Tiger Power...

 in cereal commercials). Light moved into Gospel music quickly, with the 1968 signing of future Grammy

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

-winners Andrae Crouch & the Disciples

Andrae Crouch

Andraé Crouch is a seven-time Grammy Award-winning American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, recording artist, record producer, and pastor.-Early years:Born Andraé Edward Crouch in San Francisco, California....

 and The Oral Roberts Singers featuring Richard Roberts (evangelist)

Richard Roberts (evangelist)

Richard Roberts is an American evangelist. Roberts is chairman and chief executive officer of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. Since his healing ministry began in 1980, he has preached on six continents. Holding his first overseas crusade in South Africa in 1982, he has since traveled...

 who had a hit with their opening theme (Something Good Is Going to Happen to You

Something good is going to happen to you

Something Good Is Going to Happen to You is an album by Baboon, released in 2002 on Last Beat Records.-Track listing:-Personnel:* Steven Barnett - drums, keyboards, fan-blade guitar, e-bow bass, room evacuator , piano, organ, author and sole-performer * Andrew Huffstetler - lead vocals* Mark Hughes...

) and closing theme (A God of Miracles) for The Oral Roberts Hour .

Soon after, other gospel artists The Archers

The Archers (musical group)

The Archers were one of America's earliest Contemporary Christian music groups. They were originally brothers Tim and Steve Archer, Nancye Short and Billy Rush Masters. After Masters and Short departed in 1977, sister Janice Archer joined....

, The Winans

The Winans

The Winans are an American Gospel music quartet from Detroit, Michigan consisting of brothers Marvin, Carvin, Michael and Ronald Winans.-Members:Please refer to the Winans family page for more detail on the individual members.-Origins:...

, Walter Hawkins

Walter Hawkins

Walter Hawkins was an American gospel music singer, and a pastor. Hawkins was consecrated to the bishopic in 1992. He died at his home in Ripon, California, from pancreatic cancer....

, Tramaine Hawkins, and Bob Bailey joined the roster. For a time, Light was also home to Contemporary Christian artists such as Sweet Comfort Band

Sweet Comfort Band

Sweet Comfort Band was a Christian rock band that first performed in 1973 in Riverside, California, and were active until 1984. The band was initially composed of keyboardist/lead vocalist, Bryan Duncan, and brothers Kevin and Rick Thomson. The band was the brainchild of the Thomson brothers...

, Reba Rambo-McGuire

Reba Rambo-McGuire

- Biography :At the age of 12, Reba started singing with her father and mother, Buck and Dottie Rambo, as the Southern Gospel family group, The Singing Rambos, which was later shortened to The Rambos...

 and Carman

Carman

In Irish mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior-woman and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub , Dother and Dian...

.

Carmichael bought out Word's portion of Light/Lexicon in 1980 after ABC/CapCities

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...

 had purchased Word in 1974. Light was then purchased by Platinum Entertainment in 1993. After Platinum filed bankruptcy in 2001, it was renamed Compendia Music Group, and the Light label continued as a urban-gospel label. Compendia was purchased by Sheridan Square Entertainment in 2004.

Light Records is now currently owned by Entertainment One as of April 2010.

External links

• lightrecords.com -- Light Records
• www.bsnpubs.com/word/light.html -- Light Records Discography
• www.light-street.com -- Light Records Street Team Headquarters