Portrait Records
Encyclopedia
Portrait Records was a sister label
of Epic Records
and later of Columbia Records
. Cyndi Lauper
and Sade
signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered.
Portrait began in 1976
as a sister label of Epic; its initial signings were Joan Baez
, Burton Cummings
, and the McCrarys
. Cummings' "Stand Tall" was the lead-off single. Baez's Blowin' Away
album and the McCrarys' self-titled debut bowed in early 1977. The label design was similar to that of Columbia's
single design on it was in grey tones, while the logo was handwritten orange with a red outline. This was also the launch of Epic/Portrait/Associated (EPA) under the CBS moniker.
One of the signings the label had was the band Heart
. The band had been signed with Mushroom Records
but left after a dispute in advertising
its Dreamboat Annie
album. The print ads led some fans to think that the sisters Ann
and Nancy Wilson
were lesbian
s. Portrait snatched the group up quickly, releasing the "Barracuda
" single before Little Queen
was to hit the shelves. The McCrarys also scored big with "You."
By 1979, however, Epic was looking to consolidate some of its low-end producing labels and, for a short time, Portrait and Epic had both names on the same label. In 1980, only Heart was picked up from Portrait, which then took a three-year hiatus.
Baez left the label after the release of her 1979 Honest Lullaby
album; she later admitted in her 1987 memoir, And a Voice to Sing With, that she regretted signing with the label, describing her having left her previous label (A&M) for Portrait as "the stupidest career move I ever made".
In 1982, the label was relaunched again tapping into the New Wave
scene and other music not gaining any airplay. It signed artists such as Altered Images
, Aldo Nova
, Accept
, Arc Angel
, Hawaiian pups
, The Elvis Brothers
, Eddy Grant
, Orion the Hunter
, the Producers
, Saga
, and Peter Baumann
(formerly of Tangerine Dream
). The label was completely black but the red logo stayed intact. Portrait struck gold again with the signings of Cyndi Lauper
and Sade
, both in 1983. Americans wouldn't get Sade until a year later. Aldo Nova did make some headway with the songs "Fantasy" and "Monkey On Your Back" from his "Subject: Aldo Nova" album. Saga also found success with songs "On the Loose" and "Wind him up" which would propel Saga to amass gold and platinum albums worldwide.
By the end of 1986, the only act making money on this label was Lauper. Her album "True Colors" went platinum
, but it wasn't enough to sustain keeping the label afloat. At the end of 1986, Portrait was shuttered again.
In 1988, the label re-emerged once more but as a contemporary jazz
outfit, with signings as diverse as Stanley Clarke
, Ornette Coleman
, and Prime Time and Japan
ese import T-Square
. The logo changed dramatically. This time the label had two: the primary one was a painted P with the word "portrait" in a red block, while the secondary one was an outline drawing of a woman. This one was gone by 1990.
Epic did try to make the label work two more times: in 1992, it was trying to do jazz collections, and in 1999, it was relaunched through Columbia Records
as a hard-rock/metal label, signing Ratt
, Cinderella
, Great White
, the Union Underground
, and Mars Electric
. In 2000, Iron Maiden
signed with Portrait in conjunction with Columbia Records
in the US. Finally, after trying so hard to keep it afloat, Portrait dissolved in 2002 after the US release of Iron Maiden's Rock In Rio
album.
Most of the Portrait releases were remastered and re-released on Epic.
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,...
of Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
and later of Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
and Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered.
Portrait began in 1976
1976 in music
-January–February:*January 5 – Former Beatles road manager Mal Evans is shot dead by Los Angeles police after refusing to drop what police only later determine is an air rifle....
as a sister label of Epic; its initial signings were Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, Burton Cummings
Burton Cummings
Burton L. Cummings, OC, OM is a Canadian musician and songwriter.He was the lead singer and frequent keyboardist for the Canadian rock band The Guess Who...
, and the McCrarys
The McCrarys
The McCrarys was an American family Gospel and R&B group best known for the songs "You" , "Lost in Loving You," "Love on a Summer Night" and "Any Ol' Sunday .-History:...
. Cummings' "Stand Tall" was the lead-off single. Baez's Blowin' Away
Blowin' Away
Blowin' Away was a 1977 album by Joan Baez, her first after switching from A&M Records to Portrait Records . The album veered more toward mainstream pop than any album Baez had recorded up to that point, though many critics at the time pointed out that she seemed not entirely comfortable with her...
album and the McCrarys' self-titled debut bowed in early 1977. The label design was similar to that of Columbia's
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
single design on it was in grey tones, while the logo was handwritten orange with a red outline. This was also the launch of Epic/Portrait/Associated (EPA) under the CBS moniker.
One of the signings the label had was the band Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
. The band had been signed with Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records (Canada)
Mushroom Records was a recording label company founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by brothers Wink and Dick Vogel in 1974. Shelly Siegel was the label's Vice-president and creative director. Mushroom released approximately 15 LPs and 50 singles between 1974 and 1980.The Mushroom...
but left after a dispute in advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
its Dreamboat Annie
Dreamboat Annie
Dreamboat Annie is the debut album by American rock band Heart. It was released in the United States on February 14, 1976 through Mushroom Records. It contained three hit singles which became staples on FM radio...
album. The print ads led some fans to think that the sisters Ann
Ann Wilson
Ann Dustin Wilson is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, flute player, songwriter, and occasional guitar player of the rock band Heart.-Personal life:...
and Nancy Wilson
Nancy Wilson (guitarist)
Nancy Lamoureux Wilson is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer who, with her older sister Ann and lead guitarist Roger Fisher, became the core of the Seattle/Vancouver rock band Heart.-Life and career:...
were lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
s. Portrait snatched the group up quickly, releasing the "Barracuda
Barracuda (song)
"Barracuda" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released as the first single from the band's second album Little Queen .-Reception:...
" single before Little Queen
Little Queen
Little Queen is the second album released by Heart. It was released in May 1977 on Portrait Records, and re-released in 2004 with two bonus tracks....
was to hit the shelves. The McCrarys also scored big with "You."
By 1979, however, Epic was looking to consolidate some of its low-end producing labels and, for a short time, Portrait and Epic had both names on the same label. In 1980, only Heart was picked up from Portrait, which then took a three-year hiatus.
Baez left the label after the release of her 1979 Honest Lullaby
Honest Lullaby
Honest Lullaby was a 1979 album by Joan Baez. It would be her final album for CBS Records, and her last new studio album issued in the US until 1987. The title song was written for her son, Gabriel Harris...
album; she later admitted in her 1987 memoir, And a Voice to Sing With, that she regretted signing with the label, describing her having left her previous label (A&M) for Portrait as "the stupidest career move I ever made".
In 1982, the label was relaunched again tapping into the New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
scene and other music not gaining any airplay. It signed artists such as Altered Images
Altered Images
Altered Images were an early 1980s Scottish New Wave / post-punk band. Led by lead singer Clare Grogan, the band branched into mainstream pop music, and had a string of chart hits between 1981 and 1983.-Early career:...
, Aldo Nova
Aldo Nova
Aldo Nova is a Canadian guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and producer, Nova gained fame with his self-titled debut album Aldo Nova in 1981, and its accompanying single "Fantasy", which climbed to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Career:Signing with Portrait Records, Nova released a self-produced...
, Accept
Accept
Accept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s...
, Arc Angel
Arc Angel (band)
Arc Angel was an AOR rock band that was formed by musicians Jeff Cannata and Michael Soldan.- History :Jeff Cannata and Michael Soldan had previously been in the popular Connecticut-based band Jasper Wrath. Cannata played drums and Soldan played keyboards; both composed most of the group's songs....
, Hawaiian pups
Hawaiian pups
The Hawaiian Pups were a relatively obscure New-wave/ Synth-Pop music group from the 1980s which formed in the New York Metropolitan Area. The Hawaiian Pups were: John Terelle, John Klett, and Tara Shanahan. Portrait Records signed them onto their record label. Spook Opera was their first Single...
, The Elvis Brothers
The Elvis Brothers
The Elvis Brothers were a power pop trio that got its start in Champaign, IL, in the late 70's & early 80's. The members were Rob Elvis , Graham Elvis and Brad Elvis . The band released two albums with Portrait Records: Movin' Up and Adventure Time...
, Eddy Grant
Eddy Grant
Edmond Montague "Eddy" Grant is a musician, born in Plaisance, Guyana.- Life and career :When he was still a young boy, his parents emigrated to London, UK, where he settled. He lived in Kentish Town and went to school at the Acland Burghley Secondary Modern at Tufnell Park...
, Orion the Hunter
Orion the Hunter (band)
Orion the Hunter was a 1980s rock combo and offshoot of the popular band Boston. It featured former Boston members Barry Goudreau on guitars and Brad Delp on backing vocals, as well as future Boston lead vocalist Fran Cosmo....
, the Producers
The Producers (band)
The Producers is a new wave and power pop band from Atlanta, Georgia in the 1980s. The original line up included Van Temple on guitar and vocals, former Whiteface member Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, former Billy Joe Royal sideman "Wayne Famous" on keyboards, and Bryan Holmes on...
, Saga
Saga (band)
Saga is a progressive rock quintet, formed in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Jim Crichton and Welsh-born vocalist Michael Sadler have been the principal songwriters for Saga. Ian Crichton is the band's guitarist; apart from his work with Saga, he has recorded several solo albums as well as sessions...
, and Peter Baumann
Peter Baumann
Peter Baumann formed the core line-up of the German electronic group Tangerine Dream with Edgar Froese and Christopher Franke in 1971. While touring with the band, Baumann composed his first solo album in 1976...
(formerly of Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
). The label was completely black but the red logo stayed intact. Portrait struck gold again with the signings of Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
and Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
, both in 1983. Americans wouldn't get Sade until a year later. Aldo Nova did make some headway with the songs "Fantasy" and "Monkey On Your Back" from his "Subject: Aldo Nova" album. Saga also found success with songs "On the Loose" and "Wind him up" which would propel Saga to amass gold and platinum albums worldwide.
By the end of 1986, the only act making money on this label was Lauper. Her album "True Colors" went platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
, but it wasn't enough to sustain keeping the label afloat. At the end of 1986, Portrait was shuttered again.
In 1988, the label re-emerged once more but as a contemporary jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
outfit, with signings as diverse as Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
, Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
, and Prime Time and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese import T-Square
T-square
A T-square is a technical drawing instrument used by draftsmen primarily as a guide for drawing horizontal lines on a drafting table. It may also guide a triangle to draw vertical or diagonal lines. Its name comes from the general shape of the instrument where the horizontal member of the T slides...
. The logo changed dramatically. This time the label had two: the primary one was a painted P with the word "portrait" in a red block, while the secondary one was an outline drawing of a woman. This one was gone by 1990.
Epic did try to make the label work two more times: in 1992, it was trying to do jazz collections, and in 1999, it was relaunched through Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as a hard-rock/metal label, signing Ratt
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
, Cinderella
Cinderella (band)
Cinderella is an American heavy metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum albums and hit singles whose music videos received heavy MTV rotation. They were famous for being a glam metal band, but then shifted over towards a more hard...
, Great White
Great White
Great White is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1978. The band gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s. The band released several albums in the late 1980s and gained airplay on MTV with music videos for songs like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy"...
, the Union Underground
The Union Underground
The Union Underground was a nu metal/industrial rock band based out of San Antonio, Texas, USA. Original band members included Bryan Scott, Patrick Kennison, Josh Memolo, and John Moyer. They released one major label album, An Education in Rebellion, in July 2000 which featured the hit single "Turn...
, and Mars Electric
Mars Electric
-History:Lead singer Jacob Bunton first formed the group under the name Wish in Birmingham in 1995. They signed with Atlantic Records in 1997 and recorded an album, but Atlantic dropped them before releasing any of their material. In 1999, legendary A&R guru John Kalodner signed the band to...
. In 2000, Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
signed with Portrait in conjunction with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in the US. Finally, after trying so hard to keep it afloat, Portrait dissolved in 2002 after the US release of Iron Maiden's Rock In Rio
Rock in Rio (album)
Rock In Rio is a live album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, recorded at Rock in Rio, Brazil in 2001 on the last night of the Brave New World Tour...
album.
Most of the Portrait releases were remastered and re-released on Epic.