Sue Records
Encyclopedia
Sue Records was founded in 1957
by Henry 'Juggy' Murray
in New York City
.
Also within the group was Symbol Records
and Sue also financed and distributed A.F.O.Records owned by Harold Battiste
in New Orleans.
The label's first success came with Bobby Hendricks
and Don Covay
and continued into the sixties with Ike and Tina Turner, The Duals' "Stick Shift" and "Mockingbird" by Inez and Charlie Foxx
.
1959-1962 were good years for Sue with hits by Ike and Tina Turner, Justine "Baby" Washington, The Soul Sisters, The Duals, Jimmy McGriff and Inez and Charlie Foxx.
The hits dried up by 1963 and Sue seemed to be out of step. They never really produced records to compete with the hot new sounds of soul on Atlantic, Stax or Motown.
Murray initially released his records in the UK through Decca's London Records
but switched to a licensing deal with Island Records
in 1964
. This deal resulted in a split in the ownership of the Sue name. Island used the label to distribute Sue in the UK. Problems began when Island also leased discs from other US labels that interested them and released them on UK Sue too - which was not in the agreement.
After failing to chart in the U.S., Murray sold the Sue masters to United Artists Records
, but retained rights to the Sue name and constantly attempted to re-activate the label until his death in 2005. The Sue Records catalogue is now owned by EMI.
Sue Records artists with Wikipedia pages
1957 in music
-Events:*January 5 – Renato Carosone and his band start their American tour in Cuba.*January 6 – Elvis Presley makes his final appearance on the The Ed Sullivan Show.*January 16 – The Cavern Club opens in Liverpool, UK....
by Henry 'Juggy' Murray
Juggy Murray
Henry 'Juggy' Murray Jr. was an influential rhythm and blues music producer....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Also within the group was Symbol Records
Symbol Records
Symbol Records is an independent record label for jazz that promotes artistic integrity and creativity. It provides an outlet for artistic freedom and encourages new music recorded at the highest standards possible....
and Sue also financed and distributed A.F.O.Records owned by Harold Battiste
Harold Battiste
Harold Raymond Battiste, Jr. , is an American music composer, arranger, performer and teacher.He attended New Orleans' Dillard University, earning a B.S. in music in 1953. His first success as a studio arranger was with Sam Cooke’s "You Send Me" in 1957...
in New Orleans.
The label's first success came with Bobby Hendricks
Bobby Hendricks
Bobby Hendricks is an American R&B singer who charted two hits in the late 1950s. However, before embarking on a solo career, Bobby Hendricks was a member of The Swallows and recorded with The Flyers before becoming a successful solo act...
and Don Covay
Don Covay
Don Covay is an American R&B/rock and roll/soul music singer and songwriter most active in the 1950s and 1960s, who received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1994...
and continued into the sixties with Ike and Tina Turner, The Duals' "Stick Shift" and "Mockingbird" by Inez and Charlie Foxx
Inez and Charlie Foxx
Charlie Foxx and his sister Inez Foxx were an African-American rhythm and blues and soul duo from Greensboro, North Carolina. Inez sang lead vocal, while Charlie sang back-up and played guitar.Their most successful record was with their novelty composition, "Mockingbird"...
.
1959-1962 were good years for Sue with hits by Ike and Tina Turner, Justine "Baby" Washington, The Soul Sisters, The Duals, Jimmy McGriff and Inez and Charlie Foxx.
The hits dried up by 1963 and Sue seemed to be out of step. They never really produced records to compete with the hot new sounds of soul on Atlantic, Stax or Motown.
Murray initially released his records in the UK through Decca's London Records
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....
but switched to a licensing deal with Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
in 1964
1964 in music
-Events:*January 1 – Top of the Pops is broadcast for the first time, on BBC television.*January 3 – Footage of the Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England is shown on The Jack Paar Show....
. This deal resulted in a split in the ownership of the Sue name. Island used the label to distribute Sue in the UK. Problems began when Island also leased discs from other US labels that interested them and released them on UK Sue too - which was not in the agreement.
After failing to chart in the U.S., Murray sold the Sue masters to United Artists Records
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
, but retained rights to the Sue name and constantly attempted to re-activate the label until his death in 2005. The Sue Records catalogue is now owned by EMI.
Selected discography
Albums on the Sue label. All albums were numbered within the main Island series.- ILP907 Jimmy McGriff - I've Got a Woman LP
- ILP908 Jimmy McGriff - Gospel Time LP
- ILP911 Ernestine AndersonErnestine AndersonErnestine Anderson is an American jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than five decades, she has recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She has sung at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Monterey Jazz Festival , as well as at jazz festivals all...
- The New Sound of Ernestine Anderson LP (Unissued) - ILP911 Charlie & Inez Foxx - Mockingbird LP
- ILP913 The Soul Sisters - The Soul Sisters LP
- ILP917 Huey Smith - Piano Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu LP (With the Clowns. Titled 'Havin' a Good Time' on label)
- ILP918 Elmore James - The Best of Elmore James LP
- ILP919 V/A - Sue Sampler Record for Clubs LP (Promo only, no sleeve. Typed white label & sheet)
- ILP919 V/A - Pure Blues Volume One LP
- ILP920 V/A - 50 Minutes 24 Seconds of Recorded Dynamite LP
- ILP921 V/A - We Sing the Blues LP
- ILP922 Larry Williams - Larry Williams on Stage LP
- ILP924 Lee Dorsey - The Best of Lee Dorsey LP
- ILP925 V/A - The Sue Story LP
- ILP927 Elmore James - The Elmore James Memorial Album LP
- ILP933 V/A - The Sue Story Volume Two LP
- ILP934 V/A - Soul '66 LP
- ILP935 Billy Preston - The Most Exciting Organ Ever LP
- ILP937 Righteous Brothers - In Action LP
- ILP938 V/A - The Sue Story Volume Three LP
- ILP949 Barbara Lynn - The Barbara Lynn Story LP
- ILP950 Wallace Brothers - Soul Connection LP
- ILP951 Bob & Earl - Harlem Shuffle LP
See also
- List of record labels
Sue Records artists with Wikipedia pages