Monument Records
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2010) |
| Monument Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Sony Music Entertainment |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Founder | Fred Foster Buddy Deane Jack Kirby |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Official website | monument-records |
Monument Records is an American record label co-founded in 1958 by Fred Foster. Originally founded in Washington, D.C., the label moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1960, and experienced success over the next two decades with a number of artists including Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Ray Stevens, Kris Kristofferson, Charlie McCoy, Boots Randolph, Jeannie Seely and others.
Following financial struggles and bankruptcy, CBS Records acquired the Monument catalog in the 1980s. CBS successor Sony Music reactivated the label in 1997 as a country label, then relauching the label in 2017.[1]
History[edit]
After working in record promotions for several years, in March 1958 Fred Foster co-founded Monument Records and publishing company Combine Music with business manager Jack Kirby and well-known Baltimore disc jockey "Buddy" Deane.[2] Founded in Washington, D.C., the label's name was inspired by the Washington Monument.[3]
For the label's first release, Foster took Billy Grammer to RCA's Nashville studio to record "Gotta Travel On" with Chet Atkins. Having spent all but $80 of Monument's initial $1,200 of funding, Foster negotiated for Monument to be the first label distributed by London Records.[3] Grammer's single, released in October 1958, was a crossover hit, reaching #4 on the U.S. pop chart, #5 on the U.S. country chart, and #14 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1959, selling over 900,000 copies.[4] It also spawned a nationwide dance craze called "The Shag". Later that year, Monument co-founder "Buddy" Dean sold his 30% share of the company back to Foster before relocating to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where he would buy KOTN in the early '60s.
The signing of former Sun Records singer Roy Orbison brought more success to Monument Records, beginning with the 1960 release "Only the Lonely." By 1961, London Records was distributing more than forty independent companies, prompting Foster to move Monument to the independent-distributor network.
In 1962, Monument Records made history when it released "Too Many Chicks" and "Jealous Heart" by Leona Douglas, the first country & western recording by an African-American woman.[5]
In 1971, Foster signed a worldwide distribution agreement with CBS Records. The distribution agreement lasted until 1976. Foster switched distribution to PolyGram which lasted until 1982, and then once again CBS handled distribution until 1990.
In addition to Orbison, Monument became home to a number of other artists including Robert Knight, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Moore, Jeannie Seely, Boots Randolph, Dolly Parton, Ray Stevens, Cindy Walker, Tony Joe White, Charlie McCoy, Willie Nelson, J.K. Coltrain, Tommy Roe, The Velvets, Connie Smith, Larry Jon Wilson, Larry Gatlin, and Robert Mitchum.
Foster started a soul and R&B label Sound Stage 7 in 1963. Artists on Sound Stage 7 included Joe Simon, Dixie Belles, Arthur Alexander, and Ivory Joe Hunter. Another Monument sublabel was Rising Sons Records.[6]
Foster invested heavily in a banking venture in the 1980s, and sustained disastrous financial losses. That led to the forced sale of Monument and its publishing counterpart, Combine Music Group, in 1990. CBS Records acquired the Monument catalog, and its successor company Sony Music reactivated the label in 1997 as a country label. Some successful artists signed to Monument during this era were Little Big Town and Dixie Chicks.[7] Monument Records catalog is managed by Sony Music's Legacy Recordings unit.
2017 relaunch[edit]
In January 2017, Sony Music announced it had revived the Monument label in a joint venture with Sandbox Entertainment CEO and manager Jason Owen and songwriter/producer Shane McAnally. Owen and McAnally serve as co-presidents and have signed artists Caitlyn Smith, Walker Hayes, and Tigirlily Gold.[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Sony Music's Monument Records Revived By Jason Owen, Shane McAnally". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Biography: Fred Foster". AllMusic. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Crane, Larry; Lehning, Kyle; White, Bergen (March 2017). "Fred Foster: Monuments of Sound - Roy Orbison, Ray Price, Kristofferson". Tape Op. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1959". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Billboard Music Week - Spotlight Singles of the Week. Nielsen Business Media. November 10, 1962. p. 48. Retrieved July 12, 2015 – via Internet Archive.
leona douglas jealous heart.
- ^ "Billboard – Google Books". September 16, 1967. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ^ "SONY BMG: One Word, Three Letters And A Whole Lot Of History". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ "Sony Music's Monument Records Revived By Jason Owen, Shane McAnally". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
