- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Indiana University Press (1 May 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0253335485
- ISBN-13: 978-0253335487
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15 x 2 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,926,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Review
"In this era of monolithic record companies and predictably contrived music, it's refreshing to read about mavericks who took chances... a look at ten visionaries who altered the course of popular music." --Playboy " ... close-up portraits of risk-taking label owners who often gambled their careers and livelihoods to release music they believed in." --Billboard " ... [a] volume that--like the labels it celebrates, and the 45s and 78s those labels put out--is full of exciting and vital content." --San Francisco Chronicle "This book is a great piece of storytelling... well written, crammed full of interesting facts, and great fun." --Dirty Linen "Kennedy and McNutt celebrate the predecessors of today's vaunted indie record companies in this rich survey... In profiling the feisty underdogs who produced so much music that 'is still very much with us,' Kennedy and McNutt also explore the commercial and social forces affecting the industry." --Booklist
Review
"In this era of monolithic record companies and predictably contrived music, it's refreshing to read about mavericks who took chances... a look at ten visionaries who altered the course of popular music." --Playboy " ... close-up portraits of risk-taking label owners who often gambled their careers and livelihoods to release music they believed in." --Billboard " ... [a] volume that--like the labels it celebrates, and the 45s and 78s those labels put out--is full of exciting and vital content." --San Francisco Chronicle "This book is a great piece of storytelling... well written, crammed full of interesting facts, and great fun." --Dirty Linen "Kennedy and McNutt celebrate the predecessors of today's vaunted indie record companies in this rich survey... In profiling the feisty underdogs who produced so much music that 'is still very much with us,' Kennedy and McNutt also explore the commercial and social forces affecting the industry." --Booklist
--This text refers to the
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In April 1923, King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, the rage of Chicago's black nightclub district, took a five-hour train ride across rural Indiana to the Starr Piano factory in the small industrial town of Richmond. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In April 1923, King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, the rage of Chicago's black nightclub district, took a five-hour train ride across rural Indiana to the Starr Piano factory in the small industrial town of Richmond. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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12 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Little labels played a huge role in the evolution of Amercian popular music
7 July 2005
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
O how the landscape has changed! Fifty years ago there were literally hundreds of independent record labels operating in cities and towns all across the USA. Many of these companies were fly by night operations that lasted for only a short period of time. Some managed to stick around long enough to have a hit record or two before disappearing from the scene forever. But, a fair number of these independent labels were quite successful and would leave an indelible mark on American popular music. This is what "Little Labels-Big Sound" is all about.
Whether you are a fan of the blues, rock and roll, R & B, group harmony or jazz, there is little doubt that these "little labels" made a significant contribution to the development of your kind of music. Authors Rick Kennedy and Randy McNutt have focused on 10 of these important independent labels. It is a very readable and highly entertaining book that both record collectors and history buffs are sure to enjoy.
Hoagy Carmicheal and Louis Armstrong spent their formative years in the 1920's at Gennett Records, a small indie based in Richmond, In. When a young and dynamic James Brown audtioned for King Records in the mid 1950's, label owner Syd Nathan remarked "Nobody wants to hear that noise." History would indeed prove him wrong. Most critics agree that jazz legend Charlie Parker made his finest recordings at Ross Russell's Dial records. "Little Labels-Big Sound" tells the story of how Charlie Parker wound up at Dial. There are also chapters devoted to seven other notable indies including Sun, Riverside, Monument and Duke-Peacock. I enjoyed reading about them all.
Today, a few major conglomerates dominate the music business. There is little for most of us to get excited about. "Little Labels-Big Sound" fondly recalls that time in America when small record labels flourished and creativity thrived. It is worth remembering. Recommended.
Whether you are a fan of the blues, rock and roll, R & B, group harmony or jazz, there is little doubt that these "little labels" made a significant contribution to the development of your kind of music. Authors Rick Kennedy and Randy McNutt have focused on 10 of these important independent labels. It is a very readable and highly entertaining book that both record collectors and history buffs are sure to enjoy.
Hoagy Carmicheal and Louis Armstrong spent their formative years in the 1920's at Gennett Records, a small indie based in Richmond, In. When a young and dynamic James Brown audtioned for King Records in the mid 1950's, label owner Syd Nathan remarked "Nobody wants to hear that noise." History would indeed prove him wrong. Most critics agree that jazz legend Charlie Parker made his finest recordings at Ross Russell's Dial records. "Little Labels-Big Sound" tells the story of how Charlie Parker wound up at Dial. There are also chapters devoted to seven other notable indies including Sun, Riverside, Monument and Duke-Peacock. I enjoyed reading about them all.
Today, a few major conglomerates dominate the music business. There is little for most of us to get excited about. "Little Labels-Big Sound" fondly recalls that time in America when small record labels flourished and creativity thrived. It is worth remembering. Recommended.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
A terrific book. Will be in print for years.
22 Oct 1999
Format:Hardcover
This book tells what it was like to operate a small record label in the heyday of indie recording.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Little Labels, Big Impact
21 Oct 2005
Format:Paperback
I bought this book after buying Mr. McNutt's "Too Hot to Handle," a thoroughly researched and fascinating book designed like a fanzine for we small-time studio fanatics. "Little Labels" did not disappoint. Like his other book, this one has many, many interviews with the label owners, engineers, and musicians. Very few writers today take the time to go to the scene and interview the people who were involved. I appreciate this book so much because Mr. McNutt and Mr. Kennedy do take the time to find the people who made the sounds. I didn't grow up on this music, but I have learned to love it. Give it five stars!
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