Mercury Records is an American-based record label owned by Universal Music Group. Mercury Record Corporation was formed in the American city of Chicago in 1945 by Irving Green, Berle Adams, Ray Greenberg, and Arthur Talmadge. They were a major force in jazz and blues, classical music, rock and roll, and country music recordings. With the use of automatic presses and providing 24-hour turnaround, they went into direct competition with major recording labels such as Columbia, Decca, and RCA Victor. Mercury Records America’s website remains inoperative as of 2014. (More from Wikipedia)
The first 45 released by the Big Bopper – actually a pair of instrumental recordings credited to Wortham Watts (the two men co-wrote the songs) – came out on D Records: “Cotton Picker” b/w “Lonesome”. Shortly afterwards, “Beggar to a King” b/w “Crazy Blues” came out on Mercury/Starday Records.
(June 2013/1)
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Redbone was formed in 1969 by two brothers from Coalinga, California, Patrick Vasquez (bass and vocals) and Candido “Lolly” Vasquez (guitar and vocals). They took the names Pat Vegas and Lolly Vegas in order to downplay the Latin American origin of their real surname (even though Las Vegas is also Spanish, meaning “meadows”). Before starting Redbone, the brothers released an album on Mercury Records in the mid-1960’s called Pat & Lolly Vegas at the Haunted House; and they appeared in the 1967 film, It’s a Bikini World, which has the distinction of being the only beach-party genre movie to be directed by a woman, Stephanie Rothman.
(August 2013)
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At a later date, the Pleasure Seekers were signed to Mercury Records and released a second single in 1968, “Light of Love” b/w “Good Kind of Hurt”.
(October 2013)
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At this point, the Runaways was signed by Mercury Records and released their first album, The Runaways in 1976. The credits for the bandmembers on the back of the album included their ages (most were 16 or younger as I recall), thus cementing Kim Fowley’s Svengali reputation. Fowley refused to let Jackie Fox play on the debut album, so Blondie bass guitarist Nigel Harrison filled in.
(November 2013)
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Although primarily based in Chicago, Jerry Butler was signed by Mercury Records in 1967 and connected with the Philadelphia production team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The result was Butler’s most successful album (and the first full-length album by Gamble and Huff), The Ice Man Cometh.
(July 2014)
