VERVE RECORDS
Verve Records is an American record company operating under the newly-founded Verve Label Group distributed by Interscope Geffen A&M Records. It was founded in 1956 by Norman Granz. It absorbed the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records (founded in 1946) and Norgran Records (founded in 1953), and material previously licensed to Mercury Records. It has been under ownership of Universal Music Group and has recently expanded to scope newer artists. (More from Wikipedia)
But not all of the bands and artists signed by Motown Records were African-American. Not long after I got to college, the cover of the Smokey Robinson song “Get Ready” by a band called Rare Earth was released. While they were not the first white band signed by Motown, they were the first to have a hit. Originally called the Sunliners, Rare Earth had previously released an album on Verve Records called Dreams/Answers in 1968. When they were signed by Motown Records, the company was starting a new label for white acts. The band jokingly suggested Rare Earth Records, and to their surprise, that is what Motown named the label.
(April 2015/1)
