Verve Forecast Records

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Verve Forecast Records

Parent company	Universal Music Group
Founded	1967
Founder	Jerry Schoenbaum
Distributing label	Verve Records (In the US)
Genre	various
Country of origin	US
Official website	Official website of Verve Forecast Records

Verve Forecast Records is a record label specializing in cutting edge material which was founded in 1967 by Verve Records and since been revived twice.

Verve Forecast was founded by Verve executive Jerry Schoenbaum as Verve Folkways Records, but changed to Verve Forecast to avoid confusion with Folkways Records. Originally a folk music label, it challenged standard record industry practice by developing long term careers instead of generating hit records. Verve Forecast attracted a new generation of talent which included The Blues Project, Richie Havens, Tim Hardin, Janis Ian, Laura Nyro, Jim and Jean, The Hombres and Bob Lind. Established folk music artists included Odetta, Dave Van Ronk and The New Lost City Ramblers along with blues legends John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Leadbelly and James Cotton. The label fell victim to corporate shuffles in the early 1970s around the time Verve parent MGM Records was sold to PolyGram. Verve Forecast was first revived for smooth jazz releases in the 1990s. With artists such as Chris Botti, Jeff Lorber, & Will Downing recording for the label. The revived label also fell to corporate restructuring when PolyGram was merged into Universal Music Group in the late 1990s; the imprint was deactived with its smooth jazz artists being transferred to GRP Records. Verve Forecast was then revived in 2004 to handle the Verve Music Group's non-Jazz talent, replacing the revived Blue Thumb Records.