Frontline Records (1980s)

Frontline Records (1980s)
Founded 1986
Founder James Kempner
Genre Various
Country of origin United States

Frontline Records was a Christian record label founded in 1986 by James Kempner. The label focused primarily on modern rock, rap, and hip-hop. The label closed in the early 1990s.

Contents

Background

Kempner had a background in concert promotion, and had run the New Years Eve Christian music festival series at Knott's Berry Farm, growing the event to one of the largest Christian events in the country before forming Frontline.[1]

Artist Terry Scott Taylor became the production manager for the label, and Drummer Ed McTaggart became the primary art director, designing many of the label's album covers. Sublabels included Intense Records, Alarma! Records (a resurrection of Taylor's early 1980s lablel), and MYX Records (a dance music label supervised by Scott Blackwell[2]).

Initial distribution was through Benson Records.[1]

Frontline Records became an important label in the development of the West Coast Christian alternative music scene. Their roster included what 7ball magazine would later refer to as "truly classic alternative, rap, metal, and rock" music,[3] and HM editor Doug Van Pelt would call "the lion's share" of classic hard Christian music.[4]

Frontline and all of its assets were acquired by KMG Records in early 1998.[5]

Artists

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "New Rock Label Debuts". MusicLine 3 (12): 10. April 1986. ISSN 0746-7656. 
  2. ^ Rake, Jamie Lee (January 1992). "House of Holy: MYX Records Debuts". CCM Magazine 14 (7): 10. ISSN 1524-7848. 
  3. ^ Well, Chris (May / June 1998). "News". 7ball (18): 20. ISSN 1082-3980. 
  4. ^ Van Pelt, Doug (January / February 1999). "Reviews / Various artists Classic Archives". HM Magazine (75): 68. ISSN 1066-6923. 
  5. ^ Brown, Bruce A. (February 1998). "Rock n Roll World / Sound The Alarma". CCM Magazine 20 (8): 10. ISSN 1524-7848.