Kapp Records
| Kapp Records |
|
| Parent company |
MCA Inc. |
| Founded |
1954 |
| Founder |
David Kapp |
| Status |
defunct (fate: absorbed into MCA Records) |
| Genre |
Various |
| Country of origin |
United States |
Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who had set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca Records and RCA Victor Records.[1][2] Kapp licensed its records to London Records for release in the UK.
In 1967, David Kapp sold his label to MCA Inc. and the label was placed under Uni Records management;[3] Kapp was consolidated with MCA's other record labels in 1971 and, in 1972, MCA Records released the last Kapp Record.
Throughout Kapp's history, its logo was a stylized "K" incorporating a phonograph record design. Three versions of this logo appeared during the company's history. Until 1970, this logo also appeared on a drum major's cap in a word play of the label's name.
Label variations
- 1950s: Stylized "K/record" logo and KAPP at top of either red/white, silver/maroon or purplish red/white labels [1]
- Early 1960s: Black label with white "K/record" logo and KAPP in red at top [2], a similar design had a red drum major cap and KAPP in yellow at top.[3]
- Mid to late 1960s: Black label with red drum major cap (showing "K/record" logo in yellow) and KAPP in black letters in white box at left for singles, at top for albums.[4]
- 1970-1972: Purple, red, orange and yellow label with new "K" logo, either in black or in white inside black box, at left [5] (A few 1970s releases were also pressed with the mid-to-late 1960s black label)
Subsidiaries
- Medallion Records, an audiophile label.[4]
- Leader Records: It was launched to release more "middle of the road" material.
- Four Corners Records, with its "4 Corners of the World" logo. The record label was launched to promote European artists like Françoise Hardy, Raymond Lefevre, and the Barclay Singers.
- Another subsidiary label was Congress Records.
History
- 1954: Kapp Records was created by David Kapp.
- 1960: Kapp Records released one of the first cover versions of songs from The Sound of Music, which was running on Broadway at that time. The Pete King Chorale was featured on the album.
- 1972: MCA released the last Kapp Record. The catalog and artist roster was absorbed by MCA Records
- 2003: MCA Records is absorbed into Geffen Records, which currently manages Kapp's pop/rock/R&B catalogs. The country, jazz, and musical theatre catalogs are now managed by MCA Nashville Records, GRP Records, and Decca Broadway, respectively. Decca Broadway released a remastered version of the Man of La Mancha original cast album in 2001.
Kapp Records artists
References
- Hall, Claude: "MCA Drops Vocalion, Decca, Kapp and Uni", Billboard, February 10, 1973
External links