| Verve Forecast Records | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Founder | Jerry Schoenbaum |
| Distributor(s) | Verve Records (In the US) |
| Genre | various |
| Country of origin | US |
| Official Website | www.verveforecast.com |
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 an outgrowth of Verve Folkways Records, founded in 1964 in association with Folkways Records owner Moe Asch.[1][2] Originally a folk music label, Verve Forecast 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, Friend and Lover, The Hombres and Bob Lind. Established folk music artists included Odetta, Dave Van Ronk and The New Lost City Ramblers along with blues artists 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 (at that point, the original catalog of Verve Forecast was incorporated into that of Polydor Records).
Verve Forecast was first revived for smooth jazz releases in the 1990s, with artists such as Chris Botti, Jeff Lorber, and 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 deactivated 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.
Today's artist roster includes Aqualung, Avant, Sunshine Anderson, Beast, Blues Traveler, Brazilian Girls, The Bridges, Jessie Baylin, Elizabeth & The Catapult, Elvis Costello, Jamie Cullum, Dion, John Fogerty, Jackie Greene, Guillemots, Daryl Hall, Jesse Harris, Ledisi, Rhett Miller, Ollabelle, Susan Tedeschi, Teddy Thompson, Kate Walsh, Lucy Woodward, Lizz Wright and Yoav. Some of these artists recorded for other Universal-owned labels in the past, including Avant (MCA and Geffen) and Blues Traveler (A&M).
Singer, songwriter and actor Chris Isaak has recently joined Verve Forecast record label and his most recent recording will be out October 18, 2011.