Curb Records

Curb Records
Founded 1964
Founder Mike Curb
Distributor(s)
Genre
Country of origin United States
Location Nashville, Tennessee
Official website curb.com

Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an independent record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of MGM and Verve Records.

History

Throughout the years, the Curb Companies have had major successes with such artists as the Stone Poneys (featuring Linda Ronstadt), Eric Burdon and War, Sammy Davis Jr., the Osmond Family (including Donny & Marie), Lou Rawls, Exile, the Righteous Brothers, Solomon Burke, Gloria Gaynor, the Hondells, the Arrows (featuring Davie Allan), Lyle Lovett, Roy Orbison, the Electric Flag (featuring Mike Bloomfield and Buddy Miles), the Sylvers, and the Four Seasons. The Four Seasons' comeback album, Who Loves You, included "December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)," which was the first single to spend more than one year on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

Curb's roster past and present includes Lee Brice, LeAnn Rimes, Hank Williams, Jr., Wynonna, Sawyer Brown, Rodney Atkins, The Bellamy Brothers, Chris Hillman's Desert Rose Band, Lee Greenwood, Neil Sedaka, Steve Holy, The Judds, Hal Ketchum, Jo Dee Messina, Rio Grand, Trick Pony (featuring Heidi Newfield), Mel Tillis, T.G. Sheppard, Jim Stafford, Ray Stevens, Andreas Moss, Jonathan Thulin and Tim McGraw.[1]


In late 2002, Curb Records also acquired a stake in Word Records from then-owners Time Warner. Warner Music Group sold its remaining stake in the label to Curb in 2016, making Word a wholly owned subsidiary.[2]

Four-time GMA Music Award Female Vocalist of the Year Natalie Grant is signed to Curb Records in addition to the five-time GMA music award-winning group Selah. Throughout the years, Curb has had success with other Gospel music artists such as MercyMe, the Second Chapter of Acts, Degarmo and Key, Patti Cabrera, Michael English, Debby Boone, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Barlowgirl, pureNRG, Worship Kids, Francesca Battistelli, Big Daddy Weave, Building 429, Fernando Ortega, Downhere, Nicole C. Mullen, Larry Norman, Jonathan Pierce, Plumb, Point of Grace, Group 1 Crew, Salvador, Jamie Slocum, Steller Kart, Jaci Velasquez and Mark Schultz.

In 2006, Curb launched a sister rock label, Bruc Records, the name of which is an acronym for "Blues, Rock, Urban, Country" (the name is also "Curb" spelled backwards). Straight to Hell by Neotraditional country artist Hank Williams III was the first album to be released on the new imprint.

In 2011, Curb filed a lawsuit against country singer Tim McGraw, and McGraw filed a counter lawsuit against Curb.[3] In 2012, he stopped recording with Curb, and switched to Big Machine Records, ending his relationship with them since 1990.

In 2015, Jim Ed Norman was named CEO of the Curb Group; however, Mike Curb remains extremely involved as the founder and chairman of the board.

Curb Foundation

Curb Records supports charitable programs through the Mike Curb Family Foundation. Some of the supported programs include; the Mike Curb Family Welcome Center at Second Harvest, Curb Youth Symphony, Curb Young Musicians Competition, Curb Concerto Competition, the Curb Family Humane Center, the Curb Junior Achievement Center in Los Angeles and Nashville, the Curb Family Pediatric Center, the Nashville Boy Scout Conference Center, the Patriots Theatre at Fort Campbell, the Curb Family Education Oasis Center and the Stella Curb Teacher Development Classrooms.

The Curb Foundation is very active in Education including the Curb Center at Vanderbilt (which has launched the Curb Creative Campus Program), the Curb College for Music Business at Belmont University, the Curb College of Arts, Media and Communication at Cal State University, the Curb Beaman Jubilee Singers Chair at Fisk University, the Curb College of Arts, Music and Sciences at Daytona State College, the Business and Law Chair and Facility at Claremont McKenna College, the Curb Learning Lab for Music and Entertainment at Baylor University, the Curb Keller Dormitories at Neve Yerushalayim in Jerusalem University and the Curb History Institute at Rhodes College.

Projects

In conjunction with Curb's educational projects, Curb has purchased and restored Elvis Presley's first home in Memphis, TN, the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville, TN, the Historic RCA Studio B, and Columbia's Historic Quonset Hut which was the first recording studio on Nashville's famed Music Row. These historic facilities are being used by students at the various Curb supported colleges and universities for the purpose of studying music history.

In October 2008 the 6,000 seat Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville, TN hosted the Town Hall Presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama.

Curb Records – Europe

In the United Kingdom, Curb artists (apart from those sub-licensed to majors) are eligible for the UK 'independent' charts. In January 2006, Curb scored a top ten hit with Brian Kennedy and Peter Corry's 'Tribute to George Best', an EP featuring recordings of You Raise Me Up amongst others. Curb previously had major hits in Europe with the Four Seasons, the Osmonds, LeAnn Rimes, and Soundtracks such as Coyote Ugly.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.mikecurb.com
  2. ↑ Rau, Nate (2016-03-02). "Curb Records acquires Word Entertainment". The Tennessean.
  3. ↑ Ray Waddel (November 30, 2011). "Court Denies Curb Records' Preliminary Injunction Against Tim McGraw". Billboard.
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