Wand Records | |
---|---|
Parent company | Scepter Records |
Founded | 1961 |
Founder | Florence Greenberg |
Status | Defunct |
Genre | Various |
Location | U.S. |
Wand Records was an American independent record label, started by Florence Greenberg in 1961 as a subsidiary of Scepter Records. [1] Artists on Wand Records included The Isley Brothers, The Kingsmen, Mel Wynn & the Rhythm Aces, Chuck Jackson, and the Monzas.
In 1976, Greenberg retired from the business and sold her record labels to Springboard International. [1] When Springboard went bankrupt, Gusto Records acquired the catalog. [1] The Kingsmen acquired full ownership of their Wand catalog in court from Gusto for non-payment of royalties.
Chuck Jackson was the first artist signed to Wand. [1] His single "I Don't Want to Cry" (Wand 106) went to No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the R&B chart in 1961. The Isley Brothers released their classic single " Twist and Shout" (Wand 124), [1] which peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the R&B chart in 1962. [2] In 1963, the Kingsmen released " Louie Louie" (Wand 143), [1] which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100. Maxine Brown had a number for singles released on the label, including " Oh No Not My Baby" (Wand 162) in 1964.
Some artists to have one-off releases include Benny Gordon with "Gonna Give Her All The Love I Got", and a singer called Al Wilson. [3] For some time there has been speculation and discussion among some Northern soul collectors and enthusiasts that the single " Help Me", composed and produced by Johnny Northern and Ralph Bailey, arranged by Robert Banks, is not the same Al Wilson who recorded " The Snake". It is believed by some that this may be a completely different singer who happened to have the same name. [4] [5] [6]