Online Encyclopedia
Decca Records
Decca Records is a record label that was established in 1929.
Former stockbroker Edward Lewis formed Decca Records Ltd in the United Kingdom in 1929. Within years, it was the second largest record label in the world, calling itself "The Supreme Record Company". The term "Decca" was never determined to signify a specific meaning or name, but some theories cite the opening musical notes of a Beethoven symphony.("D-E-C-C-A") A cameo of Beethoven graced the British Decca label for many years.
Decca bought out the bankrupt U.K. branch of Brunswick Records in 1932, which added such stars as Bing Crosby and Al Jolson to the roster. Decca also bought out the Melotone and Edison Bell record companies. By 1939, Decca was the only record company in UK aside from EMI.
In 1934 a US branch of Decca was launched, which quickly became a major player in the depressed United States record market thanks to it's roster of popular artists, particularly Bing Crosby, and the shrewd management of former U. S. Brunswick General Manager Jack Kapp .
Artists signed to Decca in the 1930s and 1940s included Louis Armstrong, the Andrews Sisters, Ted Lewis, The Mills Brothers, Billy Cotton, Guy Lombardo, Chick Webb,Bob Crosby, Jimmy Dorsey, Connee Boswell and Jack Hylton.
In 1942, Decca released "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby, which became the best-selling single of all time.
The American RCA broke from EMI to join with Decca in 1958 which allowed Decca to sell Elvis Presley's hits in the UK on the RCA label.
In the late 1950s, Patsy Cline was signed to the U. S. Decca label from Everest Records and had 3 albums and numberous singles while she was alive and several more albums and singles produced after her death in 1962.
In 1962 U. K. Decca executives turned down a chance to record a young group from Liverpool called the Beatles in favor of local beat combo Brian Poole and the Tremeloes ; in retrospect this was an historic mistake.
Other artists released on British Decca or through one of its licensed or subsidiary labels; Pat Boone, Little Richard, Engelbert Humperdinck, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Bobby Darin, Ricky Nelson, Duane Eddy, the Drifters, Eddie Cochran, Del Shannon, Roy Orbison, the Crystals, the Ronettes, Ike and Tina Turner , The Bachelors , Anthony Newley, The Rolling Stones, The Zombies, Billy Fury , Bobby Vee , Brenda Lee, Tom Jones, and Glass Harp.
The 1970s were disastrous for Decca, The Rolling Stones left Decca in 1970, and other artists followed. Decca's deals with numerous record labels began to fall apart, RCA abandoned Decca to set up its own UK office in 1971. The Moody Blues were the only international rock act that remained on the label. Although Decca set up the 1st of the British "progressive" labels, Deram , in 1966, by the time the punk era set in in 1977, Decca had become known primarily as a classical label which had only sporadic pop success with such acts as John Miles and productions by longtime Decca associate Jonathan King. Decca sadly became a label of last resort, dependent on rerelease of its back catalog. Contemporary signings such as the pre-stardom Adam Ant and Slaughter & The Dogs were firmly second division and second rate when compared to likes of Polygram, CBS, EMI, and newcomer Virgin's rosters of hitmakers.
Polygram acquired the remains of Decca within days of Lewis's death in January 1980.
The United States of America branch of Decca functioned separately for many years, and eventually merged became MCA Records. Because it held the rights to the name Decca in the US, British Decca sold its records in the United States under the label London Records. Conversely, US Decca recordings were marketed in Britain on the Brunswick and Coral labels through 1967. The Decca label is currently in use by Universal Music worldwide.