Kapp Records

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Kapp Records
1970kapplogo.jpg
Parent company MCA Inc.
Founded 1954
Founder David Kapp
Status defunct (fate: absorbed into MCA Records)
Genre Various
Country of origin United States
David Kapp
DaveKapp-DannyKaye-1947.JPG
David Kapp and Danny Kaye, 1947
Background information
Birth name David Kapp
Born August 7, 1904 [1]
Chicago, Illinois
Died March 1, 1976 [1]
New York City, New York[1]
Genres Country, pop, rock, R&B, jazz, musical theatre
Occupation(s) Record producer
Years active 1930s-1960s
Associated acts Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Ernest Tubb, Danny Kaye,

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.[2][3] 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;[4] Kapp was consolidated with MCA's other record labels in 1971 and, in 1973, MCA Records released the last Kapp Record. Catalogue albums that continued to sell were renumbered and reissued on the MCA label.[5]

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.

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.'
  • 1964: Kapp Records released "Hello Dolly" sung by Louis Armstrong that became the number one song in America on Billboard Top 100, two months after The Beatles' invasion from England.
  • 1973: 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.

Subsidiaries

Kapp Records logo during most of the 1960s.

Label variations

  • 1950s: Stylized "K/record" logo and KAPP at top of either red/white, silver/maroon or purplish red/white labels.[7]
  • Early 1960s: Black label with white "K/record" logo and KAPP in red at top,[8] a similar design had a red drum major cap and KAPP in yellow at top.[9]
  • 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.[10]
  • 1970-1972: Purple, red, orange and yellow label with new "K" logo, either in black or in white inside black box, at left.[11] (A few 1970s releases were also pressed with the mid-to-late 1960s black label.)

Kapp Records artists

References

  • Hall, Claude: "MCA Drops Vocalion, Decca, Kapp and Uni", Billboard, February 10, 1973
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External links