Customer Reviews

Little Labels--Big Sound: Small Record Companies and the Rise of American Music

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2 star:		(1)
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O how the landscape has changed! Fifty years ago there were literally hundreds of independent record labels operating in cities and towns all across the USA. Many of these companies were fly by night operations that lasted for only a short period of time. Some managed to stick around long enough to have a hit record or two before disappearing from the scene forever. But, a fair number of these independent labels were quite successful and would leave an indelible mark on American popular music. This is what "Little Labels-Big Sound" is all about.
Whether you are a fan of the blues, rock and roll, R & B, group harmony or jazz, there is little doubt that these "little labels" made a significant contribution to the development of your kind of music. Authors Rick Kennedy and Randy McNutt have focused on 10 of these important independent labels. It is a very readable and highly entertaining book that both record collectors and history buffs are sure to enjoy.

Hoagy Carmicheal and Louis Armstrong spent their formative years in the 1920's at Gennett Records, a small indie based in Richmond, In. When a young and dynamic James Brown audtioned for King Records in the mid 1950's, label owner Syd Nathan remarked "Nobody wants to hear that noise." History would indeed prove him wrong. Most critics agree that jazz legend Charlie Parker made his finest recordings at Ross Russell's Dial records. "Little Labels-Big Sound" tells the story of how Charlie Parker wound up at Dial. There are also chapters devoted to seven other notable indies including Sun, Riverside, Monument and Duke-Peacock. I enjoyed reading about them all.

Today, a few major conglomerates dominate the music business. There is little for most of us to get excited about. "Little Labels-Big Sound" fondly recalls that time in America when small record labels flourished and creativity thrived. It is worth remembering. Recommended.

This book tells what it was like to operate a small record label in the heyday of indie recording.

I bought this book after buying Mr. McNutt's "Too Hot to Handle," a thoroughly researched and fascinating book designed like a fanzine for we small-time studio fanatics. "Little Labels" did not disappoint. Like his other book, this one has many, many interviews with the label owners, engineers, and musicians. Very few writers today take the time to go to the scene and interview the people who were involved. I appreciate this book so much because Mr. McNutt and Mr. Kennedy do take the time to find the people who made the sounds. I didn't grow up on this music, but I have learned to love it. Give it five stars!

Great insight into the workings of old independent labels. I enjoyed the book thoroughly. I hope the publisher will bring out a Vol. 2. Next time, the writers could do some even smaller ones!

Reading this book has given me a new appreciation of the struggles of independent record company owners over the years. The chapter on King Records is worth the price of the book. The writers have carefully researched some important labels, picking their favorites--Gennett is very fascinating to me personally. I hope that a record company will release some old material based on this book. I hope the writers will consider a sequel.

This is an interesting and detailed book about the early days of the recording industry when non-giants operated record label companies. For music enthusiasts and record collectors this is a must read. Kennedy's other book on early jazz is a fascinating, humorous and educational look into those early jazz recordings.

I liked this book. it discusses Blues lables ( Gannett & Paramont ) Rock ( Sun, ) Pop Rock ( Monument & Dial )
R & B ( Duke - Peacock ) Swamp rock ( Ace ) Jazz (Delmark ) their Owners and artists. How simple it was back then to set up a Lable. Couple thousand bucks, a glad hand shake, deliveries out the back of your trunk to woolworth racks. Some phenominal music was captured and distributed on such a small scale. That era is all but dead and gone now. there's no signature in corperate music nowadays, yet we still play these recordings from the 40's - 60's. This is a nice piece of record history. An easy read and informative.

I originally bought this book for a report in one of my Recording Industry classes and found that it was a pretty good read. Buy it, check it out from the library or borrow from a friend, anyone in the biz should read it to get a glimpse of how much power the little labels have - and maybe you can help influence the big labels to 'see the light' that mass production and high sells don't mean you are releasing good product; however 'good' is in the eye of the beholder as they say. Think of all your favorite artists, the ones that really did something, the ones that made the history books..more times than not they started at a small label, became well-known then either the big labels copied them with similar acts or the big labels waved lots of cash in their faces to entice them over. If it wasn't for the small labels giving more freedom to artists I'd bet we'd all be spoon-fed the likes of "How much is that doggy in the window" from the days of conformity.

This little book tells some big stories about a time before the major corporations destroyed the music. It is the history of heros and tyrants of some of the most important independent record companies ever. Without them recorded music would have never been the same. Some of the stories are a little dry but others are brillant. A good read for anyone interested in the history of records and modern music

The interview with Fred Foster, the Monument Records man, is worth the price of this book alone. Some good reporting and analysis and a book worthy of owning. I learned a lot about a label in my backyard, Gennett Records in Richmond.