Arc Records, owned by founder Phil G. Anderson through his Arc Sound holding company, was a record label based in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Canada. Some of the artists to have their work released on the label include the
Abbey Tavern Singers,
Terry Black,
Dublin Corporation
Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660–1661, even more si ...
and
Marg Osburne.
Background
Phil G. Anderson started the company's operations in April 1958, originally oriented to providing Canadian promotion, merchandising and distribution for other labels.
Arc started manufacturing its own records in 1959. As of 1968, the president was Anderson and the vice-president was Bill Gilliland. That year the label announced its plans to enter the international market.
In 1965, the label released a single called "The Klan". It contained the lyrics, "Now, he who travels with the Klan, he is a monster, not a man". It was announced in the June 12 issue of ''Billboard'' that prominent political figures, including
civil rights movement leader
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
, were to receive copies of the single. There had been an effort to promote the single. The band behind this anti-Klan single was
The Brothers-in-Law with their ''The Brothers-In-Law Strike Again'' album.
In 1967, the label had an injunction brought against them restraining them from the manufacture and distribution of "This Land Is Your Land", which was a parody of the
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...
tune.
[''Billboard'' April 29, 1967]
Page 52 International News Reports, Injunction Vs. Arc Sound
/ref>
Besides the aforementioned artists, Arc Sound signed and produced many other top Canadian recording artists in the 1960s, such as Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian country, pop and adult contemporary music singer who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four Grammys including the Grammy ...
, Stitch In Tyme, Catherine McKinnon, Fred McKenna, Harry Hibbs, Ronnie Hawkins
Ronald Cornett Hawkins (January 10, 1935 – May 29, 2022) was an American rock and roll singer, long based in Canada, whose career spanned more than half a century. His career began in Arkansas, United States, where he was born and raised. He ...
, The Travellers and the Ugly Ducklings. One of their biggest successes was the Canadian release of "We're Off to Dublin in the Green" by the Abbey Tavern Singers. The group was an Irish band but became enormously popular in Canada, as the song reached #2 on Canada's CHUM Chart
The CHUM Chart is a long-running Canadian hit parade countdown radio show, originally aired on Toronto radio station CHUM AM then later revived on its sister station CHUM-FM.
It consisted of 50 top tunes from May 1957 to July 1968, but in Augus ...
s and sold close to 150,000 copies in Canada within the first year of release.
References
{{Authority control
Defunct record labels of Canada
Budget record labels