ATCO Records is an American

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

founded in 1955. It is owned by

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...

and operates as an imprint of

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the company was relaunched by Atlantic Records in early 2020.

History

1950s–1960s: Beginnings

ATCO Records was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic Records' founders, Herb Abramson, who had returned to the company from military service. The label was also intended as a home for acts that did not fit the format of the main Atlantic brand, which was releasing

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

and soul. The planned name for the label was Atlas. But it was changed to ATCO when it was discovered there was already an Atlas Records. The ATCO name is an abbreviation of ATlantic COrporation. ATCO also provided distribution for other labels, including RSO,

Volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Uni ...

Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

, Modern, Ruthless, Hansa, and

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. For most of its history, ATCO was known for pop and rock music, but during its early years, it produced some

albums. These included Harry Arnold, Betty Carter, King Curtis, Herb Geller, Roland Hanna, and Helen Merrill. ATCO's rock era began with

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor who performed Pop music, pop, Swing music, swing, Folk music, folk, rock and roll, and country music. Darin started ...

and

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. With hits including "Searchin'", "Young Blood (The Coasters song), Young Blood", "Charlie Brown (The Coasters song), Charlie Bro ...

. In the early 1960s, Atlantic began to license material from international sources, leading to instrumental hit singles from Jorgen Ingmann, Acker Bilk and Bent Fabric. Starting in the mid-1960s, ATCO moved into rock-and-roll with Sonny and Cher, Buffalo Springfield, Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly and Cream (the latter under license from British label Polydor). In 1964, ATCO released a single in the US by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, " Ain't She Sweet" (flip side " Nobody's Child", with lead singer Tony Sheridan), which had been recorded in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

in 1961. With lead vocals by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

, "Ain't She Sweet" reached No. 19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in August 1964. It featured new drums overdubbed by session drummer Bernard Purdie. ATCO also released an album entitled '' Ain't She Sweet'' which featured the other two tracks by Sheridan and The Beatles from the Hamburg session and filled out by eight other songs covered by The Swallows. In 1966, ATCO released " Substitute" by

the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

. The song was issued through an arrangement with UK

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

because of the dispute The Who was having with their producer, Shel Talmy, and their contract with US

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

and UK Brunswick Records. This would be the only Who recording to appear on ATCO, although

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...

and John Entwistle would eventually sign to ATCO as solo artists, and Roger Daltrey later signed a US solo deal with Atlantic. This release differs from the UK release with a different structure/edit (the break comes in after the first verse vs. second), a substitute lyric ("I try walking forward but my feet walk back" in place of "I look all white but my dad was black").

1970s–1980s: Downsizing

During the 1970s, Atlantic Records began to broaden the range of its own roster, causing ATCO to become deemphasized as many of its acts would eventually have their material released under the main Atlantic brand. In the middle 1970s, ATCO became increasingly used for hard rock acts and some British and European bands. During this time, the label issued early albums from

AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

. Starting in 1978, however, AC/DC releases were issued on Atlantic until their contract with the label ended in the 1990s. In 1980, ATCO's visibility rose with strong chart performances from Pete Townshend's '' Empty Glass'' album and the song " Cars" by Gary Numan. As the 1980s wore on, ATCO continued to have streamlined success with artists such as Sweet Sensation, JJ Fad and Michel'le (the latter who were signed to the label in conjunction with Ruthless Records), while steadily becoming less active overall.

1990s: Merger with EastWest Records America and dormancy

The last number one hit on ATCO was " If Wishes Came True" by Sweet Sensation in 1990. The following year, Atlantic Records Senior VP Sylvia Rhone orchestrated the merger of ATCO with Atlantic's fledgling EastWest Records America label and briefly operated the combination as Atco/EastWest Records. By 1994, however, the ATCO name was dropped and the label reverted to the EastWest Records America branding. During this time, EastWest moved its operations to Atlantic's sister label

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

. As a result of Elektra's takeover of EastWest, ATCO's back catalog and retained artists were now under its control. In the decade to come, the ATCO name and logo would be occasionally used on reissues of past material, but the imprint itself was now dormant.

2000s: Revival under Rhino Entertainment

In 2005, after more than a decade in hibernation, ATCO (in a joint venture with Rhino Records) released the soundtrack of the

biopic '' Beyond the Sea'', which starred

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...

and featured his renditions of Darin's songs. This led to Warner Music Group reactivating the label in 2006 in conjunction with Rhino. Scarlett Johansson,

Keith Sweat Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, producer and songwriter. An early figure in the new jack swing musical movement, he is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her," "Make It Last Forever (song), Make It Last For ...

and

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, actor and poet who is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, Garfunkel became acquainte ...

were among the first artists signed to the label. Garfunkel issued '' Some Enchanted Evening'' on January 30, 2007. Johansson issued '' Anywhere I Lay My Head'' on May 20, 2008. Queensrÿche released its '' American Soldier'' album on ATCO on March 31, 2009. The

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...

released its album '' Cause I Sez So'' on ATCO on May 5, 2009. Shortly thereafter, ATCO would become dormant again.

2020s: Return to Atlantic Records and second relaunch

In 2020, ATCO returned to the aegis of Atlantic Records, where it was relaunched. On February 14, ''Billboard'' announced that Atlantic Records President of A&R Pete Ganbarg was appointed president of the newly relaunched ATCO Records. Ganbarg's first ATCO signing is Philadelphia-based alternative act Zero 9:36.

Roster

The following is a list of artists who have recorded for ATCO Records. *

(outside Australia) * Airrace * Allman Brothers Band (Capricorn/Atco) *

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

* Steve Arrington * Back Street Crawler * Barrabás *

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

(US) * Bad Company * Badger * Ginger Baker (including Ginger Baker's Air Force and Baker Gurvitz Army) (US/Canada) *

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

(US/Canada) *

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

* Mr Acker Bilk (US/Canada) * Black Oak Arkansas * Blackfoot * Blind Faith (US/Canada) * Blue Mountain Eagle * Blue Magic * Blues Image * Sonny Bono (as "Sonny") * Brooklyn Brothers * Jack Bruce (US/Canada) * Buffalo Springfield * Cactus * The Capitols * Jim Carroll * Change *

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

Corina Corina is a female given name of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek origin, derived from κόρη (''korē'') meaning "girl, maiden".Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

(US/Canada) *

* Cold Grits *

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

(Modern/Atco) * Arthur Conley * Cream (US/Canada) * Cross Country *

* Spencer Davis Group (US/Canada) * Delaney & Bonnie and Friends * Diesel * The D.O.C. (Ruthless/Atco) * Dr. John * Dream Theater * Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity * Dave Edmunds * Jonathan Edwards (Capricorn/Atco) * Eight Seconds * Electric Boys * Enuff Z'Nuff * Envy * John Entwistle * Bent Fabric and his Piano * Scott Fagan * Gary Farr * Fat Mattress *

Fatback Fatback is a layer of subcutaneous fat taken from under the skin of the back of a domestic pig, with or without the skin (referred to as pork rind). In cuisine Fatback is a preferred fat for various forms of charcuterie, particularly sau ...

* The Fireballs * Tricia Leigh Fisher * Flies on Fire * Focus (US/Canada) *

The Fourmost The Fourmost are an English beat music, Merseybeat band that recorded in the 1960s. Their biggest UK hit single was "A Little Loving" in 1964. History Formation Guitarist/vocalist Brian O'Hara and best friend guitarist/vocalist Joey Bower (bor ...

* Peter Gabriel (US/Canada) *

* Genesis (US/Canada) * Gregory Gray * R. B. Greaves * Tim Hardin * Gordon Haskell *

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto" ...

* Hawkwind * Horslips (US) *

Humble Pie Humble Pie are an English Rock music, rock band formed by Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first Supergroup (music), supergroups of the late 1960s and enjoyed success in the early 1970s ...

* Steve Hunter * Jorgen Ingmann * INXS (US/Canada) * Iron Butterfly * Deon Jackson (Carla) * James Gang * J. J. Fad (Ruthless/Atco) * Robbin Julien * Scarlett Johansson * Juicy Lucy * Michael Kamen * Ben E. King * King Curtis * Last Words * Bettye LaVette * Lime (Critique/Atco) *

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th centu ...

(US/Canada) * Loudness * Lulu * Manowar * Penny McLean * Michel'le (Ruthless/Atco) * Gary Moore (Mirage/Atco) (US) *

* New York Rock & Roll Ensemble *

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

(Modern/Atco) (US/Canada) * Nina & Frederik (US/Canada) * Gary Numan (US/Canada) * Outlaw Blood * Outrage *

Pantera Pantera () is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, an ...

* Pat & The Satellites * The Persuaders * Pleasure Bombs * Queensrÿche * The Raindogs * Otis Redding * Ann Richards * Bob Rivers (Critique/Atco) * The Robins * The Rose Garden * Rebel Heels (Atco Aus) * Rowan & Martin *

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...

(US/Canada) * Shadows Of Knight (Dunwich/Atco) * Shannon ( Mirage/Atco) * The Sherbs * Kym Sims *

Slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

* P. F. Sloan * Sonny & Cher * Southside Johnny & the Jukes (Mirage/Atco) *

* Sweet Sensation * The System (Mirage/Atco) * Taffy * Tangier * Livingston Taylor (Capricorn/Atco) * Nino Tempo & April Stevens * Nolan Thomas (Mirage/Atco) *

(US/Canada) * The Troggs * Vandenberg * Vanilla Fudge * Jerry Jeff Walker * Dee Dee Warwick * Stevie Wright (US/Canada) * Yes * Yomo & Maulkie (Ruthless/Atco)

References

External links

*
Atlantic Records website

{{Authority control Record labels established in 1955 Warner Music labels Atlantic Records Progressive rock record labels Rock record labels Heavy metal record labels Labels distributed by Warner Music Group American jazz record labels American companies established in 1955