Class Records was an American
record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...
established in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...
in 1951 by songwriter and record producer
Leon René.
Leon René and his brother
Otis had previously established and run the independent
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed p ...
labels
Exclusive
Exclusive may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Exclusive'' (album), by R&B singer Chris Brown
* ''Exclusive'' (EP), an EP by U2
* ''Exclusive'', a 1937 American film
* ''Exclusive'', a 1989 play by Jeffrey Archer
* ''Exclusive'' (TV serie ...
and
Excelsior, and owned their own
record pressing plant. However, when the dominant format for
singles changed from
78 rpm to 45rpm, they were unable to adjust, and the labels went out of business in 1950. Leon René then set up a new label, Class Records, installing his son, musician
Rafael "Googie" René, as
A&R Director.
[ David Edwards and Mike Callahan, "Class/Rendezvous Labels: Album Discography"]
Retrieved 27 March 2019
The label's roster included singer
Bobby Day
Robert James Byrd (July 1, 1930 – July 27, 1990), known by the stage name Bobby Day, was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit record " Rockin' Robin", written by Leon René un ...
, who had a hit in 1958 with "
Rockin' Robin" and formed
Bob & Earl with Earl Nelson. Other recording artistes included
Eugene Church,
Oscar McLollie
Oscar McLollie (born Oscar Joseph Lollie, September 22, 1924 – July 4, 2008) was an American jump blues singer.
Biography
He was born in Kelly, Louisiana. He was drafted into service in World War II, and sang baritone with a vocal group, the Bu ...
, and the Googie René Combo which on recordings included many of Los Angeles' top
session musician
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
s. Leon René co-founded another new label,
Rendezvous Records, in 1958.
[ Class Records continued to release singles until 1965. 45 Discography for Class Records, ''Global Dog Productions'']
Retrieved 27 March 2019
References
External links
American record labels
Rock and roll record labels
Record labels based in California
Record labels established in 1951
1951 establishments in California
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