DJM Records (also known as Dick James Music) was a British

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

, set up in the late 1960s by British music publisher

Dick James Dick James (born Reginald Leon Isaac Vapnick; 12 December 1920 – 1 February 1986) was a British music publisher and singer. He and Brian Epstein established The Beatles' publishing company, Northern Songs. Later, with his son Stephen, James ...

. It was distributed by

Pye Records PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced ...

in the UK, and various other companies around the world, including the US. The first release on the label was by Dave Sealey and entitled "It Takes a Thief", which had been adapted from the theme music from the television series for which a lyric was written. Frank Neilson was A&R manager from 1976 to 1979, before he moved to

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 ...

. Andy Stinton was Promotions Manager for several years before moving to Canada in 1980 to start his own communications company.

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

was prominent on DJM, except in the United States and Canada where his records were issued on the

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

label. In 1976, he began his own label, The Rocket Record Company. He brought a lawsuit against DJM in the 1980s over the rights to his earlier (pre-1976) work. Other acts on the label in the 1970s included Ireland's

Celtic rock Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock, as well as a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context. It has been prolific since the early 1970s and can be seen as a key foundation of the ...

ers Horslips; John Inman, Mr. Bloe, who included pianist and harmonica player Harry Pitch; former

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

member

Danny Kirwan Daniel David Kirwan (né Langran, 13 May 1950 – 8 June 2018) was a British musician and guitarist, singer and songwriter with the blues rock, blues-rock band Fleetwood Mac between 1968 and 1972. He released three albums as a solo artist from ...

, who recorded three albums for DJM, '' Second Chapter'' (1975), '' Midnight in San Juan'' (1976), and ''

Hello There Big Boy! ''Hello There Big Boy!'' is an album by British blues rock musician Danny Kirwan, who was a member of Fleetwood Mac from 1968–72. Released in 1979 in music, 1979 on the DJM Records label, this was his last solo album. It was eventually released ...

'' (1979);

The Tremeloes The Tremeloes (formerly Brian Poole and The Tremeloes) are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with ...

, after their departure from

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

in 1974; singer and actor

Dennis Waterman Dennis Waterman (24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022) was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including ''The Sweeney'', ''Minder (TV series), Minder'' and ''New Tricks'', singing the ...

; and

Johnny "Guitar" Watson John Watson Jr. (February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996), often known professionally as Johnny "Guitar" Watson, was an American musician. A flamboyant showman and electric guitarist in the style of T-Bone Walker, his recording career spanned 40 year ...

, who had several successful singles and albums in the US. Roger Hodgson – prior to joining

Supertramp Supertramp were a British rock band formed in London in 1970. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), the group were distinguished for blending p ...

– issued a UK single on DJM under the name "Argosy". This record was also released on Congress Records (a division of

Kapp Records Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...

) in the US. DJM had a daughter label called "Weekend Records" for releases relating to the ITV contractor

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...

such as T.V. themes and some releases appeared both on the DJM and "Weekend Records" labels. Notable releases include " Hi Summer" by Carl Wayne. After Dick James' death in 1986, the DJM catalogue was acquired by PolyGram. Today, the catalogue is now owned by Polygram's successor-in-interest

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Djm Records British record labels Record labels disestablished in 1986 Pop record labels Elton John Burt Bacharach Record labels established in 1969 Pye Records Defunct record labels of the United Kingdom

See also

References