De Luxe Records (later DeLuxe Records) was a record company and

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...

formed in 1944 by brothers David Braun (1908–1985) and Julius "Jules" Braun (1911–2002), the sons of Hungarian Jewish immigrants, in

Linden, New Jersey Linden is a City (New Jersey), city in southeastern Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, located about southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a boro ...

. The label flourished in the 1940s and 1950s, notably for its rhythm and blues ( R&B) and early

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

recordings. Early recordings on the label covered a range of styles including R&B,

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

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 ...

, and

polka Polka is a dance style and genre of dance music in originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though generally associated with Czech and Central European culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the ...

. The first singles on the label included some by the vocal group the Four Blues (who also recorded gospel as the Golden Echo Quartet),

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously a ...

, and

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

.John Broven, ''Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock 'n' Roll Pioneers''

University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois System. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, thirty-three scholarly journals, and several electroni ...

, 2009, p. 142 In 1947, the Braun brothers went to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

seeking new talent, and discovered and signed bandleaders Paul Gayten and

Dave Bartholomew David Louis Bartholomew (December 24, 1918 – June 23, 2019) was an American musician, bandleader, composer, arrangement, arranger, and record producer. He was prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century ...

, and singers Roy Brown and

Annie Laurie "Annie Laurie" is an old Scottish song based on a poem said to have been written by William Douglas (1672 - c1760 ) of Dumfriesshire, about his romance with Annie Laurie (1682–1764). The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Ann ...

. Brown had a national R&B hit the following year with " Good Rocking Tonight", a notable precursor of rock and roll. Several of the label's other New Orleans–based musicians also achieved success. Recording studio owner Cosimo Matassa said that the Braun brothers were the first talent scouts to go to New Orleans to record local musicians commercially.John Broven, ''Rhythm & Blues in New Orleans'', Pelican, 1974, p. 17, In 1947, Syd Nathan, the founder and owner of King Records, purchased a majority interest in DeLuxe. The Braun brothers then set up another label, Regal Records. In 1949, Nathan moved the DeLuxe label to Cincinnati, Ohio and in 1951, after a bitter legal battle, he bought out the Braun brothers. Otis Williams and the Charms, The Manhattans and

Donnie Elbert Donnie Elbert (May 25, 1936 – January 26, 1989) was an American soul singer and songwriter, who had a prolific career from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s. His U.S. hits included " Where Did Our Love Go?" (1971), and his reputation as a No ...

were among artists who recorded R&B hits for DeLuxe from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s.

References

External links

De Luxe singles discographyDe Luxe Records
on the Internet Archive'
Great 78 Project
{{Authority control Defunct record labels of the United States American jazz record labels

See also

References

External links