Passport Records was a U.S.-based independent record label that existed between 1973 and 1988. It was notable for popularizing such artists as Larry Fast, FM, Richard Barone, and

Wendy O. Williams Wendy Orlean Williams (May 28, 1949 – April 6, 1998) was an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the punk rock band Plasmatics. She was noted for her onstage theatrics, which included partial nudity, exploding equipment, firing ...

. It was distributed by Jem Records in the United States and by GRT Records in Canada. Passport was Jem's flagship label, eventually growing to form the Passport Records Group, which included the labels PVC Records, Passport Jazz, Audion Records, Import Records, and Visa Records.

History

Passport Records was founded in 1973 by Jem Records, which had been co-founded in 1971 by Martin L. Scott, Jeff Tenenbaum and Ed Grossi. Passport was initially operated in partnership with Sire Records. The partnership between Jem and Sire ended in 1977, when Sire owner Seymour Stein sold the label to Warner Bros. Records. Julia Flynn Siler
Business People: Jem Records president confident despite woes
New York Times, August 22, 1988. Retrieved 2013-08-02. Larry Fast was the American first artist signed to the label.Profile of Passport Records
Discogs. Retrieved 2013-08-05. His records were primarily released under the name of

Synergy Synergy is an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. The term ''synergy'' comes from the Attic Greek word συνεργία ' from ', , meaning "working together". History In Christia ...

. Other artists on the label included FM,

Al Stewart Alastair Ian Stewart (born 5 September 1945) is a Scottish born singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician who rose to prominence as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s. He developed a unique style of combining folk-rock so ...

,Biography of Al Stewart
Folkville. Retrieved 2013-08-06. Nektar, The Hunt, Gerry Rafferty,

Link Wray Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who became popular in the late 1950s. ''Rolling Stone'' placed Wray at No. 45 of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. In 2013 ...

Tucky Buzzard Tucky Buzzard were a British hard rock band formed in 1969 by three former members of The End. The original lineup was Jimmy Henderson (vocals), Terry Taylor (guitar), David Brown (bass), Paul Francis (drums), and Nick Graham (keyboards). Hal ...

, Three Dog Night, Human Sexual Response,

, Brand X, Anthony Phillips, Mike Rutherford, Robbie Krieger, David Johansen, Richard Barone & James Mastro, Utopia, Bill Nelson and

Camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...

. As of 1984, Passport had three albums in the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

top album charts. In 1986, Passport, led by JEM President Marty Scott, began operating separately from Jem internally, though it was still distributed by JEM. The Passport Records Group, as part of the JEM Records bankruptcy, was closed in 1988. Marty Scott took Paradox Records to MCA where he operated the label from Warren, NJ.

References

{{Authority control Defunct record labels of the United States Record labels established in 1973 Record labels disestablished in 1988