KMG (Killen Music Group) Records was a Christian record label. The label was established in 1997 by
Buddy Killen
William Doyce “Buddy” Killen (November 13, 1932 – November 1, 2006) was an American record producer and Music publisher (popular music), music publisher, and a former owner of Trinity Broadcasting Network and Tree International Publishi ...
as a subunit of the Killen Music Group / Buddy Killen Enterprises and sold in late 1998 to Cal Turner III, who is related to the Cal Turner of
Dollar General
Dollar General Corporation is an American chain of discount stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 8, 2024, Dollar General operated 19,643 stores in the contiguous United States and Mexico.
The company began in 1939 in ...
stores.
Following the sale, Buddy Killen continued to consult for the firm.
The Killen Music Group also operated several other including Damascus Road Records, Praise Hymn Soundtracks, Sound Performance Soundtracks and Psalm 150 music.
Damascus Road was pop oriented, and released albums by
Morgan Cryar, Rhonda Gunn, Identical Strangers, and Dave Kauffman.
Operations
Notable management include
Terry Scott Taylor (A&R 1997–1999),
Billy Smiley (A&R 1999–2002, formerly of
White Heart), Kevin Jackson (formerly of the band Chase and Dajhelon Entertainment Group), David Bahnsen (formerly of
Tooth & Nail), and Frank Chimento (formerly of ''
7ball'' magazine).
In addition to its own portfolio of artists KMG acquired the assets of
Frontline Records
Frontline Records was a Christian rock record label, founded in 1986 by James Kempner in Santa Ana, California. The label focused primarily on modern rock, rap, dance-pop and hip-hop. The label closed in the early 1990s, and then resurfaced in ...
,
whose catalog consisted of a large number of alternative Christian music bands.
KMG began re-releasing many of these albums as double-disc sets.
The re-releases had covers which were described as generic, and contained only the cover images of the album inset around a purple background. Inside was a one-page description of the band, and the albums contained no extended or tribute material.
At different times distribution was handled through
Diamante and
Pamplin Music
Pamplin Music was an independent Christian record label founded in 1995 by Robert B. Pamplin Jr. The label was a subunit of Pamplin Entertainment and in turn Pamplin Communications, which was already established in the Christian media market th ...
.
Original artists
Artists who released original, unreleased material through KMG include:
*According to John
*
Rick Altizer
*American Made
*Ric Blair
*Bunch of Believers
*
Lanny Cordola
*Andy Denton
*
Every Day Life (EDL)
*
Fono
*Glisten
*
Gospel Gangstaz
*Heather Miller
*
The Insyderz
The Insyderz were an American Christian ska-punk musical band, band from Detroit, Michigan. They formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2005. The band reformed in 2009, but have not been actively playing shows in the last few years. The Insyderz are on ...
*
Michael Knott (''as Browbeats''
)
*
Mortal
*
Poor Old Lu
Poor Old Lu was a pioneering Christian alternative rock band based in the American Northwest. The band experimented with a variety of sounds and genres, particularly grunge, funk and psychedelic rock. The band consisted of Scott Hunter (vocals), ...
*The Straw Theory
*
Terry Scott Taylor
References
{{Authority control
Christian record labels
American independent record labels
Record labels established in 1997
Companies based in San Francisco