Peerless Records was a

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

based in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Peerless was founded in 1921 in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

by E. Baptista. Early pressings of their

gramophone record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...

were made under contract by

Gennett Records Gennett Records () was an American record company and label in Richmond, Indiana, United States, which flourished in the 1920s and produced the Gennett, Starr, Champion, Superior, and Van Speaking labels. The company also produced some Supertone, ...

. By 1933, Peerless was pressing its own records in Mexico. The Peerless label mostly released popular Mexican music; some popular dance bands and tunes from the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

also appeared on Peerless in the 1920s.

Background

In addition to Mexico, Peerless Records were sold in other parts of

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and in some communities in the

Southwest United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...

. The labels sometimes have text in both English and Spanish. Peerless was considered a "major label" in Mexico during the 1940s and 1950s. Peerless issued long-playing

vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, ...

s starting in 1951. During the years, Peerless has been the record label for many well-known artists, such as Vianey Valdez,

Pedro Infante Pedro Infante Cruz (; 18 November 1917 – 15 April 1957) was a Mexican ranchera singer and actor whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema. Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and raised in nearby Guamúchil. He died on 15 Apri ...

, Lola Beltran,

Los Apson Los Apson is a former Mexican rock-n-roll band, best known in the 1960s for their Spanish language cover versions of famous songs. History The band was formed in 1957 by Arturo Durazo, a guitarist and a rock-n-roll enthusiast, with his brother ...

, Los Baby's, and David Záizar. It also secured Mexican distribution for some artists from beyond Mexico, such as Los Corraleros de Majagual,

Celia Cruz Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of , earning the nickna ...

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. Peerless remained an independent label until 2001, when it merged with its subsidiary MCM (Metro Casa Musical), becoming Peerless-MCM S.A. de C.V., which was later bought by Warner Music Mexico. Peerless Records would also have some Azteca Records recordings released in Mexico on its label.

History

It was reported by '' The Cash Box'' in the magazine's 29 April 1961 issue that Peerless had announced new contracts with artists who were already recording for the label. They were Jose Venegas and Betty Melendez. Former Tizoc Records artist, Luis G. Roldan was also a new arrival at Peerless. At the time, Peerless artist Juan Mendoza was at no. 2 in the Mexico's Best Sellers chart with "Crei" and

Lola Beltrán María Lucila "Lola" Beltrán Ruiz (7 March 1932 – 24 March 1996) was a Mexican actress and singer. She is and was one of Mexico's most acclaimed singers of Ranchera and Huapango music. She collaborated with other Mexican music stars such as ...

, also with Peerless was at no. 4 in the same chart with "El Caballo Blanco". According to the 5 June 1965 issue of ''Cash Box'', Vianey Valdez, La Prieta Linda, Ricard Jimenez would be leaving Peerless Records and signing on with other labels.''Cash Box'', June 5, 1965
Page 58 Cash Box MEXICO
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References

External links

* {{Authority control Mexican record labels Record labels established in 1921 Defunct record labels

Background

History

Further reading

See also

References

External links