Sabre Records was an America, Chicago-based

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- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

, founded in 1953 by

Art Sheridan Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of ...

. It specialized in blues,

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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

, and

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

. Sabre closed down at the end of 1954, when its former owner became one of the financial backers of

Vee-Jay Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

, which was growing into a powerhouse of the independent record business.

History

Sabre was a subsidiary of

Chance Records Chance Records was a Chicago-based label founded in 1950 by Art Sheridan. It specialized in blues, jazz, doo-wop, and gospel. Among the acts who recorded for Chance were The Flamingos, The Moonglows, Homesick James, J. B. Hutto, Brother John ...

, a successful independent record label that Art Sheridan, who previously operated a record distributor and a pressing plant, opened in September 1950.Pruter, Robert (1997). ''Doowop: The Chicago Scene.'' Urbana: University of Illinois Press, pp. 21–39 By 1953, Chance had built a roster of artists and was recording prolificallyPruter, Robert, Campbell, Robert L., & Büttner, Armin. (June 2005). The Chance Label. ''Blues & Rhythm,'' no. 200, 12–27. Sheridan was running both Chance Records and American Record Distributors out of an office at 1151 East 47th Street. By June of that year, he needed a new outlet to accommodate his expanding catalog, so he opened Sabre at 1225 East 47th Street. The first Sabre release appeared in July 1953. It featured veteran blues performer

Tampa Red Hudson Whittaker (born Hudson Woodbridge; January 8, 1903March 19, 1981), known as Tampa Red, was a Chicago blues musician. His distinctive single-string slide guitar style, songwriting and bottleneck technique influenced other Chicago blues g ...

, whose 19-year affiliation with

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Ar ...

was coming to an end, appearing under the pseudonym "Jimmy Eager."Rowe, Mike (1981). ''Chicago Blues: The City and the Music. New York'': Da Capo, , p. 112 Backing was provided by what had become Sheridan's house band, directed by bassist

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a ...

and featuring tenor saxophonist

Red Holloway James Wesley "Red" Holloway (May 31, 1927 – February 25, 2012) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Born in Helena, Arkansas,Daniel E. Slotnik"Red Holloway, Swinger of the Sax, Dies at 84" ''The New York Times'', February 28, 2012 ...

, guitarist

Lefty Bates Lefty Bates (March 9, 1920 – April 7, 2007)Doc Rock (2007) TheDeadRockStarsClub.com. Accessed October 13, 2011. was an American Chicago blues guitarist. He led the Lefty Bates Combo and worked with the El Dorados, the Flamingos, Jimmy Reed, Jo ...

, and drummer

Vernel Fournier Vernel Anthony Fournier (July 30, 1928 – November 4, 2000) and, from 1975, known as Amir Rushdan, was an American jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Ahmad Jamal from 1956 to 1962. Biography Fournier was born in New Orleans ...

. Sabre also released a classic single by another member of Sheridan's blues roster,

Willie Nix Willie Nix (August 6, 1922 – July 8, 1991) was an American Chicago blues singer and drummer, active in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1940s and 1950s. Life and career Nix was born in Memphis. He learned to tap dance as a child and later, as a ...

.Rowe, pp. 112–113 Although the more famous vocal groups,

The Moonglows The Moonglows were an American R&B group in the 1950s. Their song " Sincerely" went to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Juke Box chart. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. ...

and

The Flamingos The Flamingos are an American doo-wop group formed in Chicago in 1953. The band became popular in mid-to-late 1950s and are known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You". They have since been hailed as one of the finest and m ...

, released their records on

Chance Chance may refer to: Mathematics and Science * In mathematics, likelihood of something (by way of the Likelihood function and/or Probability density function). * ''Chance'' (statistics magazine) Places * Chance, Kentucky, US * Chance, Maryl ...

, Sabre featured two

releases by the Five Blue Notes and three by the

Five Echoes 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awar ...

; one of the Echoes' singles included guest lead vocalist Walter Spriggs, going under the unconvincing stage name "Wally Wilson." Backing for these sessions was provided by the bands of Ike "Fats" Cole and

. Finally, Sabre recorded the jazz groups of Ben Bryant and Johnny Miller. In June 1954,

and his corps of studio musicians moved to

. Sabre made its last release in August 1954. Sheridan wound down his labels in December 1954, becoming an unpublicized investor in the newer company.Murray, Charles Shaar (2002). ''Boogie Man: The Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American Twentieth Century.'' New York: St. Martin's Griffin, p. 188.

Series

Sabre was responsible for a total of nine releases (100 through 109, skipping 107).

Releases

References

External links

The Chance and Sabre Labels
{{Authority control American record labels

History

Series

Releases

See also

References

External links