Sims Records was an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
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, ...
in the 1950s and 1960s, which was resurrected in the late 1990s.
Founded by Russell Sims, its roster included musical artists spanning country, gospel, and R&B, such as
Patsy Montana,
Carl Story,
Floyd Tillman,
Happy Goodman Family,
Leon McAuliffe,
Billy Parker,
Johnnie Lee Wills, and
Bob Wills
James Robert "Bob" Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although Spade C ...
.
History
Russell Sims had been associated with Country music in the late 1940s and early 1950s and became a sort of touring manager for
T. Texas Tyler who was a
Four Star Records artist. A meeting with
Fabor Robison in 1951 allowed Sims to witness the birth of Robison's
Abbott Records and Fabor labels and gave him the desire to start his own record company.
Sims Records began in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in the early 1950s with a financial grant from Robison who was already successful with
Jim Reeves
James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. One of the earliest pioneers and practitioners of the Nashville sound, he played a central role in the sonic development of country music in th ...
and began to record local Country musicians. Sims was the first person to ever record Otis Redding. He was supposed to have been the first to record Patsy Cline, but in Mr. Sims’ words, “I couldn’t get to California fast enough. I got there too late and she signed with someone else”.
After an unsuccessful start, Sims relocated to
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
in the early 1960s and began to add
Black Gospel and
R&B musicians to his roster. One of his releases by
The Kelly Brothers sold well, but by the late 1968 Sims was running short of money and the company was put in "Mothballs".
In 1999 Sims re-opened his label with a multi-disc set of
Bob Wills
James Robert "Bob" Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although Spade C ...
music.
See also
*
List of record labels
File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg
File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
File:Bingola1011b.jpg
Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, ...
References
External links
singles discographySims Records Home Page
{{Authority control
Record labels established in 1951
American country music record labels
Rhythm and blues record labels
American companies established in 1951