Swan Records was a mid-20th century

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

-based

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

, founded in 1957 and based in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. It had a subsidiary label called Lawn Records.

History

Swan Records had enjoyed chart success with several U.S. artists but came into the spotlight after EMI, a prestigious British music company headquartered in London, leased

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

' recording of "

She Loves You "She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and recorded by English rock band the Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several sales records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record i ...

" backed with " I'll Get You" and, as catalogue number Swan 4152, it became an American number 1 hit on March 21, 1964. This followed the decision made by EMI's American subsidiary

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

not to exercise its option to release the Beatles singles in the U.S. Swan also assumed the rights to the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

version of "She Loves You", "Sie Liebt Dich" which peaked at #97 in 1964. The success of the "She Loves You" single kept Swan going while other small record labels were snowed under by the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on ...

, but it finally closed filing bankruptcy in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establ ...

. The company was initially built on the strength of staff producer/writers Bob Crewe and Frank Slay. Outside of "She Loves You", Swan's most remembered hit was " Palisades Park" in 1962, written by

Chuck Barris Charles Hirsch Barris (June 3, 1929 – March 21, 2017) was an American game show creator, producer, and host. Barris was known for hosting '' The Gong Show'' and creating '' The Dating Game'' and '' The Newlywed Game''. He was also a songw ...

, and performed by the most successful artist on the label,

Freddy Cannon Frederick Anthony Picariello, Jr. (born December 4, 1936), better known by his stage name Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer, whose biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", " Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", and " ...

, who also scored hits with "

Tallahassee Lassie "Tallahassee Lassie" is a song written by Bob Crewe, Frank Slay, and Frederick Picariello and performed by Freddy Cannon (Picariello's stage name). The song was featured on his 1960 album '' The Explosive! Freddy Cannon''. The song was produ ...

" and " Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" before moving to Warner Brothers in 1964. Another hit for Swan was a release of

The Rockin' Rebels The Rebels (also known as The Rockin' Rebels) were a band from Buffalo, New York, known for their instrumental "Wild Weekend". The original members were Jim Kipler (Guitar), Mick Kipler (Saxophone), Tom Gorman (Drums) and Paul Balon (Bass/Guitar). ...

' lone hit, the instrumental " Wild Weekend" (which in fact was written as a radio jingle for a Buffalo disc jockey). Originally released on the Masters Releasing label Mar-Lee in 1960. Link Wray, best remembered for his classic 1958 instrumental "Rumble", had a modest hit at Swan with "Jack The Ripper". Swan was co-owned by Bernie Binnick and

Tony Mammarella Anthony (Tony) Mammarella (September 2, 1924 – November 29, 1977) was the first producer and second host of ''American Bandstand''. Mammarella, a World War II veteran, started with Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV in 1947 as a switchboard ...

, with

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...

reported to having a financial investment in it. When the payola scandals of the early 1960s broke, Clark divested himself of all of his outside interests to avoid conflict of interest. The label was distributed by fellow Philadelphian record company Cameo-Parkway Records, which at the time was the hottest label for teenage dance crazes ("The Twist", "Limbo Rock", "(Do) The Bird", "Wah-Watusi", "Mashed Potato Time", "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)", "Hully Gully Baby", "Bristol Stomp", "(Do the) New Continental"). The first hit for the Swan label was "Click Clack" by Dickie Doo and the Don'ts, a studio recording produced by Gerry Granahan under the pseudonym that was actually the nickname Dick Clark called his infant son, Dick Clark, Jr. In 1958, Mary Swan recorded " My Heart Belongs to Only You" #S4016B, and in 1959, she had a moderate hit with "Prisoner of Love", Swan #4028. The Three Degrees had a moderate hit with a cover version of the Five Keys' " Close Your Eyes", but scored better on

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

with their remake of the Chantel's "Maybe" and "When Will I See You Again" on Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records. In 1973 Masters Releasing, Inc. (Corsican, Mar-Lee, Thunderbird, Sahara record labels) purchased from the bankruptcy Trustee all the sound recording rights of Swan including the master tapes. Masters Releasing was owned at the time by record executives Steve Brodie and Leonard "Lenny" Silver, who later formed Amherst Records. In addition, Freddy Cannon currently has complete control and ownership of his Swan recordings from Masters Releasing, as well as those released by Warner Bros. Records. In the 80's Freddy Cannon release a single on Amherst Records. The Swan label bears the message "Don't drop out" on many releases to encourage kids to stay in school. In 2007, Bruce Spizer released the book ''The Beatles Swan Song: 'She Loves You' & Other Records''.Bruce Spizer, ''The Beatles Swan Song: "She Loves You" & Other Records'' (2007), It contains a detailed account of the records of The Beatles on the Swan label, as well as United Artists, Decca, Atco, MGM and Polydor, plus a section about the Capitol releases from the 70s and 80s.

Swan Records artists

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

") * Billy & Lillie *

Buena Vistas Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,Freddy Cannon Frederick Anthony Picariello, Jr. (born December 4, 1936), better known by his stage name Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer, whose biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", " Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", and " ...

Mary Swan Mary Swan is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is also a trained librarian with a keen eye for history. Her novel ''The Boys in the Trees'', a shortlisted nominee for the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize.The Cobras * Wayne Crawn * Danny & The Juniors *Dickey Doo & The Don'ts ( Gerry Granahan) * Sheila Ferguson *

Little Jimmy Rivers and the Tops Little Jimmy Rivers & the Tops were an American doo-wop group from Harlem, New York, best remembered for their 1958 recording "Puppy Love" written by Ronnie Mack (later the writer of "He's So Fine"). The song became a local hit in Philadelphia in ...

* he Sapphires* Teddy & The Twilights * The Three Degrees *

Mark Valentino Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

, *

Mickey Lee Lane Mickey Lee Lane (born Sholom Mayer Schreiber; February 2, 1941, Rochester, New York – March 18, 2011) was an American rock and roll songwriter and arranger. Lane got a job in the Brill Building as a songwriter in the 1950s, working with Neil Se ...

* Link Wray *

References

External links

Swan discography from BSN Pubs

Swan & Lawn Records website

Rollercoaster Records website
{{Authority control American record labels Defunct record labels of the United States Pop record labels Record labels established in 1957 Record labels disestablished in 1967

History

Swan Records artists

See also

References

External links