Tradition Records was an American

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 ...

from 1955 to 1966 that specialized in folk music. The label was founded and financed by Guggenheim heiress Diane Hamilton in 1956. Its president and director was Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, who was soon to join his brothers Liam and

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have ...

and Tommy Makem, as part of the new Irish folk group, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

Liam Clancy Liam Clancy ( ga, Liam Mac Fhlannchadha; 2 September 1935 – 4 December 2009) was an Irish folk singer from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest member of the influential folk group the Clancy Brothers, regarded as Ireland' ...

designed the company's maple leaf logo. Columbia University Professor of Folklore Kenneth Goldstein was also involved in the early creation of the company, which operated out of

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. With artists like The Clancy Brothers,

Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...

, and Jean Ritchie growing in popularity during the

American folk music revival The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Billie Holiday, Richard Dyer-Benn ...

, the label began to generate good profits. When The Clancy Brothers signed with Columbia Records in 1961, Paddy Clancy ceased to run the day-to-day operations of the company. In 1966, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, as owners of the label, sold the Tradition catalogue to Everest Records. Everest reissued Tradition recordings without any notes in haphazard permutations. Much of the Tradition catalogue has been reissued on CD and/or for digital download. For many years John Jacob Niles received little acclaim, but following the broadcast of the

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

documentary '' No Direction Home'', there was a surge in the demand for his albums. His two albums on Tradition were reissued. 43 North Broadway. a private IP management fund, acquired the exclusive worldwide rights to the Tradition Records catalog, as part of its acquisition of the Everest Records Group of labels.

Partial discography

TLP series

*TLP 501:

Siobhán McKenna Siobhán McKenna (; 24 May 1922 – 16 November 1986) was an Irish stage and screen actress. Background She was born Siobhán Giollamhuire Nic Cionnaith in Belfast in the newly-created Northern Ireland into a Catholic and nationalist family. ...

, John Neville,

: ''The Countess Cathleen'' *TLP 1001:

Isla Cameron Isla Cameron (5 March 1927 – 3 April 1980) was a Scottish-born, English-raised actress and singer. AllMusic noted that "Cameron was one of a quartet of key figures in England's postwar folk song revival – and to give a measure of her importan ...

: ''Through Bushes And Briars (Songs From The British Isles)'' (1956) *TLP 1002: Hillel and Aviva: ''Songs Of Israel and Many Lands'' (1956) *TLP 1003:

Ed McCurdy Edward Potts McCurdy (January 11, 1919 – March 23, 2000) was an American folk singer, songwriter, and television actor. His most well-known song was the anti-war "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream", written in 1950. Career Born to a ...

: ''A Ballad Singer's Choice'' (1956) *TLP 1004:

, Tommy Makem, Sarah Makem,

Paddy Tunney Paddy Tunney (28 January 1921 – 7 December 2002) was an Irish traditional singer, poet, writer, raconteur, lilter and songwriter. He was affectionately known as the ''Man of Songs''. From Glasgow to Garvery Tunney was born in Glasgow to Ir ...

, Padraig O'Keeffe: ''

The Lark in the Morning The Lark in the Morning ( Roud 151) is an English folk song. It was moderately popular with traditional singers in England, less so in Scotland, Ireland and the United States. It starts as a hymn to the ploughboy's life, and often goes on to recou ...

'' (1956) *TLP 1005: Paul Clayton: ''Whaling and Sailing Songs from the Days of Moby Dick'' (1956) *TLP 1006: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem: '' The Rising of the Moon: Irish Songs of Rebellion'' (1956) *TLP 1007: Various artists: ''Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians'' 1976 *TLP 1008: El Nino De Ronda: ''The Real Flamenco'' 1969 *TLP 1009:

John Langstaff John Meredith "Jack" Langstaff (December 24, 1920 – December 13, 2005), a concert baritone, and early music revivalist was the founder of the tradition of the Christmas Revels, as well as a respected musician and educator. He attended the Curtis ...

: ''Sings American and English Folk Songs and Ballads'' *TLP 1010:

: '' Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues'' 1957 *TLP 1011: Jean Ritchie & Paul Clayton: ''American Folk Tales and Songs'' 1956 *TLP 1012: Norman Notley and David Brynley: ''Elizabethan Songs'' (1956) *TLP 1013:

Seamus Ennis Seamus may refer to: * Séamus, a male first name of Gaelic origin Film and television * Seamus (''Family Guy''), a character on the television series ''Family Guy'' * Seamus, a pigeon in '' Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore'' * Seamus ...

: ''The Bonny Bunch of Roses'' (1956) *TLP 1014: Oscar Brand: ''Laughing America'' (1956) *TLP 1015:

Ewan MacColl James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the ...

and Peggy Seeger: ''Classic Scots Ballads'' (1956) *TLP 1016:

A. L. Lloyd Albert Lancaster Lloyd (29 February 1908 – 29 September 1982),Eder, Bruce. (29 September 1982A. L. Lloyd - Music Biography, Credits and Discography AllMusic. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. usually known as A. L. Lloyd or Bert Lloyd, was an English fo ...

: ''The Foggy Dew and other Traditional English Love Songs'' (1956) *TLP 1017: Colyn Davies: ''Cockney Music Hall Songs & Recitations'' (1956) *TLP 1018:

Kossoy Sisters The Kossoy Sisters are identical twin sisters (Irene Saletan and Ellen Christenson) who performed American folk and old-time music. Irene sang mezzo-soprano vocal, and Ellen supplied soprano harmony, with Irene on guitar and Ellen playing the ...

: ''Bowling Green and Other Folk Songs from the Southern Mountains'' *TLP 1019: Glenn Yarbrough: ''Come and Sit by My Side'' 1957 *TLP 1020: Various artists: ''Negro Prison Songs'' 1958 *TLP 1022: Oscar Brand: ''Pie in the Sky'' 1967 *TLP 1023: John Jacob Niles: ''I Wonder As I Wander - Carols And Love Songs'' *TLP 1024:

Mary O'Hara Mary O'Hara (born 12 May 1935) is an Irish soprano and harpist from County Sligo. She gained attention on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Her recordings of that period influenced a generation of Irish female singer ...

: ''Songs of Ireland'' *TLP 1026:

and

: ''Blow Boys Blow'' 1960 *TLP 1031: Jean Ritchie: '' Carols of All Seasons'' *TLP 1032: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem: '' Come Fill Your Glass with Us'' *TLP 1033: Robin Roberts: ''Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies'' *TLP 1035:

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list o ...

: ''

Country Blues Country blues (also folk blues, rural blues, backwoods blues, or downhome blues) is one of the earliest forms of blues music. The mainly solo vocal with acoustic fingerstyle guitar accompaniment developed in the rural Southern United States in ...

'' 1959 *TLP 1036: John Jacob Niles: ''An Evening with John Jacob Niles'' 1959 *TLP 1037: Theodore Alevizos: ''Songs of Greece'' 1960 *TLP 1040: Lightnin' Hopkins: ''

Autobiography in Blues ''Autobiography in Blues'' is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in 1959 and released on the Tradition label the following year.O'Brien, T. JLightnin' Album of the Week: Week 20 January 15, 2011accessed November 7, 2018 ...

'' 1960 *TLP 1042: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem: '' The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem'' *TLP 1043: Carolyn Hester: ''Carolyn Hester'' 1961 *TLP 1044: Tommy Makem: ''Songs of Tommy Makem''

References

External links

Discogs
{{Authority control American independent record labels Folk record labels Record labels established in 1955 Record labels disestablished in 1966 American companies established in 1955

Partial discography

TLP series

See also

References

External links