Wand Records was an American

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 and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

, started by Florence Greenberg in 1961 as a subsidiary of

Scepter Records Scepter Records was an American record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg. History Florence Greenberg founded Scepter Records from the $4,000 she received after she sold Tiara Records and the Shirelles to Decca Records. When the S ...

. Artists on Wand Records included

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

The Kingsmen The Kingsmen are a 1960s American rock band from Portland, Oregon. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the ''Billboard'' charts for six weeks and has bec ...

, Mel Wynn & the Rhythm Aces,

Chuck Jackson Charles Benjamin Jackson (July 22, 1937 – February 16, 2023) was an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He performed with moderate success starting in 1961. Hi ...

, and the Monzas. In 1976, Greenberg retired from the business and sold her record labels to Springboard International. When Springboard went bankrupt,

Gusto Records Gusto Records is a Nashville, Tennessee-based record company that specializes in reissuing and licensing recordings. The catalogues that Gusto owns include King Records (except for recordings by James Brown), Starday, Scepter (except for rec ...

acquired the catalog. The Kingsmen acquired full ownership of their Wand catalog in court from Gusto for non-payment of

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset or ...

Wand label artists

Chuck Jackson was the first artist signed to Wand. His single "I Don't Want to Cry" (Wand 106) went to No. 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 5 on the R&B chart in 1961. The Isley Brothers released their classic single "

Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by The Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Broth ...

" (Wand 124), which peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the R&B chart in 1962. In 1963, the Kingsmen released "

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a Standard (music), stand ...

" (Wand 143), which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100. Maxine Brown had a number for singles released on the label, including "

Oh No Not My Baby "Oh No Not My Baby" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The song's lyrics describe how friends and family repeatedly warn the singer about a partner's infidelities. The song is regarded as an American standard due to its long-time ...

" (Wand 162) in 1964. Some artists to have one-off releases include Benny Gordon with "Gonna Give Her All The Love I Got", and a singer called Al Wilson. For some time there has been speculation and discussion among some

Northern soul Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod (subculture), mod scene, based on a particular style of African American music, Black American ...

collectors and enthusiasts that the single " Help Me", composed and produced by Johnny Northern and Ralph Bailey, arranged by Robert Banks, is not the same Al Wilson who recorded " The Snake". It is believed by some that this may be a completely different singer who happened to have the same name.Soulful Detroi
Al Wilson Vs. Al Wilson
/ref>

List of artists

* Al Wilson (New York singer) *

Benny Gordon Benjamin Gordon (born November 29, 1970) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Racing career Early career Prior to moving up to NASCAR's big leagues, Gordon competed in the NASCAR-sanctioned Slim Jim All Pro Series in the l ...

* B.J. Thomas *

Bobby Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was describ ...

Brenton Wood Alfred Jesse Smith (July 26, 1941 – January 3, 2025), known professionally as Brenton Wood, was an American singer and songwriter. Three 1967 singles of Wood's, " The Oogum Boogum Song" (peaking at No. 34 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100), " G ...

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American blues rock band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and ...

* Clarence Reid *

Dee Clark Dee Clark (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990) was an American soul singer and songwriter best known for a string of R&B and pop hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the song " Raindrops", which became a million-seller in the Uni ...

Don and the Goodtimes Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a village and hill station in Dang district, Gu ...

The Esquires The Esquires were an American R&B group from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, principally active from 1957 to 1976. History The group first formed in 1957 around the Moorer family: Gilbert (born Gilbert Moorer, Jr., August 20, 1941, Birmi ...

* Freddie Hughes * General Crook (musician) * The Independents *

Isley Brothers Isley is an English surname. The name can also be used as an anglicized variant for the German surnames Eisele and Eisler. Notable people with the surname include: *The Isley Brothers, American musical group ** Ernie Isley (born 1952), American ...

* Jackie Moore * Jimmie Green *

Joe Jeffrey Group The Joe Jeffrey Group was an American rhythm and blues band. Their best-known song was " My Pledge Of Love", which reached No. 14 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. The group was made up of Joe Jeffrey (born Joseph Stafford Jr., Cleveland, Ohi ...

Johnny Copeland John Clyde Copeland (March 27, 1937 – July 3, 1997) was an American Texas blues guitarist and singer. In 1983, he was named Blues Entertainer of the Year by the Blues Foundation. He is the father of blues singer Shemekia Copeland. In 2017, ...

* The Last Five * L.C. Cooke *

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning ...

* The Masqueraders * Maxine Brown * Mel Wynn & the Rhythm Aces * The Monzas *

The Moving Sidewalks Moving Sidewalks were an American rock band formed in 1966 from Houston, Texas. They released several singles and an album, before bassist Don Summers and keyboardist Tom Moore were drafted into the army, bringing the band to an end. Vocalist/gu ...

* Nella Dodds * The Next Five * Roscoe Robinson *

Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McF ...

South Shore Commission South Shore Commission were an American Soul/funk band from Washington D.C. that released a stand-alone single called "Right On Brother" on the Atlantic Records label in 1970. A self-titled album followed in 1975 on Wand records. Members included ...

* Tammy Montgomery (

Tammi Terrell Thomasina Winifred Montgomery (April 29, 1945 – March 16, 1970), professionally known as Tammi Terrell, was an American singer-songwriter, widely known as a star singer for Motown Records during the 1960s, notably for a series of duets with ...

) * Timmy Shaw * Walter Lee & the Leeds * Dionne Warwick

References

External links

The Scepter/Wand Story
{{Authority control American record labels Record labels established in 1961 Record labels disestablished in 1976

Wand label artists

List of artists

See also

References

External links