Kapp Records

Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor.[2][3] Kapp licensed its records to London Records for release in the UK.

Kapp Records
Kapp logo
Parent companyMCA Inc. (original), Universal Music Group (current)
Founded1954 (1954)
FounderDavid Kapp
Defunct1973 (1973)
StatusInactive
Distributor(s)MCA Records
Universal Music Group
GenreVarious
Country of originU.S.
David Kapp
David Kapp and Danny Kaye, 1946
David Kapp and Danny Kaye, 1946
Background information
Birth nameDavid Kapp
BornAugust 7, 1904[1]
Chicago, Illinois
DiedMarch 1, 1976[1]
New York City[1]
GenresCountry, pop, rock, R&B, jazz, musical theatre
Occupation(s)Record producer
Years active1930s–1960s
LabelsDecca, RCA Victor, Kapp

In 1967, David Kapp sold his label to MCA Inc. and the label was placed under Uni Records management;[4] Kapp was consolidated with MCA's other record labels in 1971 and, in 1973, MCA Records released the last Kapp record. Catalogue albums that continued to sell were renumbered and reissued on the MCA label.[5]

Kapp's subsidiaries included Medallion Records (an audiophile label),[6] Congress Records, Leader Records, and Four Corners Records with its "4 Corners of the World" logo. Four Corners was formed to promote European artists, such as Françoise Hardy, Raymond Lefèvre, and the Barclay Singers.

Today, the Kapp Records catalog is owned by MCA's successor-in-interest Universal Music Group through its Geffen Records subsidiary.

History
  • 1954: Kapp Records was created by David Kapp.
  • 1955: Kapp Records released "Autumn Leaves" played by Roger Williams (pianist) that became the number one song in America on Billboard Top 100 and the greatest piano instrumental recording of all time.
  • 1960: Kapp Records released one of the first cover versions of songs from The Sound of Music, which was running on Broadway at that time. The Pete King Chorale was featured on the album.
  • 1964: Kapp Records released "Hello Dolly" sung by Louis Armstrong that became the number one song in America on Billboard Top 100, two months after The Beatles' arrived from England. The label also distributed American releases by another successful British Invasion group, The Searchers.
  • 1966: The record label released the original cast album of Man of La Mancha, perhaps their most successful cast album.
  • 1967: David Kapp sold his label to MCA Inc. and it became a division of Uni Records.
  • 1973: MCA released the last Kapp record. The catalog and artist roster was absorbed by MCA Records.
  • 2003: MCA Records is absorbed into Geffen Records, which currently manages Kapp's pop/rock/R&B catalogs. The country, jazz, and musical theatre catalogs are now managed by MCA Nashville Records, GRP Records, and Decca Broadway, respectively. Decca Broadway released a remastered version of the Man of La Mancha original cast album in 2001.

Label variations
Logo during most of the 1960s

Throughout Kapp's history, its logo was a stylized "K" incorporating a phonograph record design. Three versions of this logo appeared during the company's history. Until 1970, this logo also appeared on a drum major's cap in a wordplay of the label's name.

  • 1950s: Stylized "K/record" logo and KAPP at top of either red/white, silver/maroon or purplish red/white labels.[7]
  • Early 1960s: Black label with white "K/record" logo and KAPP in red at top,[8] a similar design had a red drum major cap and KAPP in yellow at top.[9]
  • Mid to late 1960s: Black label with red drum major cap (showing "K/record" logo in yellow) and KAPP in black letters in white box at left for singles, at top for albums.[10]
  • 1970-1972: Purple, red, orange and yellow label with new "K" logo, either in black or in white inside black box, at left.[11] (A few 1970s releases were also pressed with the mid-to-late 1960s black label.)

Roster

References
  1. Hoffmann, Frank (2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 1119. ISBN 978-0415938358.
  2. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 1967-12-09. p. 7. Retrieved 2013-02-28 – via Internet Archive. kapp records + mca.
  3. "Kapp Records - CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2013-02-14. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  4. "MCA Buys Kapp in New Surge to be a Major Record Complex". Billboard. 1967-12-09. p. 7. Retrieved 2013-02-28 – via Internet Archive. uni + decca + kapp.
  5. "Kapp Album Discography, Part 7". Bsnpubs.com. 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
  6. Billboard. 1960-05-09. p. 43. Retrieved 2013-02-28 – via Internet Archive. kapp + medallion records.
  7. "Kapp Records". Collectable-records.ru. Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  8. "Kapp Records". Collectable-records.ru. Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  9. "Kapp Records". Collectable-records.ru. Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  10. "Black Major'S Hat(Us)". Collectable-records.ru. Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  11. "Kapp Records". Collectable-records.ru. Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2013-02-28.

Hall, Claude: "MCA Drops Vocalion, Decca, Kapp and Uni", Billboard, February 10, 1973

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