Apollo Records (1944)
| Apollo Records | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | 1944 |
| Founder | Hy Siegel Ted Gottlieb |
| Defunct | 1962 |
| Status | Inactive |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | New York City |
Apollo Records was a record company and label founded in New York City by Hy Siegel and Ted Gottlieb in 1944. A years later it was sold to Ike and Bess Berman. Apollo was known for blues (Doc Pomus), doo-wop (The Larks), gospel (Mahalia Jackson), jazz, and rock and roll.
In the early 1940s, the Bermans and Siegel worked at the Rainbow Record Shop on 125th Street in Harlem. They named the label after the nearby Apollo Theater. Siegel served as Apollo's first president. Initially Apollo employed three product lines that included a 300 series, featuring rhythm and blues and jazz artists, and a 100 series which was a variety of genres: gospel, calypso, and Jewish comedy. By issue #188, the 100 series shifted exclusively towards gospel. The third line, starting at #750, was dubbed "Jazz Masterworks". Apollo recorded rhythm and blues singers Dinah Washington and Wynonie Harris before they became famous on other labels.
In 1946, the Bermans signed Mahalia Jackson. Although she was regarded as "The Queen of Gospel", she hadn't recorded much. When Jackson's Move On Up a Little Higher was released in January 1948, it was a hit. Overtime shifts were added to keep up with demand for the record. At an Apollo board meeting on May 27, 1948, Siegel stepped down and Bess Berman became president. Berman was among few women executives in the 78 era. Ike Berman ran the pressing plant that manufactured Apollo Records.
Durings it peak years from 1948 to 1952, Apollo concentrated on gospel music. Mahalia Jackson was Apollo's biggest seller and the artist they recorded most. Apollo also issued recordings by the Roberta Martin Singers, The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Robert Anderson Singers, The Professor Alex Bradford Singers, Harold Ivory Williams and the Ivory Gospel Singers, Rev. B. C. Campbell and his Congregation, The Daniels Singers, and The Two Gospel Keys. Rev. James Cleveland made some of his first recordings with Apollo in The Gospelaires and in The Gospel All-Stars, a session he led and arranged.
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