The Rocket Record Company
| The Rocket Record Company | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Parent company | The Island Def Jam Music Group |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Defunct | 2007 |
| Distributor(s) |
US: MCA Records (1973–1978) RCA Records (1978–1982) Island/Mercury (1982-Present) UK: Island (1973–1978, 1998–Present) Phonogram Inc. (1978–1995) Mercury Records (1995–1998) |
| Genre | Rock |
| Country of origin | UK, US |
| Official website | www |
The Rocket Record Company was a record label founded by Elton John, along with Bernie Taupin, Gus Dudgeon, Steve Brown and others, in 1973. The company was named after the hit song "Rocket Man". The label was originally distributed in the UK by Island and in the US by MCA Records, both of which Elton John was also signed to (after 1976).
The first artist who signed to the label was Stackridge, who completed two albums for The Rocket Record Company after moving from MCA. It also became the home of Cliff Richard, Neil Sedaka (whose three most successful U.S. mid-1970s albums were on Rocket), Colin Blunstone, The Hudson Brothers, Blue, Kiki Dee, Judie Tzuke, The Lambrettas, Junior Campbell, Brian & Brenda Russell, and the Dutch band Solution. John offered to sign Iggy Pop & The Stooges to the label, but they declined. After John left his British label, DJM, in 1976, his records were also released by The Rocket Record Company on both sides of the Atlantic. The label also attempted to attract talent from all over the UK and submitted an advertisement to Melody Maker for Bands to record their sound of today and get it out tomorrow. With an album called "499 2139" (which incidentally was the studio's telephone number) they turned to the talents of the little known Pete Waterman (of fame). Peter and his then assistant Tony Keys, recorded and produced a unique mixture of music which, although only charted the bottom of the album charts managed to capture a mixture of genre including a track from The Lambrettas called "Go Steady".
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