1 history
1.1 first hits
1.2 embassy records
1.3 tamla motown on oriole american
1.4 takeover columbia
history
the levy family founded record shop sold bicycles , sewing machines @ 19 high street, whitechapel, , later moved 139 high street. oriole recorded popular music in england, , issued masters united states vocalion records in may , june 1927. original label discontinued in 1935.
jacques levy produced records starting in 1931 @ west end studios @ rosslyn house, 94-98 regent street, london, stayed until 1937 when moved 73 new bond street, chief engineers ted sibbick , bill johnson, built once art gallery. in 1949, segregated work , label, oriole records ltd moving 101 new bond street, london, , levy moving out factory @ aston clinton, near aylesbury. 1938 or 1939, david morris levy lived nearby @ flat 98, clarence gate gardens, near baker street, until 1971 death, , maintained residence in birchington, kent.
the owner, david morris levy, , brother jacques (no relation roulette records namesake) revived oriole label in 1950. few years (ending in 1955) exclusive uk licensee american mercury label, releases artists such frankie laine, vic damone , patti page. these releases appeared first on oriole label itself, , later on mercury.
first hits
oriole achieved few home-made hits in late 1950s , 1960s, including chas mcdevitt skiffle group s version of freight train (featuring nancy whiskey on vocals), maureen evans (based on same music allan sherman s hello muddah, hello fadduh – amilcare ponchielli s dance of hours – , label s biggest hit), , russ hamilton s make love , reached number 2 in uk singles chart, , b-side of ( rainbow ) reached number 4 in billboard hot 100 on kapp records. success oriole came clinton ford s 1962 version of george formby song, fanlight fanny , had accompaniment george chisholm stars . also, permission, had added new words written ford. fanlight fanny ford s third uk chart hit , successful single, reaching 22 in uk singles chart in march 1962. spent ten weeks in chart.
the label had successes tracks licensed european labels, notably domenico modugno s original recording of volare , recordings swedish instrumental group spotnicks. in 1960s oriole licensed several productions joe meek, performed dowlands, alan klein , screaming lord sutch. distributed several american hits columbia records in us.
embassy records
oriole produced cover versions of hits of day, released on embassy label, sold exclusively in woolworths stores. repertoire consisted of cut-price cover versions of british pop hits of day; first releases in november 1954. 1 such release version of blue suede shoes don arden (father of sharon osbourne), did best impersonate elvis presley. embassy later included session cover performances such future stars elton john (then singing reg dwight).
tamla motown on oriole american
during tenure of a&r manager john schroeder, oriole first uk label (after odd release on london , fontana) license recordings on regular basis tamla , motown catalogues, none of releases charted (it not until few years later, , on emi s stateside label, detroit-based company begin run of hits in uk). nonetheless, several of singles have since come highly regarded, famous recordings including love me (by contours), ve got hold on me (the miracles), , fingertips (little stevie wonder). oriole released nineteen motown releases on black , white oriole american label, while 7 albums appeared on normal black , yellow oriole label. company known tamla motown outside us, , these of rarest releases.
takeover columbia
the oriole record company had 2 record pressing factories, 1 situated in aston clinton , other in colnbrook. lasted until 21 september 1964, when bought cbs, parent of american columbia records, looking set own manufacturing facility in uk. result ended cbs label s distribution philips, , began phasing out of oriole label. oriole company officially renamed cbs records in 1965. david morris levy stayed on managing director, severed ties cbs in 1967.
david morris levy s sons, john jacob, attorney @ nicholas morris in london, , edward frederick, principal of chelsea music publishing in london, still active in music industry.
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