Dot Records
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Dot Records was an American record label which was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood who beforehand started a mail order record shop in Gallatin, Tennessee, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B (later black gospel) air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen. The label was known for hiring artists with hit records in previous years to record remakes of their hits.
Its original headquarters were in Gallatin, Tennessee but in 1956 the company moved its headquarters to Hollywood, California.
In its early years, the label specialized in artists from around Tennessee, then branched out to musicians and singers from throughout the United States. It offered a variety of country music, rhythm & blues, polkas & waltzes, gospel music, rockabilly, pop music, and early rock & roll. After the move to Hollywood, Dot bought up many recordings by small local independent labels and issued them nationally.
In 1957, Wood sold ownership of the label to Paramount Pictures but he remained the president of the company for another decade, then left to co-found the Ranwood Records label with Lawrence Welk. In 1958 Dot started a subsidiary label, Hamilton Records, for rockabilly and rhythm & blues. They also distributed the only record from Carnival Records, and created three other subsidiary labels: Crystalette, Acta, and Steed. Dot also acquired the DynoVoice label from Bell Records in 1967.
In 1968, after Paramount was bought out by Gulf and Western, the Dot label was rebranded as a country music label under the umbrella of Famous Music Group which included the Paramount, Neighborhood, Blue Thumb and Sire labels. In 1974 the label was bought by ABC Records, which discontinued the label in 1977.
[edit] Dot Records artists
- Steve Allen
- Andrews Sisters
- Pat Boone
- Walter Brennan
- The Chantay's
- Roy Clark
- Sanford Clark
- The Dartells
- Lonnie Donegan
- Donna Fargo
- Fear Itself
- Freddy Fender
- Fontane Sisters
- Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs
- Bonnie Guitar
- Roy Head
- The Hilltoppers
- Tab Hunter
- Gunilla Hutton
- Tommy Jackson
- Anita Kerr
- Andy Kim (Steed)
- Sonny Knight
- Lennon Sisters
- Liberace
- Jim Lowe
- Robin Luke
- Johnny Maddox
- Barbara Mandrell
- Wink Martindale
- Robin McNamara (Steed)
- Mills Brothers
- Vaughn Monroe
- Leonard Nimoy
- Nervous Norvus
- Tommy Overstreet
- Eddie Peabody
- Louis Prima
- Jimmie Rodgers
- Mitch Ryder (DynoVoice)
- Lalo Schifrin
- Six Fat Dutchmen
- Keely Smith
- Dodie Stevens (Crystalette & Dot)
- Gale Storm
- The Surfaris
- Diana Trask
- Billy Vaughn
- Robin Ward
- Lawrence Welk
- Margaret Whiting
