History Creator / VerveForecast

* Music/JohnLeeHooker

In 1964, Verve (which was best known for its {{Jazz}} releases) was looking to diversify into the FolkMusic market. To this end, label executive Jerry Schoenbaum formed an alliance with Moses Asch's independent Folkways Records label, which led to releases by such folk giants as Music/WoodyGuthrie, Pete Seeger, and Dave Van Ronk. However, Verve Folkways soon diversified into other genres; it signed [[SingerSongwriter Singer-Songwriters]] such as Tim Hardin, Richie Havens, Janis Ian, Bob Lind, and Music/LauraNyro, as well as GarageRock acts like The Blues Project and The Hombres. It also had an impressive {{Blues}} roster including Music/JohnLeeHooker, Music/LeadBelly, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Sonny Terry & Brownie [=McGhee=].

In 1964, Verve (which was best known for its {{Jazz}} releases) was looking to diversify into the FolkMusic market. Verve executive Jerry Schoenbaum formed an alliance with Moses Asch's Folkways label, which led to releases by folk giants such as Music/WoodyGuthrie, Pete Seeger and Dave Van Ronk. However, Verve Folkways soon diversified into other genres; it signed [[SingerSongwriter Singer-Songwriters]] such as Tim Hardin, Richie Havens, Janis Ian, Bob Lind, and Music/LauraNyro, as well as GarageRock acts like The Blues Project and The Hombres. It also had an impressive {{Blues}} roster that included Lightnin' Hopkins, Music/LeadBelly, and Sonny Terry & Brownie [=McGhee=].

The deal with Folkways ended in 1967, leading the imprint to rename itself Verve Forecast, but it carried on as before with the same artists plus some new acts. Friend and Lover's "Reach Out of the Darkness" became a Top 10 hit, while British ProgressiveRock band Music/{{Caravan}} released their first album on the label. However, the forecast called for stormy weather; Verve's corporate parent Creator/MGMRecords, whose president Mike Curb was leading the company toward a traditional pop direction, deactivated Verve Forecast in 1970.

!!Verve Forecast (and Verve Folkways) performers, past and present, with Wiki/TVTropes pages:

However, the weather cleared during UsefulNotes/TheNineties. MGM/Verve had been acquired by [=PolyGram=], which briefly reactivated Verve Forecast as a home for smooth jazz acts like Chris Botti, Will Downing and Jeff Lorber. This version of the label didn't last long after [=PolyGram=] was absorbed by Creator/UniversalMusicGroup in 1998, but the imprint was revived again in 2004; this time, its purpose was to sign "another wave of creative, jazz and roots-oriented artists". The new version of Verve Forecast has released albums by Brazilian Girls, Music/BluesTraveler, Music/ElvisCostello and Music/AllenToussaint, Jamie Cullum, Jesse Harris, Music/JerryLeeLewis, Olabelle, Susan Tedeschi, and Lizz Wright, among others.

However, the weather cleared during UsefulNotes/TheNineties. MGM/Verve had been acquired by [=PolyGram=], which briefly reactivated Verve Forecast as a home for smooth jazz acts like Chris Botti, Will Downing and Jeff Lorber. This version of the label didn't last long after [=PolyGram=] was absorbed by Creator/UniversalMusicGroup in 1998, but the imprint was revived again in 2004; this time, its purpose was to sign "another wave of creative, jazz and roots-oriented artists"

In 1964, Verve (which was best known for its {{Jazz}} releases) was looking to diversify into the FolkMusic market. It formed an alliance with Moses Asch's Folkways label, which led to releases by folk giants such as Music/WoodyGuthrie, Pete Seeger and Dave Van Ronk. However, Verve Folkways soon diversified into other genres; it signed [[SingerSongwriter Singer-Songwriters]] such as Tim Hardin, Richie Havens, Janis Ian, Bob Lind, and Music/LauraNyro, as well as GarageRock acts like The Blues Project and The Hombres. It also had an impressive {{Blues}} roster that included Lightnin' Hopkins, Music/LeadBelly, and Sonny Terry & Brownie [=McGhee=].

The deal with Folkways ended in 1967, leading the imprint to rename itself Verve Forecast, but it carried on as before with the same artists plus some new acts. Friend and Lover's "Reach Out of the Darkness" became a Top 10 hit, while British ProgressiveRock band Music/{{Caravan}} released their first album on the label. However, the forecast called for stormy weather, as Verve's corporate parent Creator/MGMRecords deactivated Verve Forecast around the beginning of TheSeventies.

In 1964, Verve (which was best known for its {{Jazz}} releases) was looking to diversify into the FolkMusic market. It formed an alliance with Moses Asch's Folkways label, which led to releases by folk giants such as Music/WoodyGuthrie, Pete Seeger and Dave Van Ronk. However, Verve Folkways soon diversified into other genres; it signed [[SingerSongwriter Singer-Songwriters]] such as Janis Ian, Bob Lind, and Music/LauraNyro, as well as GarageRock acts like The Blues Project and The Hombres. Verve Folkways also had an impressive {{Blues}} roster that included Lightnin' Hopkins, Music/LeadBelly, and Sonny Terry & Brownie [=McGhee=].