Line #17 Creator/DeccaRecords


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/decca.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''"The supreme record."'']]
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4	Decca Records is a British record label, founded in 1929 by Edward Lewis. After buying out several failing labels in the 1930s, the company found considerable success with names like Music/BingCrosby, Music/LouisArmstrong, and Creator/AlJolson, with an American branch soon established in 1934. British Decca was known as a pioneer in developing new sound recording methods, while American Decca was known for its many film soundtrack releases in the 1940s and 1950s.
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6	With UsefulNotes/WorldWarII on the horizon, Lewis sold off the American branch of Decca. The two companies operated separately for the next decade or so; the UK branch marketed its records in North America as London Records, while distributing US Decca's output in Europe on the Brunswick label. This was similar to the relationship between Creator/{{EMI}} and Creator/CapitolRecords, and Creator/PhilipsRecords and Creator/MercuryRecords.
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8	In 1962, the British branch infamously turned down an up-and-coming band known as Music/TheBeatles. They did, however, eventually sign on what would become another one of the world's greats, Music/{{The Rolling Stones\|Band}}. Ironically, the American branch did issue the "My Bonnie" single by Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers (a.k.a. the Beatles) the same year, making it the first Beatles release in the U.S.; it sold poorly and the few copies that survived are now true collector's items worth thousands of dollars.
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10	The American branch of Decca bought controlling interest in [[Creator/{{Universal}} Universal Pictures]] in 1952, before being merged with [[Creator/{{MCA}} MCA Records]] in 1962. MCA dissolved the American branch of Decca in 1973, shortly after singer Dobie Gray released the single "Drift Away" as the label's final release, and which became a Top 5 hit. The British branch was purchased by [=PolyGram=] in 1980, which was in turn purchased by Creator/UniversalMusicGroup in 1998, reuniting the two Decca labels for the first time since 1943. Sadly, a huge number of original Decca master tapes owned by UMG and stored at Ride/UniversalStudios Hollywood were destroyed in a fire in 2008.
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12	Today, both branches of Decca are still owned by UMG, which retains ownership and distribution of the earlier Decca releases (except for the Rolling Stones' catalog, which is owned by Abkco).
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14	Also see Creator/DeramRecords, a sublabel of UK Decca/US London that evolved into an outlet for ProgressiveRock and other "underground" genres of the 60s and 70s.
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16	!!Notable UK Decca Records artists pre-1998:
17	[[index]]
18	* Music/TheAnimals
19	* Music/TheBigThree
20	* Creator/HonorBlackman
21	** Creator/PatrickMacnee
22	* Music/MarcBolan
23	* Music/DavidBowie[[note]]UK Decca reissued material Bowie had originally released on their sublabels Vocalion Pop and {{Creator/Deram\|Records}}[[/note]]
24	* Music/{{Camel}}
25	* Music/{{Caravan}}
26	* Creator/MauriceChevalier
27	* Music/JoeCocker[[note]]UK release of his first single, "[[Music/TheBeatles I'll Cry]] [[Music/AHardDaysNight Instead]]"[[/note]]
28	* Music/LaDusseldorf
29	* Music/MarianneFaithfull
30	* Music/GeorgeFormby
31	* Music/{{Genesis\|Band}}
32	* Music/TomJones
33	* Music/TomLehrer[[note]]A rare example of an American artist on British Decca[[/note]]
34	* Music/GordonLightfoot[[note]]UK Decca licensed his first single, "(Remember Me) I'm the One", in 1962[[/note]]
35	* Music/VeraLynn
36	* Music/TheMoodyBlues
37	* Creator/AnthonyNewley
38	* Music/DjangoReinhardt
39	* Music/{{The Rolling Stones\|Band}}
40	* Music/TheSmallFaces
41	* Music/RodStewart[[note]]Stewart released his debut single "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" on British Decca in 1964[[/note]]
42	* Music/ThinLizzy
43	* Music/{{UFO\|Band}}
44	* Music/TheZombies
45	[[/index]]
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47	!!Notable US Decca Records artists pre-1998:
48	[[index]]
49	* Music/GaryAllan
50	* Creator/SteveAllen
51	* Music/BillAnderson
52	* Music/TheAndrewsSisters
53	* Music/LouisArmstrong
54	* Creator/FredAstaire
55	* Music/TheBeatles[[note]]As Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers; US Decca licensed the Creator/{{Polydor\|Records}} single "My Bonnie" in 1962, making it the group's first American release[[/note]]
56	* Creator/CarolBurnett
57	* Music/MarkChesnutt
58	* Music/BingCrosby
59	* Music/BobbyDarin
60	* Creator/RodneyDangerfield
61	* Creator/SammyDavisJr
62	* Creator/IreneDunne
63	* Creator/JimmyDurante
64	* Creator/DeannaDurbin
65	* Music/DukeEllington
66	* Music/EllaFitzgerald
67	* Creator/JudyGarland
68	* Creator/MervGriffin
69	* Music/ColemanHawkins
70	* Music/BuddyHolly
71	* Music/TheInkSpots
72	* Creator/BurlIves
73	* Creator/AlJolson
74	* Creator/SallyKellerman
75	* Creator/BorisKarloff
76	* Creator/JerryLewis
77	* Creator/CarmenMiranda
78	* Music/RickyNelson
79	* Creator/WilliamShatner
80	* Creator/BobbySherman
81	* Music/ArtTatum
82	* Music/TheWho[[note]]A rare example of a British artist on American Decca; in the UK, their early releases were on Brunswick[[/note]]
83	[[/index]]
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85	!!Notable Decca Records artists post-1998:
86	[[index]]
87	* Music/ToriAmos
88	* Music/{{AURORA\|Singer}}
89	* Music/BoyzIIMen
90	* Music/MichelleBranch[[note]]UK promo copies of ''Hopeless Romantic'' were Decca/Verve co-releases[[/note]]
91	* Music/AlexandraBurke
92	* Creator/JeffGoldblum
93	* Creator/AndrewLloydWebber %% The family name is Lloyd-Webber, not Webber
94	* Music/TheLongestJohns
95	* Creator/AudraMcDonald
96	* Music/{{Morrissey}}
97	* Music/RodStewart[[note]]Stewart returned to Decca after 54 years for his 2018 album ''Blood Red Roses''[[/note]]
98	* Music/LindseyStirling
99	* Music/{{Vangelis}}
100	* Music/RufusWainwright
101	* Music/HayleyWestenra
102	* [[Music/CatStevens Yusuf]]
103	[[/index]]

Context Creator / DeccaRecords