RECOMMEND
 ADD COMMENT  READ COMMENTS (2)  PRINT  EMAIL  SHARE  THE CANADIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA
1 person recommends this
London Records of Canada (1967) Ltd. (London Gramophone Corp of Canada, 1948-67). Canadian subsidiary 1948-54 of the London Gramophone Corp in the USA and 1954-80 of the Decca Record Co Ltd of England. It was restructured in 1967. Under the direction of Fraser C. Jamieson, and with head offices in Montreal, it operated in Canada both as a label and as a distributor. The first Canadian to record for the label (in Europe) was Jacques Labrecque in 1951; that same year London made its first recordings in Canada with the French duo Pierre Roche and Charles Aznavour.

The label's Canadian roster included the country artists Paul Brunelle, Andy DeJarlis, Gaby Haas, Bob King, Willie Lamothe, Marcel Martel, Ti-Blanc Richard, and Scotty Stevenson, the Quebec pop performers Renée Claude, André Gagnon, Offenbach, and René Simard, the Vancouver pop groups Poppy Family and Sweeney Todd, and the jazz pianist Milt Sealey. London also recorded the Band of the Royal Regiment, the Black Watch (R.H.R.) of Canada, and the Central Band of the Canadian Forces. The company's Ace of Diamonds label, an economy line, included recordings - many originally produced as part of the CBC's SM series - by the CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra, Maureen Forrester, Betty-Jean Hagen, Anton Kuerti, Lois Marshall, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, the Orford String Quartet, and Albert Pratz.

As a distributor, London handled in Canada recordings made for the European Decca and London labels by Ellen Ballon, Jules Bruyère, Pierre Duval, Raoul Jobin, George London, Zara Nelsova, Louis Quilico, Joseph Rouleau, Huguette Tourangeau, Jon Vickers, and others. It served for varying periods as the distributor for several independent Canadian labels, among them Aquarius, Attic, Axe (Gary and Dave, Rain, Thundermug), Boot (and Cynda), Gamma, Goldfish (Chilliwack, Terry Jacks, Susan Jacks), Ice (Andy Kim), Kanata (see Gene Lees), Kilmarnock (Galt MacDermot), Melbourne, Moon (Rush), Much (Michel Pagliaro, Sea Dog), Rodeo, and Select. It also handled the Canadian distribution for the Vermont company Philo (whose roster included Philippe Bruneau and Jean Carignan) and for various other foreign labels.

London Records of Canada (1967) Ltd ceased operations as a distributor and label when the parent company, Decca, became part of PolyGram in 1979. London, however, has continued as a European label, with the MSO on its North American roster, and PolyGram Classics as its distributor.

Author Edward B. Moogk


Bibliography

Sherman, David. 'Disc exec: at the top for 30 years,' Montreal Gazette, 22 Sep 1978

'Fraser Jamieson and London Records of Canada: a thirty-year relationship,' RPM, 30 Sep 1978


Links to Other Sites
London Records
A brief history of London Records from the Discogs website.

Feature Articles
David Thompson: The Greatest Geographer the World has Known
David Thompson was an outsider, struggling to find a foothold in the empire that had consumed his country...
MOST READ ARTICLES
Trudeau, Pierre Elliott
Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ...
Great Depression
Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ...
Riel, Louis
Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ...
MOST RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Great Depression
Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ...
Evangelical Christian Church in Canada (Disciples of Christ)
Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ...
Group of Seven
The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ...
MOST COMMENTED ON ARTICLES
Sears Canada Inc
Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ...
Ware, John
John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ...
Land Claims
Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ...
newsletter subscription
* E-mail:
join us on facebook twitter
WIRE BLOG
Survival Kit
by ANNE SEIGNOT
WIRE BLOG
Love Stories
by JENNIFER GIVOGUE
ARTICLE
Pierre Trudeau: Politics and Personality
by WILLIAM CHRISTIAN
ARTICLE
How to Reverse the Decline of Parliament
by NELSON WISEMAN
WIRE BLOG
Prorogation Protest
by WILLIAM CHRISTIAN
INSIDE TCE
Gallery
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Interactive Resources
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
Canucklehead
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
Timeline
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
100 Greatest Events
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA
Palenai Piano Duo
Palenai Piano Duo. Established in 1982 in Toronto by pianists Joy Innis and Adrienne Shannon, who had been active as soloists, chamber musicians, vocal accompanists, and teachers. The name Palenai, of Greek origin and signifying ...


Who's Who at TCE    |    Our Partners The Canadian Encyclopedia © 2010 Historica-Dominion Copyright Information