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A Short History of Vee-Jay Records

Vee-Jay Records was not only the first black owned large independent record company but also one of the most successful prior to Motown. It's recording and release policy was genuinely eclectic and provided us with a very fine legacy of blues, R&B, gospel, doo-wop and early soul recordings. It also released the first few years of the Beatles recordings in the US, but that's another story...

The label and its subsidiaries were owned and developed by Vivian Carter Bracken, her husband James Bracken and brother Calvin Carter. Much of the label's early success can be put down to the complementary talents of the co-owners. Vivian worked as a local DJ and had an excellent ear for contemporary black sounds and was clearly a major factor in attracting talent to a fledgling label. James Bracken was a successful record store owner (he and Vivian were partners in a record store from around 1950) and also had a real grip on the current tastes of the record buying public. And Calvin Carter, already acknowledged as an established musician, fast developed into one of the best A&R men in the business. It was Calvin who drew in a number of the artists who established Vee-Jay's early reputation - seminal talent such as John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, The Spaniels, The Dells, Betty Everett and Jerry Butler. 

The Dells

The company was initially put together in 1953 and, unusually for a new and not particularly well funded small label, it scored an immediate R&B hit with its very first recording (The Spaniels 'Baby Its You'). They had the good sense to defray distribution and promotion costs that often proved prohibitive to start up labels by placing the initial releases with the better distributed Chance label. They were further rewarded with the follow-up hit 'Goodnite Sweetheart Goodnite' (the Spaniels again), destined to become a doo-wop classic. The doo-wop sound remained a staple of the Vee-Jay sound for many years, the Spaniels joined at the label by groups of the quality of the Dells, El Dorados, Magnificents and Dukays. 

From its initial roots in Gary, Indiana, Vee-Jay moved to its own premises on Michigan Avenue, Chicago (opposite Chess) in 1955. About the same time, the Chance label folded and Ewart Abner moved to Vee-Jay as label manager, Sid McCoy also joining to strengthen the A&R setup.

The label became a major player in the gospel market, putting albums out by the likes of the Staple Singers, Swan Silvertones, and the Original Blind Boys Of Alabama. Some of the original gospel albums actually got a UK release on the Fontana label, and this was also true of much of the Vee-Jay catalogue. Fontana and Stateside in particular pushed out releases from John Lee Hooker, Dee Clark, Jerry Butler and Betty Everett. (Gene Chandler, Jon Lee Hooker, and Betty Everett all found themselves in the top twenty of the UK charts). 

The label's net grew ever wider - the Four Seasons joined and provided a string of pure pop classics, most of which found their way into the upper reaches of the Billboard pop charts. By 1962, the label had a particularly strong roster and, in a seemingly effortless way, released material to both critical and commercial success in the blues, R&B, soul and gospel genres. Jerry Butler scored in both the pop and R&B charts with a series of smooth but soulful ballads. Gene Chandler managed a number one success in both the pop and R&B charts with 'Duke of Earl' and there are many other examples of crossover successes. These include John Lee Hooker ('Boom Boom'), Jerry Butler ('Make It Easy On Yourself', 'Moon River'), Betty Everett ('You're No Good', 'The Shoop Shoop Song'), the Dells ('Stay In My Corner') and Jimmy Reed ('Big Boss Man'). 

Early Advertisement for Vee-Jay Artists

Given the careful and very professional manner in which Vee-Jay had been established and developed, the speed with which the label fell apart is a particularly depressing tale. It had a preeminent position as a truly successful and thriving black owned enterprise and yet it still folded, almost without warning, in 1965. It still had a reasonable roster of talent (Butler, Impressions, Four Seasons, the Dells etc.) on its books but the company died amidst rumors of mismanagement, mal-administration and misappropriation of funds. 

Despite the messy and unfortunate demise, Vee-Jay is still a pivotal and important label in both R&B and the development of black music generally. The breadth and depth of the output was extraordinary, and it reached out to the white record buying public without ever abandoning its natural demographic market. Perhaps a little undervalued now in historical terms, its output could well be considered as important as that from Stax and Chess. 

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