What Do Sinatra and Jimi Hendrix Have in Common? – Reprise Records Launched
December 19, 1960: Ring-a-Ding-Ding!
Sinatra wanted freedom. Total artistic freedom to record what he wanted to record and how he wanted to record it; arrangements, mixes, complete artistic autonomy. He wanted to own his work, screw the labels retaining his art. So he created his own label, Reprise Records, and began recording his first sessions today on December 19, 1960.
One of the company’s founding principles under Sinatra’s leadership was that each artist would have full creative freedom and eventually complete ownership of their work, including publishing rights. Hell, he was Chairman of the Board… he made the calls. How do you think he got the nickname, “Chairman of the Board”?
Frank called on his Vegas pals, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. to work with him. Others joined, the original roster from 1961 to 1963 included: Bing Crosby, Jo Stafford, Rosemary Clooney, Esquivel and stand-up comedian Redd Foxx.
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Sinatra’s first album released on Reprise was Ring-a-Ding-Ding!
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Consider Reprise’s roster which grew to include: Jimi Hendrix
Early Joni Mitchell recordings
Neil Young
The Electric Prunes ~ Lee Hazlewood ~ Arlo Guthrie ~ Tiny Tim ~ Ry Cooder ~ Captain Beefheart ~ Frank Zappa and The Mothers
Nancy Sinatra ~ Gram Parsons ~ Emmylou Harris ~ Nico’s Desertshore ~ The Fugs ~ Jethro Tull ~ T. Rex ~ The Meters ~ John Cale ~ Little Feat ~ Gordon Lightfoot ~ Richard Pryor ~ Al Jarreau ~ Fleetwood Mac ~ The Beach Boys, and others.
Sinatra eventually sold the label to Warner Bros and in 1976, the Reprise label was deactivated. All of its roster was moved to the main Warner Bros. label except for Sinatra and Neil Young. Sinatra wanted to be the only artist on Reprise and Young refused to agree to change labels.
Today, in addition to Young, it is home to such artists as Devendra Banhart ~ Green Day ~ Deftones ~ Michael Bublé ~ Iyaz ~ Enya ~ Mastodon ~ Eric Clapton ~ Fleetwood Mac ~ Serj Tankian ~ Josh Groban ~ Charice ~ Cavo ~ Taking Back Sunday ~ HIM (also on Sire) ~ My Chemical Romance ~ Disturbed. Reprise was also the North American label for British bands Depeche Mode and Oasis.
Sinatra’s first album on Reprise was Ring-a-Ding-Ding! The initial concept was “an album without ballads” that included only up-tempo swing numbers. Ring-A-Ding-Ding! managed a 35 week stay on the charts.
Track listing:
- “Ring-a-Ding Ding!” (Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn)
- “Let’s Fall in Love” (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler)
- “Be Careful, It’s My Heart” (Irving Berlin)
- “A Foggy Day” (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
- “A Fine Romance” (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields)
- “In the Still of the Night” (Cole Porter)
- “The Coffee Song” (Bob Hilliard, Dick Miles)
- “When I Take My Sugar to Tea” (Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain, Pierre Norman)
- “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” (Berlin)
If you’re wondering who Esquivel is, “he was sometimes called “The King of Space Age Pop” and “The Busby Berkeley of Cocktail Music.” Esquivel is considered one of the foremost exponents of a style of late 1950s-early 1960s quirky instrumental pop that became known (in retrospect) as “Space Age Bachelor Pad Music”.[1]
[1] Wikipedia
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