Colonial Records
| Colonial Records | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Orville Campbell |
| Distributor(s) | ABC-Paramount Records, London Records |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | US |
Colonial Records was a record label located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The records were distributed by ABC-Paramount Records until 1959-1960 when it was distributed by London Records. The label was owned by Orville Campbell. Some of Colonial Records artist were Andy Griffith, Bill Craddock, Johnny Dee, and George Hamilton IV. One album, Crash's Greatest Hits by Bill Craddock, was released on the label in 1986. This record label is now defunct.
The label had several large hits. One of the biggest comedy records of all time, and the first release by Andy Griffith, titled "What It Was, Was Football", was first released by the label. Because the label was too small to handle the success of the record, it sold the mastersco to Capitol.
Another hit that the label had major success with was "A Rose and a Baby Ruth", by George Hamilton IV. The label sold about 50,000 copies of the record, and then sold the rights to ABC-Paramount. ABC Paramount then sold nearly one million copies of the record.[1]
Singles
Allan and the Flames
- Till The End of Time/Winter Wonderland (1960)
Cecelia Batten
- My Big Brothers Friend/Before (1957)
- Knock On The Pipes/Lonesome Train (1957)
E.C. Beatty
- I'm A Lucky Man/Ski King (1959)
- Let Her Go Daddy-O/Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! (1960)
- Little Blue Eyes/Tarzan (1960)
The Bluenotes
- Mighty Low/Page One (1957)
- You're A Tiger/Let Her Know (1958)
- Never Never Land/I Waited (1958)
Bill Craddock
- Birddoggin'/Millionaire (1957)
Johnny Dee
- Sittin' In The Balcony/A-Plus In Love (1957)
- It's Gotta Be You/Teenage Queen (1957)
- In My Simple Way/1000 Concrete Blocks (1957)
- They Were Right/Somebody Sweet (1957)
Dizzy Dean
- Wabash Cannon Ball/You Don’t Have to Be From the Country (1954)
Jess Duboy
- Puppy Love/Echos (1959)
Johnny Ford
- I'm Gonna Keep On Loving You/That's My Desire (1965)
Four Sounds and A Fury
Virginia Beach Reel/Myrtle Beach Boogie (1956?)
Doug Franklin
- My Lucky Love/Drizzlin' Rain (1958)
- I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now/I Used To Wonder (1958)
- The New Midnight Special/My Love For You (1958)
Franklin Brothers
- So Real/My Little Girl (1959)
The Goldtones
- High Dive Into Love/The Oriental Shake (1965)
Deacon Andy Griffith
- What It Was, Was Football/Romeo And Juliet (1953)
George Hamilton IV
- If You Don't Know/A Rose And A Baby Ruth (1956)
- I've Got a Secret/Sam (1956)
Hank Hardy
- My Lucky Love/1000 Concrete Blocks (1961)
Doug Harrell
- Hospitality Blues/Exsanguination Blues (1956)
Grady Lewis
- Runaway Lover/Sad Story (1960)
Melody Masters Quartet
- It's Gotta Be All/Singing On The Mountain (1957)
Tom O'Neil
- Georgia On My Mind/Who's Sorry Now (1961)
- I Get The Blues When It Rains/Song For Anita (1961)
Johnny Randal
- Do Right/You're Gone But Still In My Heart (1964)
- How About That/This Is The End (1964)
This record was recorded as Johnny Randall
Hoke Simpson
- Mountain Dew Rock/Number One (1957)
Ebe Sneezer and His Epidemics
- That's All I've Got (To Remember You By) /Asiatic Flu (1957)
Cile Turner
- Drizzlin' Rain/Full Of The Moon (CR 731 - with picture sleeve) (1957)
- Crap Shootin' Sinner/The Golden Rule (1959)
- Going Down To Town/Don't Fool Around With The Blues (1960)
- Joe Sweeny/In Virginia (1960)
- The Happy Song/The Winds Call It Home (1961)
- I'm Walking That Lonesome Road/Going Down To Town (1977)
Henry Wilson
- Are You Ready/It's Really Love (1958)
Albums
Billy "Crash" Craddock (Bill Craddock)
- Crash's Greatest Hits (1986)
Labels associated with Colonial Records
- ABC-Paramount Records
- Campbell Records
- London Records
