Verve Records facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Verve Records |
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| Parent company | Verve Label Group (Universal Music Group (UMG)) |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Founder | Norman Granz |
| Distributor(s) | Verve Label Group |
| Genre | American contemporary; historically jazz music |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | New York City, New York |
Verve Records is a famous American record label. It is owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Norman Granz started the label in 1956. Verve Records has the world's largest collection of jazz music.
Many famous artists have recorded with Verve. These include Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Stan Getz, and Billie Holiday. More recent artists like Jon Batiste and Diana Krall are also part of the Verve family. The label also releases music that isn't jazz. This includes albums from groups like the Velvet Underground and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Today, Verve is part of the Verve Label Group (VLG). This group also includes other historic labels like Impulse! and Decca Records.
Contents
History of Verve Records
How Verve Records Started
Norman Granz created Verve Records to record new music by Ella Fitzgerald. He was her manager. The very first album released by Verve was Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book. Through the 1950s and 1960s, the label grew. It added many jazz legends. These included Charlie Parker, Bill Evans, Billie Holiday, and Oscar Peterson.
Changes and New Sounds
In 1960, Norman Granz sold Verve to MGM. Creed Taylor became the main producer. He changed the label's direction to be more popular. Taylor helped bring bossa nova music to America. This new sound came with albums like Jazz Samba by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd. Another famous album was Getz/Gilberto.
In 1964, Verve started a folk music branch. It was first called Verve Folkways. Later, it became Verve Forecast. Creed Taylor left Verve in 1967. Besides jazz, Verve also released music from rock bands. These included the Righteous Brothers, the Velvet Underground, and Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention.
The Velvet Underground's Influence
The first records by the Velvet Underground did not sell many copies. However, this band became very important in independent rock music. Their albums like The Velvet Underground & Nico and White Light/White Heat influenced many musicians later on.
Verve in Later Years
In the 1970s, Verve became part of PolyGram. This company later joined with Universal Music Group in 1999. Verve Records then became the Verve Music Group. All the jazz music from these companies came together under Verve.
In the 1990s, Verve signed many new jazz artists. These included Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Henderson. When Universal and PolyGram merged in 1998, Verve joined with GRP Recording Company. This created the Verve Music Group.
Recent Success and Awards
Verve Records has had great success recently. In 2022, Jon Batiste won many Grammy Awards. He won 5 awards, including Album of the Year. This was the first time a jazz record from Verve won this award since 1965. In 2023, Samara Joy won Best New Artist. This was a first for Verve in its long history.
Verve Label Group
The Verve Label Group is a part of Universal Music Group in the US. It focuses on contemporary, classic, and jazz music. The group includes Verve Records and Impulse! Records. It also includes Universal Music Classical. This classical part has labels like Decca Gold and Deutsche Grammophon.
In 2016, Danny Bennett became the president of the Verve Label Group. The group moved to New York City. In 2019, the group changed again. It became a global unit for classical and jazz music. The Verve Label Group now releases more than just jazz. It also includes crossover classical music, pop, and show tunes. This is because it took over the Decca Records' Broadway label.
Discography
