Liberty Records 1942

Liberty Records was a short-lived American record company established in Los Angeles in 1942 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, lyricist and producer Buddy DeSylva, and businessman Glenn E. Wallichs, founder of the Liberty Music Shops. The company was created to provide a new West Coast-based recording outlet at a time when most of the major American record companies were headquartered on the East Coast.

The name Liberty Records was used only briefly. The company soon changed its name to Capitol Records, which began operations in 1942 and quickly established itself as one of America’s major record labels. Johnny Mercer served as Capitol’s first head of A&R and was instrumental in signing artists including Jo Stafford, Peggy Lee, Margaret Whiting, and Nat King Cole.

Capitol’s early success came from a combination of popular music, jazz, vocal groups, and recordings by West Coast artists. Mercer’s own recording of “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” became one of the label’s early major successes. The company continued independently for decades before eventually becoming part of the EMI organization.

Liberty Records (1942) should not be confused with the unrelated Liberty Records founded in Hollywood in 1955, which later became associated with the Chipmunks and acquired Imperial Records in 1963.

Liberty Records Discography

Was this helpful?

YesNo

0 / 0