PRESTIGE
RECORDS
Independent American
label: Prestige Records was founded by Bob Weinstock in
1949. Its roster of artists in the '50s included such luminaries as Miles
Davis, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. The '60s saw a measure of
diversification, with subsidiaries being formed to handle Mainstrean Jazz
(Swingville), Mood Music (Moodsville) and Blues (Bluesville); in the later part
of that decade Prestige started to explore Soul-Jazz. The label was
acquired by Fantasy Records in 1971; it kept on issuing records throughout the
'70s, but in the '80s and '90s it functioned as a reissue label. Over
here, Prestige concentrated very much on LPs; its singles series started in
1977, at PRS-100, and seems not to have got past PRS-105. Two of those
singles appear to have only been released in 12" form, sharing the same numbers
but having a PRC prefix. RCA acquired the rights to Prestige products when
it signed a licensing agreement with parent label Fantasy in April 1972, and
retained those rights after Fantasy moved on to EMI, which it did in November of
that same year. Demo labels were in typical RCA style, with a hollow 'A'
in the centre of the label and the legend 'Demonstration sample not for sale'
added. Distributed By RCA Records. Thanks to Robert Lyons For The
Info.
77
Rushen
Patrice
Let Your Heart Be
Free
PRESTIGE
PRS
100
78
Summers Bill
Straight To The Bank
PRESTIGE
PRS
101
77
David Fathead Newman
Keep The Dream Alive (12")
PRESTIGE
PRC
102
79
Summers Bill
Dancing Lady
PRESTIGE
PRS
103
79
Newman David Fathead
One Step At A Time (12")
PRESTIGE
PRS
104
80
Soskin Mark
Walk Tall
PRESTIGE
PRS
105