Liberty - Dolton [CA]

LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
Stats: 1959-1960 (Seattle) / 1961-1967 (Los Angeles)
SEE:

1.) Dolton Records

MISC NOTES: Seattle's Dolton Records enjoyed its initial string of national hit records (1959-1961) which were boosted by the distribution arrangement that the label forged with the much better-established Liberty Records of Los Angeles. Then in late 1961, Liberty bought into Dolton and the younger label, and co-founder Bob Reisdorff, were relocated to new headquarters provided by Liberty.

"DOLTON: THE NORTHWEST'S FIRST ROCK 'N' ROLL RECORD COMPANY"
by Peter Blecha [Courtesy & copyright, 2006, HistoryLink.org]

The Pacific Northwest has produced its fair share of pioneering record companies over the years including early ones like Seattle's Evergreen, Rainier, Linden, and Morrison Records; Portland's Rose City Records; and Spokane's SRC Records. Although such labels enjoyed a fair number of local sales by issuing discs of provincial pop singers, country roadhouse bands, or Scandinavian dance music in the 1940s and 1950s, each lacked either the savvy management, adequate capital, or effective distribution channels required to break out and score "hits" outside the region. It took the formation of Dolton Records in 1959 -- the region's first rock 'n' roll-oriented label -- to achieve that goal. And Dolton accomplished all that in a big way, issuing records by teenaged musicians from various Northwest towns including Olympia, Tacoma, Spokane, and Seattle -- and scoring a breathtaking series of six singles in a row (including an international Gold Record Award-winning No. 1 hit with their debut release), which all placed on the Billboard and/or The Cash Box magazine best-seller charts. [Complete essay linked here.]

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