Dolphin Records
LOCATION: Seattle, WA.
OWNER(s): Robert "Bob" Reisdorff, Bonnie Guitar, Lou Lavinthal, Stan Jaffe;
TIMESPAN: February, 1959
MISC NOTES: This label was created by Seattle record promoter Bob Reisdorff and his partners, to release the Fleetwoods' debut single: "Come Softly To Me "/ "I Care So Much." The two monaural songs would be the label's sole release.
"I picked Dolphin for the label's name," Bob Reisdorff once explained, "because I had an affection for dolphins. I think The Boy on the Dolphin was a film going around at the time (1957) and dolphins have such a fairy-tale kind of quality about them that I loved. It was not deeply thought out or anything - no one sat down for hours thinking about it. But they are lovely creatures, beautiful things ... When we did [Dolphin] number one ... we were under the clock ... We had to get labels printed up. We wanted something simple. And we did not want to go through all the expense of doing a full-color label. So Instead of a full-color label we had the [ocean] shadings of blue that was a two-color job. For the design I went to a fellow [Jim Manolides] down the street who had a sign up, 'Graphic Artist' ... I went up and said 'Hi. We have a music company. We're going to put out a record. Can you design a label? So he did." (Liberty Records A History of the Recording Company and Its Stars 1955 - 1971. Michael "Doc Rock" Kelly, 1993 pp. 65-66).
Soon after "Come Softly To Me " was released, and began receiving national exposure, the company was forced to discontinue further use of the label name by a previously existing Dolphin Records firm. The Seattle company immediately switched their label name to Dolton Records. While the change was being made, "Come Softly To Me" / "I Care So Much" production was moved to the Liberty (# F-55188) label. Although Liberty would later acquire ownership of Dolton, back at the time of the name change, Liberty was strictly the national distributor for Dolphin. Not until July, 1965 did a 45 rpm rendition of "Come Softly To Me" appear on Dolton (#307). At some later point in time stereo versions of the two songs were issued: Liberty stereo S-77188.
SEE:
1.) Dolton Records
2.) Liberty Records