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no.1cookie
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The story of SAR Records
« Thread started on: Aug 6th, 2008, 6:56pm » |
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SAR Records - Sam Cooke's Label
From the Goldmine Magazine by Ray Funk. August 26 - 1988
Sar records were geared for the rhythm 'n' blues market, while its companion label, Derby was more pop-oriented material. Both Cooke and Alexander were long-time gospel quartet singers who had left that field for the glamor and money of pop and R&B. Their two record labels showcased their skills as songwriters and producers; they did most of the production and a great deal of the songwriting on everything they recorded. Along with the record company, they had their own music publishing companies: Kags Music Co. (BMI) and Malloy Music Co. (ASCAP).Sar records were geared for the rhythm 'n' blues market, while Derby was more pop-oriented material. Both Cooke and Alexander were long-time gospel quartet singers who had left that field for the glamor and money of pop and R&B. Their two record labels showcased their skills as songwriters and producers; they did most of the production and a great deal of the songwriting on everything they recorded. Along with the record company, they had their own music publishing companies: Kags Music Co. (BMI) and Malloy Music Co. (ASCAP).The first records on the label were by the group that Cooke had left when he entered the pop field, the Soul Stirrers. Specialty, the label that had the Soul Stirrers under contract since 1950, lost interest in the group when Cooke's replacement, Johnnie Taylor, did not generate the sales that the Soul Stirrers had when Cooke was the lead singer. Cooke's new-found wealth and loyalty to the group led him to issue Soul Stirrers recordings himself if Specialty wasn't interested.The company's name, SAR, supposedly came from the initials of the first names of its founders, a shortened form of Sam and Alex Records. The name for the music publishing company, Kags, was taken from the nickname of Lou Rawls' father.
The next artist recruited was Johnny Morisette. Born in the South Pacific, Morisette had been raised in Mobile, Ala., Morisette and Cooke became friends during one of his tours through Mobile. In 1952, Johnny Morisette decided to abandon gospel and hitchhiked out to Los Angeles. He did a bit of recording for Dootone and Specialty before recording for Sar."Never" was the first of eight singles that Morisette had on Sar. The only one to make the charts was his biggest hit, "Meet Me At The Twisting Place." It was on the Billboard R&B charts for four weeks in 1962, rising to # 18. It was onee of Sar's all-time best sellers -but top sales must go to the next group.The Sims Twins had the best-selling record that was released on Sar. A Sam Cook composition, "Soothe Me," first hit the charts in October 1961 and stayed there for 22 weeks, Reaching #4. Of course, the Sims Twins had been gospel singers. The group was active only around Los Angeles and never did much traveling.
One of the most important additions to the label in 1961 was Sar's first and only employee, an experienced white songwriter named Zelda Samuels. Samuels came to the label when Sar and the two music publishing companies had grown sufficiently to need someone full-time to handle the day-to-day business.The Valentinos were the only other rhythm 'n' blues vocal group to chart for Sar. Their record, "Looking For A Love," hit the charts in July 1962 and stayed on for eight weeks, reaching #8. Originally a family group, the Womack Brothers (Bobby, Cecil, Harris, Curtis, Friendly), from Cleveland, Ohio, were very popular locally.They started touring with Cooke, and Bobby Womack also worked as the guitarist in Cooke's band.Sam Cooke also got his younger brother L.C. Cooke to record for Sar. L.C. was, however, no newcomer to music or recording. He started out as his brother did, singing gospel while barely a teenager. His first group was the Nobleairs, a religious quartet made up of friends from his neighborhood. From the Nobleairs, L.C. got drafted into the Army in 1952 and continued to sing until his discharge in 1954. In 1956, in Chicago, he served as a member of the Magnificents, a popular Chicago rhythm 'n' blues group that had earlier hit with "Up an The Mountain."Sar featured three female singers: Jackie Ross, Patience Valentine, and Linda Carr.Sar had only two istrumental issues, by Clifton White, Sam's guitarist and Gus Jenkins. While Sam Cooke's legacy remains strong, with a number of excellent recent reissues and film and print biographies in the works, his legacy as a record company owner and record producer has received little exposure. Cooke and his long-time friend and singing associate J. W. Alexander started the Sar label in 1957. It was dissolved shortly after Cooke's death in 1964. The rights to the recordings and the publishing were bought up shortly thereafter by Allen Klein, who was Cooke's last manager. Fifty-seven singles and Four LPs were issued on the Sar label and 11 45s and two LPs on its companion label, Derby Records.
Sources:
Joe McEwen, Sam Cooke: A Biography In Words And Pictures. Sire Books (New York, 1977).
Tim Schuller, "The Johnny Two-Voice Story: Johnnie Morisette," Living Blues (Winter 1980-81), p. 20.
Robert Pruter, "Jackie Ross: She's Not Selfish At All," ft Will Stand #29 (1983), p. 6.
Special thanks to J. W. Alexander, Zelda Samuels, L.C. Cooke, Robert and Kenneth
Sims, Michael Ochs, David Tenabaum, Pete Grendysa, Dan Nooger, and Robert Pruter.
  
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stanley
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Re: The story of SAR Records
« Reply #1 on: Sep 2nd, 2008, 02:01am » |
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I do believe SAR could have been as big as Motown. If I was a singer back then, I would have went to Sam Cooke's label just because the man was Sam Cooke. You can't lose.
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jimmysoul1972
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Re: The story of SAR Records
« Reply #2 on: Sep 3rd, 2008, 4:01pm » |
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I know Motown would have been hard to beat. I do feel Sam Cooke would have attracted more artists than a Berry Gordy. But Motown...man, they had all kinds of hits on the chart around the early 60's.
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no.1cookie
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Re: The story of SAR Records
« Reply #3 on: Sep 6th, 2008, 4:00pm » |
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Not saying Berry Gordy wasn't well known...but he wasn't no Sam Cooke. If I were a singer back then  , I'm going where Sam is. He was so successful the last couple of years, that it would seem like any artist in the business would try SAR Records.
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csheen
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Re: The story of SAR Records
« Reply #4 on: Sep 13th, 2008, 12:39pm » |
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i think that sar was right in the middle of mowtown and stax,it wasnt as pop as motown and wasnt as downhome as stax.sar could of been big if sam didnt have a career of his own,i mean sam could do it all but his focus was his career which it should of been.and i mean think about it,he could of gotten aretha! and the artist he had 50% made it big.a little known fact,stax,sar and motown all started the same year 1958(or 59 in some books).
now alot of people say motown was the first big indie black own lable but thats wrong,VEEJAY was and that was motowns biggest rival (until vj went under in 64 after loosing the beatles and the 4 seasons).
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no.1cookie
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Re: The story of SAR Records
« Reply #5 on: Sep 13th, 2008, 4:32pm » |
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I agree completely. Sam career was and should have been first. Never thought about SAR signing Aretha!That would have been huge!
Not too many peolple knoe about VEEJAY. Glad to have company 
BTW, welcome to the board. csheen
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csheen
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Re: The story of SAR Records
« Reply #6 on: Oct 30th, 2008, 12:10am » |
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thanks,its great being here.
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csheen
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Re: The story of SAR Records
« Reply #7 on: Nov 12th, 2008, 12:28pm » |
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heres a email i got from one of my co-sar collectors
Hi this is Ron Luster. I used to collect Sar/Derby records back in the 1980's and at one point I had an authentic copy of the Sar/Derby discography. I'm sorry to say at this time I don't have a clue what happened to it, but I think I know where I can get my hand on another copy. If so I'll be glad to send you the list. Most of the discographies that I've seen on the Sar/Derby records or not correct. I can tell you that the first album that Sam Cooke and J.W. Alexander produced on Sar was:
1. Sar #501 (Jesus Be A Fence Around Me) Jimmy Outer, Johnnie Taylor, & Paul Foster on leads.
2. Sar #502 Laughs From The Pulpit (A comedy album narrated by Thurmond Ruth).
3. Sar #503 Encore With The Soul Stirrers (Jimmy Outer In full bloom & Paul Foster).
4. Sar #504 Gospel Pearls (A compilation album with the Soul Stirrers, Sam Cooke & R.H. Harris & Gospel
Paraders.
5. Sar #505 (Was suppose to be L.C. Cook, Sam's brother's album. This one I've never had a copy of).
6. Derby #701 (I think was the number, Mel Carter "When A Boy Falls In Love")
7. Derby? Billy Preston "16 year old Soul.
As far as I know these are the only albums that were produced on Sar/Derby. Now to the singers.
Johnnie Taylor gave me the lowdown in Dallas, Texas on his Soul Stirrers story. He was fired because he got in trouble in a vehicle accident that almost killed a girl and drugs were found. This is when R.B. Robinson left. He said "enough is enough." Johnnie sang with the Stirrers from 1957 to 1960. This is from his own mouth. So R.B. had to leave around 1959 or 1960 at the most. As for T.L. Bruster, he left and went to sing with Harris in the Gospel Paraders after Sam got with the Soul Stirrers. Jimmy Outler came with the Soul Stirrers in 1960. He died in a knife fight by his owe brother I am told. This is what my sources tell me. It happened in 1967. He had left the Soul Stirrers for a short-lived R&B career and returned to gospel singing with the "Brooklyn Allstars" he did 3 songs with the Allstars that are memorable, "How Long Has It Been" Time Waits On No One" I Need the Lord" Richard Gibbs died in 1963 of cancer. He was married to Inez Andews at the time. I talked to S.R. Crain in Texas in 1986. I had a long conversation with him on the telephone and he invited me to come to his home in Lufkin, Texas and I never went. I hate that I missed out on talking with him. He gave me the Sam Cooke story cause he is really the man behind the Sam Cooke phenomenon and a lot of people don't know that. Take it from me "Crain gave Sam the yodel that became his trade mark. Sam told a lot of folks that it was really Roy Crain that introduced him to the trademark "Sam Cooke yodel that he did. Also, Crain went to Sam's Father and asked his permission to take Sam on road with the Soul Stirrers. Also, it was Crain that put up the money to start "Sar records. Sar means Sam & Roy, not Sam, Alexander & Roy as some suggest. Sam and Crain started that record corporation. J.W. became a part of it after through his friendship with Sam. J.W. and Crain weren't really buddies (Smile) And that is putting it lightly. Now don't get me wrong Alexander was a brain and a force with Sam and his company and he deserves credit for his contributions but I think the truth needs to be told about Crains brain too. And lastly Phelps was brought on because Paul was sick and not coming back, plus Jimmy Outler was staying in trouble too much and I think eventually he was going to be history so the Stirrers were getting ready to move on without Jimmy and Phelps became the man. Then unexpectly Sam Cooke was murdered and this changed everything. Phelps did just one record "Oh! Mother Don't Worry Bout Me" b/w Jimmy doing "Lead Me To Calvary". I forgot to mention that I talked with R.H. Harris before he died also. These guys were just awesome people as well as singers. I hope that I've help shed some light on some of the questions that you had. If I can be of any more help please let me know. I'll check my sources to see if I can re-locate the Sar/Derby discography.
Ron Luster
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no.1cookie
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Re: The story of SAR Records
« Reply #8 on: Nov 13th, 2008, 6:11pm » |
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Wow, Thanks for the info. I'm glad you posted this e-mail. I learned some new things about SAR lol
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