US record label founded by artist in 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio as a subsidiary of King Records (3) and operated until the early 1970s. In 1951 artist became a partner, and began managing the label, sourcing the talent, and producing.
For company credits, please use label.
For unofficial releases, please use Federal (6).
The label originally had two divisions, a 'Hillbilly Series' and a 'Rhythm, Blues & Spiritual Series'. A publishing company label was also formed around the same time. The label was used as a vehicle for artist, artist, and James Brown & The Famous Flames, among others. Johnny Otis also produced several singles for the label.
The brand was revived as a "best of" budget line by King Records, Inc. in the early 90s.
Help on identifying first pressings:
45 RPM Catalog Number, Date and Label Identification:
12001-12084 (1950–1952): Green label with gold top and "AA" following the number.
12085-12129 (1952–1953): Green label with gold top. No "AA" following the number.
12130-12196 (1953–1954): Green label with silver top. Some in this series were green with gold top.
12197-12244 (1954–1955): Green label without "Hi-Fidelity".
12245-12369 (1955–1959): Green label with "Hi-Fidelity" in small print. Dash (—) in the selection number between the "45" and 12,000 series number (i.e. 45—12496).
12370 and higher (1959 forward): Green label with "Hi-Fidelity" in larger print. Hyphen (-) in the selection number between the "45" and 12,000 series number (i.e. 45-12496).
Blue plastic issues exist between 12050 and approximately 12070.