Autumn Records
| Company type | Independent |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music industry |
| Founded | 1960s |
| Defunct | 1966 |
| Fate | Assets acquired by Warner Bros. Records; catalog acquired by Vault Records |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Key people | Tom Donahue (label director, president, producer), Bobby Mitchell (label director, president, producer), Sylvester Stewart (chief producer), Leo De Gar Kulka ("The Baron", sound engineer) |
| Products | Pop music records |
| Owner | Tom Donahue, Michael Guerra (Bobby Mitchel) |
Autumn Records was a San Francisco-based American pop record label active during the 1960s. It is best remembered for signing The Beau Brummels, who scored two top 20 hits with the songs "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little."
Among Autumn's artists was The Great Society, a group from Haight-Ashbury that recorded the original version of "Somebody to Love" under Autumn’s North Beach imprint. This track later became a major hit in 1967 for Jefferson Airplane.
The label ceased operations in 1966. It was owned by San Francisco disc jockeys Tom Donahue and Michael Guerra (also known as Bobby Mitchel), both connected with KYA radio. Autumn played an influential part in shaping the local music environment. Donahue went on to innovate the "underground radio" format on stations such as KMPX and KSAN.
History
Producer and DJ Sly Stone collaborated with Autumn Records, notably producing Bobby Freeman’s 1964 hit single "C'mon and Swim"/"Do The Swim." Freeman was Autumn’s first significant charting artist, having previously found success with Jubilee and King Records. Stone also produced a single for The Psyrcle on Lorna Records, a subsidiary of Autumn; however, this release achieved limited commercial success. The Psyrcle eventually transformed into The Rockets (later known as Crazy Horse), who became Neil Young’s backing band.
Autumn’s greatest commercial achievements were with The Beau Brummels, whose tracks "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little" helped establish the label’s presence in the market. The company managed two sub-labels: North Beach, which issued recordings by The Great Society—including an early rendition of "Somebody to Love"—and Lorna Records, which released The Psyrcle’s "Don't Leave Me."
Stone also produced The Great Society’s single under the name The! Great!! Society!!! for North Beach. Despite production difficulties, the band featured members such as Jerry Slick and Darby Slick, the writer of "White Rabbit." Another significant release on Autumn was by The Tikis (who later became Harpers Bizarre) with their track "Bye, Bye, Bye," which appeared on their 1969 Warner Bros. album.
In 1966, Autumn Records’ assets were acquired by Warner Bros. Records, with many artists moving over to Warner-Reprise, including lesser-known acts like The Mojo Men and The Vejtables. In 1965, Autumn put out a single by Catherine Share (also known as "Charity Shayne"), who later became linked to the Manson family; this track was produced and written by Marty Cooper.
Before achieving fame with The Family Stone, Sly Stone released one solo single on Autumn that saw modest chart performance. Although The Beau Brummels continued recording under Warner Bros., they did not replicate their earlier commercial success from their time on Autumn.
Bands such as The Grateful Dead (then performing as The Emergency Crew) and The Charlatans nearly signed contracts with Autumn in 1966. However, financial difficulties prevented these agreements from being finalized as the label approached bankruptcy.
Despite ranking among the most successful independent labels of the mid-1960s, changing consumer preferences and competition from major labels contributed to Autumn’s closure in 1966. Most artist contracts were sold to Warner Bros., while Vault Records acquired the catalog. The owner of Vault later formed a partnership with JAS Records, which reissued much of Autumn’s back catalog.
Personnel
- Tom Donahue – label director, president, and producer
- Bobby Mitchell – label director, president, and producer
- Sylvester Stewart – chief producer
- Leo De Gar Kulka ("The Baron") – sound engineer
See also