Dolton Records
| Company type | Record label |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music industry |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Founder | Bob Reisdorff, Bonnie Guitar |
| Defunct | 1967 |
| Fate | Merged into Liberty Records; label discontinued in 1967; catalog now owned by Capitol Records under Universal Music Group |
| Headquarters | Seattle , United States |
Key people | Bob Reisdorff, Bonnie Guitar |
| Products | Records, music albums, singles |
| Parent | Liberty Records (from 1966), later United Artists Records, then EMI, now Capitol Records/Universal Music Group |
Dolton Records was a record label headquartered in Seattle, initially launched as Dolphin Records and owned by Bob Reisdorff alongside Bonnie Guitar. The label’s initial success came with the Fleetwoods' hit single, "Come Softly to Me", marking its debut release.
Upon discovering that another label named Dolphin Records existed (a subsidiary of Laurie Records), Reisdorff changed the name to Dolton shortly after the first release. The label’s second offering was an instrumental by the Frantics titled "Straight Flush" b/w "Young Blues" (Dolton 2). Despite the renaming, the original fish logo and typography were preserved.
Under the Dolton name, the label's first major achievement was the Fleetwoods’ chart-topping single "Mr. Blue", which was its fifth release overall. Prominent artists on Dolton’s roster included the Ventures, Vic Dana, and the Frantics. In 1963, Dolton was purchased by Avnet and later merged into its parent company, Liberty Records, in 1966. Liberty had been distributing Dolton’s records since the success of "Come Softly to Me".
Bonnie Guitar also recorded for Dolton, releasing singles such as "Candy Apple Red" (Dolton 10) in 1959. Prior to this, she had achieved recognition with the country-pop track "Dark Moon" (1957) on Dot Records. She departed from Dolton in 1960 to establish Jerden Records in Seattle.
In 1967, Liberty ceased operations of the Dolton label and moved its artists under the Liberty banner. The label’s last single was "Theme From The Wild Angels"/"Kickstand" (DOR-327) by the Ventures, who also issued Dolton’s final album titled "Guitar Freakout" (BLP-2050/BST-8050). In 1971, both Liberty and Dolton were absorbed into United Artists Records, which itself was acquired by EMI in 1979; EMI discontinued the Dolton imprint in 1980.
During the early 1990s, EMI USA briefly revived Dolton to release CD compilations of the Ventures’ work, identifiable by early light-blue labels.
Currently, ownership of Dolton’s catalog rests with Capitol Records under the umbrella of Universal Music Group, following Universal’s acquisition of EMI in 2012.
Label variations
- (1) 1958—Light blue background featuring fish icons at the top; DOLPHIN printed vertically along the left edge (exclusive to first release, Dolphin 1).
- (2) 1958-1960—Maintained same design but replaced DOLPHIN with DOLTON.
- (3) 1961-1963—Light blue label showcasing enlarged fish symbols at top; DOLTON placed centrally within the largest fish.
- (4) 1962-1965—Dark blue label with updated logo positioned on left; DOLTON displayed in assorted colors.
- (5) 1965-1966—Black and dark blue label featuring a "D" logo on left; DOLTON situated beneath logo; includes "A PRODUCT OF LIBERTY RECORDS" below.
Promotional editions initially used white labels with variations two and three up to Dolton 40. Starting with Dolton 41 (1961), promo discs featured beige labels reflecting variations three and four. Most promos bear inscriptions such as "not for sale" or "audition record," although some are identified solely through label color.
See also
References