Holiday Records
| Company type | Record label |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | early 1950s |
| Founder | Dave Miller |
| Defunct | 1953 |
| Fate | Absorbed into Essex Records |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
| Products | Records, music recordings |
| Owner | Dave Miller |
Holiday Records was a Philadelphia-based American record label that operated during the early 1950s. The label was owned by Dave Miller, who also managed Essex Records. Holiday Records gained prominence for issuing some of the earliest tracks widely regarded as foundational to rock and roll, most notably the 1951 release of "Rocket 88" by Bill Haley and His Saddlemen (who later became The Comets).
History
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Dave Miller controlled a radio station located in Chester, Pennsylvania, alongside his ownership of the Holiday and Essex record labels. In 1947, he recruited musician Bill Haley to join the station's staff. Around 1949-1950, Haley's former band, the Four Aces of Western Swing, disbanded and reformed as the Saddlemen, serving as the station’s live country music house band.
During a 1980 interview, Miller recounted a 1951 business trip to the Southern United States where he came across "Rocket 88", a rhythm and blues tune written by Ike Turner and performed by his Kings of Rhythm with vocals by saxophonist Jackie Brenston. The record was produced at Sam Phillips’ Memphis studio and released on Chess Records. Recognizing a market opportunity in segregated areas, Miller decided to have a white artist cover this black R&B hit.
Upon returning to Philadelphia, Miller arranged for Haley and the Saddlemen to record their version of "Rocket 88", which was issued on Holiday Records with "Tearstains on My Heart" as its B-side. Haley also recorded additional tracks for Holiday during this period.
While this rendition is frequently cited as one of the first rock and roll songs, some scholars attribute that distinction to the original Turner-Brenston version. Buoyed by this success, Haley and Miller produced further recordings such as "Green Tree Boogie" and "Sundown Boogie". Subsequently, Haley transitioned to Miller’s more prominent Essex label, where he achieved greater commercial success with early rock hits including 1952’s "Rock the Joint" and 1953’s "Crazy Man, Crazy", which notably became the first rock song to chart nationally in the United States.
Following Haley’s move to Essex, Miller discontinued Holiday Records and absorbed its catalog—including Haley’s recordings—into Essex’s lineup. In the early 1960s, Haley recorded under Sam Phillips again for Holiday Inn Records, a label founded by D. Wayne Foster and Kemmons Wilson.
See also
External links
- [ Jackie Brenston and Rocket 88]
- [ Determining first Rock and Roll Record]