Lincoln Records

Lincoln Records

Company type	Record label
Industry	Music
Founded	1923
Defunct	1930
Fate	Discontinued; revived in 1949
Headquarters	New York , United States
Products	Dance music records, children's recordings
Owner	Cameo Records (original), American Record Corporation (revival)

Lincoln Records was a United States-based record label that operated between 1923 and 1930. The label focused on dance music performed by musicians from New York, catering to buyers interested in affordable, rhythmic popular songs without prioritizing well-known performers. Initially, Lincoln records were sold at 50 cents each and displayed an image of Abraham Lincoln on their labels. Although the records bore the name Lincoln Record Corporation, New York, the label was actually owned by Cameo Records. Several Lincoln releases were produced using Cameo masters, frequently altering band names to prevent direct competition with Cameo’s own catalog.

Established in 1924, the label discontinued in 1930 but was revived in 1949, probably under the direction of the American Record Corporation, which had previously acquired Cameo. Through the mid-1950s, Lincoln issued children's recordings and material from relatively obscure artists on 45-rpm vinyl.

Compared to Lincoln, Cameo records are more prevalent, rendering Lincoln a comparatively rare label. Among its notable performers were Salt and Pepper, Ray Hamilton, the Lincoln Dance Orchestra, the Broadway Broadcasters, the Hawaiian Gondoliers, The Rangers, and Frances Sper.

See also

• List of record labels

Further reading

• The American Record Label Book by Brian Rust (Arlington House Publishers, 1978)

External links

• Lincoln Records at the Internet Archive's Great 78 Project