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Valiant Records

From Alfawiki
Valiant Records
Company typeIndependent record label
IndustryMusic industry
Founded1960; 66 years ago (1960) in California, United States
FounderBarry De Vorzon, Billy Sherman
Defunct1967 (1967)
FateAcquired and integrated into Warner Bros. Records
Headquarters
California
,
United States
Area served
United States
Key people
Barry De Vorzon, Billy Sherman
ProductsRecords, music albums, singles
ParentWarner Bros. Records (from 1967)

Valiant Records operated as an independent label during the 1960s, with distribution initially managed by Warner Bros. Records and, for a short period, by Four Star Television. In 1967, Warner Bros. acquired the label.

History

Established in 1960 in California, Valiant Records was the brainchild of singer-songwriter Barry De Vorzon alongside manager Billy Sherman.

The label's debut release, "Angel On My Shoulder" performed by Shelby Flint, achieved notable chart success. De Vorzon’s own ensemble, Barry and the Tamerlanes, followed with a 1963 hit titled "I Wonder What She's Doin' Tonight." Flint returned to the charts in 1966 with a gentle vocal rendition of "Cast Your Fate To The Wind."

In 1966, De Vorzon played a key role in resurrecting folk-rock band The Association, who had previously been overlooked at Jubilee Records. Their initial release on Valiant—a non-charting cover of "One Too Many Mornings"—came just after the label ended a brief distribution partnership with Four Star Television. Following singles such as "Along Comes Mary," "Cherish," "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies," and "No Fair At All" propelled The Association to prominence as one of the foremost Sunshine Pop acts of the decade.

Demise

By 1967, after issuing more than 110 singles and 11 albums (seven under Warner Bros. and four distributed through Four Star or independently), Valiant Records was fully integrated into Warner Bros. Records. Today, its catalog is highly valued by collectors, containing early rare white pop recordings as well as later Southern California psychedelic and pop material.

Singles

  • 1960–1966 (distributed by Warner Bros.) – Purple labels featuring silver lettering
  • 1966 (distributed by Four Star Television) – Red label adorned with a black shield logo and the phrase "A SUBSIDIARY OF FOUR STAR TELEVISION" around the bottom edge in varied font sizes
  • 1966–1967 (independent distribution) – Identical to Four Star labels but with the Four Star attribution obscured or removed

Albums

  • 1960–1966 (Warner Bros. distribution) – Labels in purple or red with silver text
  • 1966 (Four Star distribution; limited to VLM 5001/VLS 25001) – Red label displaying black shield and white knight head logos along with "A SUBSIDIARY OF FOUR STAR TELEVISION" printed discreetly at the bottom
  • 1966–1967 (independent distribution) – Same design as above but with the Four Star reference concealed or omitted

Numbering series

Valiant singles were released under three distinct numbering schemes. The inaugural single, Shelby Flint’s "Angel On My Shoulder," originally bore catalog number 45-111 but was reissued by Warner Bros. as 6001 following its commercial success. From 1960 to 1966, Warner-distributed singles employed the 6000 series (6001–6062). This was succeeded by the 700 series during 1966–1967, split between Four Star Television releases numbered 700–739 and independent issues numbered 740–762. Certain numbers within the 6000 range (6002–6013) overlapped with Montclare Records and other ephemeral Warner subsidiaries. The first five numbers in the Four Star series (701–705) were reissues from the top-performing 6000 series singles. Six catalog numbers in this second series—706, 707, 708, 710, 722, and 746—remained unused.

Album cataloging followed different patterns: seven albums distributed through Warner Bros. carried numbers W/WS 401–407; meanwhile, four albums released via Four Star or independently were assigned VLM 5001–5004 for mono editions and VLS 25001–25004 for stereo versions. Subsequently, Warner Bros. reissued these Four Star albums under W/WS 1701–1704 to align them with their original releases.

Artists Signed to Valiant Records

Distinct Labels Named Valiant

In 1960, Joe Banashak introduced a Valiant label based in New Orleans; however, after receiving a legal warning from Warner Bros., he rebranded it as Instant Records in 1961.

A separate entity using the Valiant name operated out of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and the Bronx, New York. This label specialized in reissuing albums from the Somerset Records catalog, focusing on affordable releases for supermarket and variety store consumers.

See also

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