Four Star Records
Encyclopedia
4 Star Records is the name of a record label
that recorded many well-known country music
acts in the 1950s. The label, founded after World War II
, was home to singers such as Hank Locklin
, Maddox Brothers and Rose
, Rose Maddox
, Webb Pierce
and T. Texas Tyler
. It was based in Hollywood, California, (source: imprint on 4 Star Record labels).
Besides country music, 4 Star also recorded jazz
, blues
, rhythm and blues
(such as Ivory Joe Hunter
) and Latin music recordings.
Charlie Ryan
recorded "Hot Rod Lincoln
" for 4 Star.
4 Star was also known for bringing country-crossover star Patsy Cline
to fame in 1957
. Cline scored a country and pop
hit with 4 Star, "Walkin' After Midnight
." However, Cline later compained that she had many problems with 4 Star.
In the late 1970s
, producer Joe Johnson
headed up an organization that purchased 4 Star Records and moved all of its operations to Nashville, Tennessee
. Johnson insisted on building state-of-the-art studios and bringing in the best talent available to run them. 4 Star hired successful record producer Steve Clark
, who in turn brought to 4Star a stable of talented artist and writers, including Barbara South, Debi Bass, and Joe Nelson
.
Several chart records were produced, including Debi Bass's, "Till I'm Strong Enough to Love Again" and "I Need a Hero", both written by Joe Nelson
. 4 Star's financial problems continued to mount, and in the early 1980s
, the record company was closed and the catalog absorbed by its creditors. Sony/ATV Music Publishing
owns the catalogue today.
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
that recorded many well-known country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
acts in the 1950s. The label, founded after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, was home to singers such as Hank Locklin
Hank Locklin
Lawrence Hankins Locklin , better known as Hank Locklin, was an American country music singer-songwriter...
, Maddox Brothers and Rose
Maddox Brothers and Rose
The Maddox Brothers and Rose, known as America’s Most Colorful Hillbilly Band from the 1930s to the 1950s, consisted of four brothers, Fred, Cal, Cliff and Don Maddox, along with their sister Rose. Cliff died in 1949 and was replaced by brother Henry...
, Rose Maddox
Rose Maddox
Roselea Maddox , better known as Rose Maddox, was an American country singer-songwriter and fiddle player.Born in Boaz, Alabama, Maddox was the singer in the Maddox Brothers and Rose....
, Webb Pierce
Webb Pierce
Webb Michael Pierce was one of the most popular American honky tonk vocalists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. His biggest hit was "In The Jailhouse Now," which charted for 37 weeks in 1955, 21 of them at number one...
and T. Texas Tyler
T. Texas Tyler
David Luke Myrick , known professionally as T. Texas Tyler, was an American country music singer and songwriter primarily known for his 1948 hit, "The Deck of Cards".-Biography:...
. It was based in Hollywood, California, (source: imprint on 4 Star Record labels).
Besides country music, 4 Star also recorded jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
(such as Ivory Joe Hunter
Ivory Joe Hunter
Ivory Joe Hunter was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, and pianist. After a series of hits on the US R&B chart starting in the mid 1940s, he became more widely known for his hit recording, "Since I Met You Baby" . He was billed as The Baron of the Boogie, and also known as The...
) and Latin music recordings.
Charlie Ryan
Charlie Ryan
Charles "Charlie" Ryan was an American singer and songwriter, best known for co-writing and first recording the rockabilly hit single "Hot Rod Lincoln".-Biography:...
recorded "Hot Rod Lincoln
Hot Rod Lincoln
"Hot Rod Lincoln" was recorded in 1955, as an answer song to "Hot Rod Race", a 1951 hit for Arkie Shibley and his Mountain Dew Boys. Hot Rod Race tells the story of a late-model Ford and Mercury who end up racing along the highway, neither driver gaining an advantage, and staying "neck and neck"...
" for 4 Star.
4 Star was also known for bringing country-crossover star Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
to fame in 1957
1957 in music
-Events:*January 5 – Renato Carosone and his band start their American tour in Cuba.*January 6 – Elvis Presley makes his final appearance on the The Ed Sullivan Show.*January 16 – The Cavern Club opens in Liverpool, UK....
. Cline scored a country and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
hit with 4 Star, "Walkin' After Midnight
Walkin' After Midnight
"Walkin' After Midnight" is a song by written by Alan Block and Donn Hecht and originally recorded by American country music artist Patsy Cline. The song was originally given to pop singer Kay Starr; however, it was rejected by her record label. The song was left unused until Hecht rediscovered the...
." However, Cline later compained that she had many problems with 4 Star.
In the late 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, producer Joe Johnson
Joe Johnson
-Sports:* Joe Johnson * Joseph Johnson * Joe Lee Johnson, NASCAR driver* Joe Johnson * Joe Johnson * Joe Johnson , Scottish footballer born 1920...
headed up an organization that purchased 4 Star Records and moved all of its operations to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Johnson insisted on building state-of-the-art studios and bringing in the best talent available to run them. 4 Star hired successful record producer Steve Clark
Steve Clark
Stephen Maynard Clark was an English musician, co-lead guitarist for the British hard rock band Def Leppard up until his death in 1991 due to a combination of alcohol and multiple prescription drugs...
, who in turn brought to 4Star a stable of talented artist and writers, including Barbara South, Debi Bass, and Joe Nelson
Joe Nelson
Joseph George Nelson is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. He is known mainly for his "Vulcan" change up.-High school:...
.
Several chart records were produced, including Debi Bass's, "Till I'm Strong Enough to Love Again" and "I Need a Hero", both written by Joe Nelson
Joe Nelson
Joseph George Nelson is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. He is known mainly for his "Vulcan" change up.-High school:...
. 4 Star's financial problems continued to mount, and in the early 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, the record company was closed and the catalog absorbed by its creditors. Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a music publishing company co-owned by The Michael Jackson Family Trust and Sony. The organisation was originally founded as Associated TeleVision in 1955 by Lew Grade. In 1957, ATV acquired Pye Records as a wholly owned subsidiary...
owns the catalogue today.