Groove Merchant
Groove Merchant | |
---|---|
Founded | 1971 |
Founder | Sonny Lester |
Distributor(s) | Pickwick Records |
Genre | Jazz, R&B |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Official website |
lrc-groovemerchantrecords |
Groove Merchant was an American jazz and R&B record label during the 1970s. It was run by producer Sonny Lester and distributed by Pickwick Records. Notable artists included Chick Corea, O'Donel Levy, Buddy Rich, Jimmy McGriff, and Lionel Hampton. Lester would later close Groove Merchant and restructure it as Lester Radio Corporation, or LRC, and have it distributed for a time by TK Records. Lester still retains the rights to the Groove Merchant/LRC back catalog and independently distributes them on compact disc.
Discography
500 Series
The Groove Merchant 500 Series consisted of 34 albums released between 1972 and 1974.[1]
Catalog | Artist | Album | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
GM 501 | O'Donel Levy | Black Velvet | |
GM 502 | Junior Parker | Blue Shadows Falling | |
GM 503 | Jimmy McGriff | Groove Grease | |
GM 504 | Joe Thomas | Joy of Cookin' | |
GM 505 | Groove Holmes | American Pie | |
GM 506 | Jimmy McGriff | Let's Stay Together | |
GM 507 | O'Donel Levy | Breeding of Mind | |
GM 508 | Lucky Thompson | Goodbye Yesterday | |
GM 509 | Jimmy McGriff | Fly Dude | |
GM 510 | Dakota Staton | Madame Foo-Foo | |
GM 511 | Reuben Wilson | The Sweet Life | |
GM 512 | Groove Holmes | Night Glider | |
GM 513 | Junior Parker | Love Ain't Nothin' But a Business Goin' On | |
GM 514 | Larry Willis | Inner Crisis | |
GM 515 | Jimmy McGriff/Lucky Thompson/George Freeman/O'Donel Levy | Concert: Friday the 13th - Cook County Jail | Live split album |
GM 516 | Ramon Morris | Sweet Sister Funk | |
GM 517 | Lucky Thompson | I Offer You | |
GM 518 | O'Donel Levy | Dawn of a New Day | |
GM 519 | George Freeman | New Improved Funk | |
GM 520 | Jimmy McGriff and Groove Holmes | Giants of the Organ Come Together | |
GM 521 | Dakota Staton | I Want a Country Man | |
GM 522 | Carmen McRae | It Takes a Whole Lot of Human Feeling | |
GM 523 | Reuben Wilson | The Cisco Kid | |
GM 524 | No release issued | ||
GM 525 | Mike Longo | Funkia | |
GM 526 | O'Donel Levy | Simba | |
GM 527 | Groove Holmes | New Groove | |
GM 528 | Buddy Rich | The Roar of '74 | |
GM 529 | Jimmy McGriff | If You're Ready Come Go with Me | Compilation featuring tracks from Soul Sugar, Groove Grease, Let's Stay Together and Fly Dude |
GM 530 | Chick Corea | Sundance | Reissue of GM 2202 |
GM 531 | Carmen McRae | Ms. Jazz | |
GM 532 | Dakota Staton | Ms. Soul | |
GM 533 | Zoot Sims and Bucky Pizzarelli | Nirvana | |
GM 534 | Jimmy McGriff | The Main Squeeze | |
GM 535 | O'Donel Levy | Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky |
2200 Series
The 2200 Series, released in 1972, consisted of five albums which feature previously released and/or unissued material produced by Sonny Lester for various other labels.[2]
Catalog | Artist | Album | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
GM 2201 | Count Basie | Evergreens | originally released as Basic Basie on MPS |
GM 2202 | Chick Corea | Sundance | previously unreleased tracks from Is recording sessions for Solid State |
GM 2203 | Jimmy McGriff | Black and Blues | double LP of previously unreleased tracks recorded around 1963 |
GM 2204 | Jeremy Steig | Fusion | double LP featuring tracks originally released as Energy on Capitol along with previously unreleased material |
GM 2205 | Jimmy McGriff and Junior Parker | Good Things Don't Happen Every Day | originally released as The Dudes Doin' Business on Capitol |
3300 Series
The 3300 Series consisted of sixteen albums released between 1973 and 1977.[3]
Catalog | Artist | Album | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
GM 3300 | Jimmy McGriff and Groove Holmes | Giants of the Organ in Concert | |
GM 3301 | Buddy Rich | Very Live at Buddy's Place | |
GM 3302 | Buddy Rich and Lionel Hampton | Transition | |
GM 3303 | Buddy Rich | The Last Blues Album Volume 1 | |
GM 3304 | Mike Longo | 900 Shares of the Blues | |
GM 3305 | George Freeman | Man & Woman | |
GM 3306 | Lee Konitz | Chicago 'n All That Jazz | |
GM 3307 | Buddy Rich | Big Band Machine | |
GM 3308 | Lonnie Smith | Afro–desia | |
GM 3309 | Jimmy McGriff | Stump Juice | |
GM 3310 | Joe Thomas | Masada | |
GM 3311 | Jimmy McGriff | The Mean Machine | |
GM 3312 | Lonnie Smith | Keep on Lovin' | |
GM 3313 | O'Donel Levy | Windows | |
GM 3314 | Jimmy McGriff | Red Beans | |
GM 3315 | Joe Thomas | Feelin's from Within |
4000 Series
The 4000 Series consisted of twelve double LP compilations of previously issued material.[4]
- GM 4400 Lionel Hampton – The Works - compiles Hamp's Blues and Flyin' Home
- GM 4401 Carmen McRae – Velvet Soul - compiles It Takes a Whole Lot of Human Feeling and Ms. Jazz
- GM 4402 Groove Holmes – Hunk a Funk - compiles Night Glider and New Groove
- GM 4403 Jimmy McGriff – Flyin' Time - compiles Fly Dude and Let's Stay Together
- GM 4404 Reuben Wilson – Bad Stuff - compiles The Sweet Life and The Cisco Kid
- GM 4405 Various Artists – Live Blues in Concert - selections from Jimmy McGriff/Junior Parker, Very Live at Buddy's Place, Concert: Friday the 13th - Cook County Jail and others
- GM 4406 Chick Corea/Mike Longo – Piano Giants - compiles Sundance and Funkia
- GM 4407 Buddy Rich – Tuff Dude - compiles The Roar of '74 and Very Live at Buddy's Place
- GM 4408 O'Donel Levy – Hands of Fire - compiles Black Velvet and Simba
- GM 4409 Jimmy McGriff and Groove Holmes – Supa Cookin' - compiles Giants of the Organ Come Together and selections from Giants of the Organ in Concert
- GM 4410 Dakota Staton – Confessin' - compiles Madame Foo-Foo and I Want a Country Man
- GM 4411 Lucky Thompson – Illuminations - compiles Goodbye Yesterday and I Offer You
References
- ↑ Jazzlists: Groove Merchant Records 500 Series, accessed March 26, 2018
- ↑ Jazzlists: Groove Merchant Records 2200 Series, accessed March 26, 2018
- ↑ Jazzlists: Groove Merchant Records 3300 Series, accessed March 26, 2018
- ↑ Jazzlists: Groove Merchant Records 4000 Series, accessed March 26, 2018