Jewel Records (Shreveport record label)
{{Short description|American independent record label}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox record label
| name = Jewel Records
| founded = {{Start date|1963}}
| founder = Stan Lewis
| defunct = {{End date|1999}}{{cite web|url=https://louisianamusichalloffame.org/stan-lewis/ |title=Stan Lewis |publisher=Louisiana Hall of Fame |accessdate=2025-04-08}}
| status = Defunct
| genre = Blues, Pop, Country, R&B, Gospel{{cite web|url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/gulfcoast/jewel-paulastory.html |title=The Jewel/Paula/Ronn Story |publisher=Bsnpubs.com |date=2006-11-08 |accessdate=2025-04-08}}
| country = U.S.A.
| location = Shreveport, Louisiana
}}
Jewel Records was an American independent record label, founded in 1963 by Stan Lewis (July 5, 1927 – July 15, 2018{{cite web|url=http://710keel.com/local-legend-stan-the-record-man-lewis-has-died/ |title=Local Legend Stan 'The Record Man' Lewis Has Died |author=Matt Parker |publisher=710KEEL.com |date=2018-07-16 |accessdate=2025-04-08}}) and based in Shreveport, Louisiana.
It had two subsidiary labels, Paula (established in 1965 and named after Lewis's wife Pauline) and Ronn (established in 1967).
Overview
The first of many retail record stores, called Stan's Record Shop, was opened in 1948 in Shreveport. The store expanded, and Lewis built connections with record label owners who were dropping by at his store. By mid 1950s, Lewis began to record artists.
Leonard Chess of Chess Records was a friend of Lewis's, and it was him who persuaded Lewis to start his own record label. In the early days of label, its LPs were manufactured by Chess Records.
Lewis started the label in 1963, and named it Jewel after seeing a flourishing supermarket in Chicago named Jewel Tea Company.
Later, Stan Lewis purchased and reissued the catalogues of Cobra Records, Chief Records, USA Records and JOB Records.{{cite web|url=https://campber.people.clemson.edu/cobra.html |title=Cobra |author=Robert L. Campbell and Robert Pruter |publisher=Robert Campbell's Home Page at Clemson University |date=2020-04-12 |accessdate=2025-04-08}}
At one time, Jewel (along with Ronn and Paula) was a division of Shreveport-based Sue Records{{cite web|url=http://www.45-sleeves.com/USA/jewel/L5.jpg |title=Record Label : Dazie Mae : John Lee Hooker |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009135112/http://www.45-sleeves.com/USA/jewel/L5.jpg |archive-date=2011-10-09 |publisher=45-sleeves.com |url-status=dead |accessdate=2025-04-08}} (unrelated to the New York–based Sue Records).
In 1999, Lewis sold the rights for master recordings of Jewel and its subsidiary labels to EMusic.com. Fuel 2000 subsequently purchased the rights, and owned and managed the Jewel/Paula/Ronn catalogues. The private IP holding company, 43 North Broadway, LLC., purchased the Jewel/Paula/Ronn catalogues through its acquisition of Fuel 2000 in 2015.{{cite web|url=https://43northholdings.com/labels/fuel-2000/ |title=Fuel Records Group |publisher=43 North |accessdate=2025-04-08}}
Artists
The artists who recorded for and/or released records from Jewel (or Paula, Ronn) include Buster Benton, Frank Frost, Lowell Fulson, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, John Fred and his Playboy Band, Toussaint McCall, The Uniques, Jerry McCain, Memphis Slim, Little Johnny Taylor, and Justin Wilson.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.bsnpubs.com/gulfcoast/jewel-paulastory.html The Jewel/Paula/Ronn story]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Defunct record labels of the United States
Category:Record labels based in Louisiana
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