Vee-Jay

Vee-Jay – Record label. Considered the most successful black-owned record label before Motown, Vee-Jay Records originated in Gary, Indiana, in 1953 under the ownership and executive direction of married couple Vivian Carter and Jame C. Bracken. The name actually derived from the first letters of their first names: “V” in “Vivian” and “J” in “James.” Early on, Vee-Jay signed rising Chicago blues singers, such as John Lee Hooker (with songwriting help from Bracken), Memphis Slim, and Jimmy Reed. Also on board near the beginning were several youthful doo-wop groups that produced major hits on the label. Among them were the Dells from nearby Harvey, Illinois, the El Dorados from Chicago, and Gary’s own vocal group The Spaniels. In the 1960s, Jerry Butler, Dee Clark, Gene Chandler, Dee Clark, and Betty Everett all had R & B hits with Vee-Jay. The label also picked up former child star Jimmy Boyd, established rocker Little Richard, and newcomers the Pipps and Billy Preston. Meanwhile, the label expanded to include Wynton Kelly, Lee Morgan, and Wayne Shorter from the jazz world and the Staple Singers, Swan Silvertones, and the Argo Singers of Gospel music. Even comedy albums came out of Vee-Jay in the 1960s. The first non-black act on the label was the Four Seasons, which flourished during the label’s hey day from 1962 to 1964. Also at that time, Vee-Jay was reaping the benefits from distributing early Beatles records before Capitol agreed to carry them. In spite of its success in signing quality artists, Vee-Jay went bankrupt in 1966.