A short-lived offshoot of Billy Gaff's GM label (q.v.). Unusually, Cherub made its debut before its parent did. 'Music Week' of the 28th of May 1973 reported that the decision had been taken to launch the label in two weeks' time, ahead of the first scheduled release on GM. GM managing director Brian Hutch was quoted in the article as saying that Cherub was to be "Essentially our Pop singles label". 'Billboard' of the 23rd of May 1973 gave some background to the birth of Cherub: GM had picked up the rights to 'Rain Rain Rain' b/w 'Rainbow' by German singer Simon Butterfly, but as the company saw its main label as being based on contemporary Rock that single didn't seem appropriate for it. In addition Andy Heath, of GM's publishing arm GH Music, had found a "David Cassidyish" song which he reckoned had possibilities, and Mike Gill of GM had found a singer for it - a sixteen-year-old named Keith Chegwin, who was to go on to find fame on television. Chegwin's single, 'I'll Take You Back Again' b/w 'Sometimes I Think I'm Crazy', was also considered too 'Pop' for GM, and so Cherub came into being. Sadly it ran to only four issues and failed to last into 1974. 'Music Week' of the the 4th of August 1973 reported that Julie Rogers had been signed to Cherub, but her single 'What's Got To Be' b/w 'I'm A Woman Now' came out on the GM label (GMS-009; 10/73). Cherub was included in GM's manufacturing and distribution deal with Phonogram / Phonodisc; thus the injection moulded labels. Its singles, which were numbered in a CHUBS-000 series, aren't often seen nowadays, and the company sleeve is very rarely spotted.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.