A subsidiary of American company Gulf + Western. The Famous Music Corporation was initially the music publishing arm of Paramount Pictures; it became part of Gulf + Western when Paramount was taken over by that company, in 1966. 'Record Retailer' of the 31st of January 1970 said that the Paramount, Stax and Dot labels were owned by the FMC and that it part-owned Famous Music Publishing. The first hint of an actual Famous label came in 'RR' of the 14th of March 1970, in an article which claimed that Famous Music (UK) was being formed and that it was intended as a record production unit rather than a publisher. Three months later 'RR' of the 13th of June reported that the label was to be formed under Famous Music's international director Leslie Gould. 'Billboard' of the 20th of June added that a September start was planned, and that the new label would be offered to the licensee along with Paramount and Dot - Stax was not included, and it went independent again the following month. In July 1970 'RR' broke the news that Famous had been licensed to EMI for three years; the other labels were already being licensed by EMI at that time. 'Billboard' of the 29th of August said that Famous would debut in the next couple of weeks, and that artists on its roster would include May Blitz, Affinity and Shelly Paul. There were plans to introduce it to the USA when it was established in the UK. In the event May Blitz and Affinity ended up on Vertigo in Britain, though they did appear on Paramount in the States.
The first Famous records hit the shops on the 1st of November 1970, as reported in 'RR' of the 31st of October. According to 'Billboard' of the 21st of November the agreement with EMI called for 15 LPs and 20 singles per year, but in the event its output proved far more modest, running to a handful of LPs and a dozen singles in total. Unfortunately Famous failed to live up to its name; it never troubled the Chart compilers. Its singles, which were numbered in the FAM-100s, are uncommon, and it usually turns up in the shape of Ralph McTell's 'You Well Meaning Brought Me Here' LP when it turns up at all. A couple of its LPs, by Hate and by proto Alex Harvey Band unit Tear Gas, are collectable. The company sourced some of its material from abroad, and there were several singles issued in other countries which never saw the light of day in the UK: 'Tutti Frutti' b/a 'Cravin' Your Love' by Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen came out in Sweden in 1971 as 4E-006-94138; Hate's 'Come Along' b/w 'Seems Like Any Fool' surfaced in France in 1970 as C0006-92097; while the Netherlands enjoyed 'Nega' b/w 'Volkswagen Blues' by Gilberto Gil (D-152) and Caetano Veloso's 'London, London' b/w 'Shoot Me Dead' (D-153; 1972). Sometimes Famous productions came out on Paramount in other countries, the USA being one of them.
Famous appears to have effectively bitten the dust in 1972, though it didn't receive its final mention in the British Trade press until the 23rd of February 1974 when 'Music Week' stated that the company was closing its UK operation. 'Billboard' of the 2nd of March confirmed that Famous Music was transferring its international operation to New York from Friday; Leslie Gould had been invited to move to the States but preferred to stay here. The other G+W family labels (Dot, Paramount and Tumbleweed; q.v. all) survived their sibling, albeit not for very long. Manufacture and distribution were by EMI, as per the licensing agreement.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.