The record label of Christian missionary organization the Regions Beyond Missionary Union Venture. The organization itself was set up in 1873, in East London, by Henry Grattan Guinness, a cousin of the founder of the Guinness brewery. It began as a college for the training of missionaries and later diversified, forming several overseas branches. Its record-issuing activities appear to have been limited to a couple of EPs of devotional songs by Welsh missionary David James-Morse and his wife Anne. The melodies on both were traditional South American / Peruvian ones, with Christian lyrics welded to them. Both EPs were made through Livingston Studios and had matrix numbers taken from series used by that company. The first, 'Songs From Peru', came out in 1966 and was numbered LRL/PR/21. In addition to the songs shown in the scan (1) it offered 'Write Your Name' and 'Since Jesus Came'. Judging by the matrix number of the second EP, 'From The Andes', LIV/EP-101, it came out in 1970 - as there's no date on either the labels (2) or the cover it might have been from 1969, but comparison with other Livingston numbers suggests that 1970 seems more likely, which is why I've given R.B.M.U. Venture a page here. The other songs on that record were 'Go Ye Therefore' and 'My Wonderful Redeemer'. Manufacture of both EPs was by Orlake. The UK arm of R.B.M.U. Venture split from its overseas equivalents in 1979, and it merged with other missionary groups in the early 1990s. Thanks to Nicholas Hough for providing the second scan.
Copyright 2025 Robert Lyons.