Golden Records was a record label based in New York City. It was conceived and founded in 1948 by the Grammy Award-winning children's music producer, Arthur Shimkin, then a new recruit in the S&S business department. Shimkin went on to found Sesame Street Records with Children's Television Workshop in 1970.[1] Golden was one of the first children's music labels to combine story with melody. It featured music to accompany Little Golden Books.[clarification needed] However, they were not the first instance of a published series which combined books and records. This distinction goes to Bubble Books, published between 1917 and 1922.[2]
The label is mainly remembered for its children's music releases during the 1950s on a subsidiary label, Little Golden Records, which released singles rather than albums. As originally issued from 1948 to 1962, 78 r.p.m. Little Golden Records were six inches (15 cm) in diameter and made of bright yellow plastic (orange plastic was used for a few titles). Each side played for a maximum of about one minute and forty-five seconds at 78 rpm, a speed phased out for most records during the 1950s but a universal standard speed still included on nearly all record players throughout the 1960s. Early releases had illustrated paper labels; on later releases the label was printed directly onto the plastic. They were sold in colorfully illustrated sleeves that included a printed retail price: 25 cents on early sleeves, 29 cents on later ones and through to the end of the series. Many titles were also issued or re-issued as standard 7-inch 45 r.p.m. records. 7-inch EPs as well as 12-inch LPs were also issued.
Golden Records also issued educational records, such as A Golden Treasury of Poetry, a collection of classic poems read by Alexander Scourby, with commentary written by Louis Untermeyer.[3]
In 2009, Micro Werks released two CDs of the Best of Golden Records.[4] In 2011, Verse Music Group acquired the Golden Records catalog along with the rights to the Golden Records name and began preparations to reissue the catalog[5] with the first batch of reissues in 2012.[6] In 2015, Verse Music Group was acquired by BMG Rights Management; coincidentally, BMG's parent Bertelsmann owns Random House, the current distributor of Golden Books.
Discography
Little Golden Records
RXXX series
Title
Year
Pr. #
GL298B "Down By The Station"/Anne Lloyd, The Sandpipers, Mitch Miller and Orchestra: The Saggy Baggy Elephant
R42
The Seven Sneezes/My Toothbrush Song
R43
The Magic Golden Record - also The Dancing Record
R44
The Little Fat Policeman - also The Safety Song
R45
Brave Cowboy Bill
R46
R47
R48
R49
R50
Doctor Dan, the Bandage Man and Billy Boy
R51
R52
R53
The Happy Man and His Dump Truck
R54
R55
R56
R57
R58
Little Lulu and Lavender's Blue
R59
The Chocolate Cowboy and Daddy's Whistle
R74
Tawny Scrawny Lion
1952
R77
Introducing Rootie Kazootie and the Polka Dottie Polka
R98
Rootie Kazootie in Polka Dottie's Garden
R109
From Samuel Goldwyn's Production - Hans Christian Andersen - Thumbelina and Wonderful Copenhagen
1953
R130
Rootie Kazootie and Mr. Deetle Dootle
R131
Rootie Kazootie and Gala Poochie
R147
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans sing Happy Trails to You and A Cowboy Needs a Horse
