Champion Records
The name Champion Records has been used by at least four record labels.
Champion Records was a record label in Richmond, Indiana, founded in 1925 by the Starr Piano Company as a division of Gennett Records, which was also in Richmond. Champion released cheaper versions of discs made by Gennett. Its issues included race records and jazz. In 1934 Champion closed and the trademark was sold to Decca Records, which brought the label back from 1935 to 1936.[1]
A third Champion label (along with its sister labels Calvert and Cherokee) was started in the mid-1950s by the songwriter and record producer Ted Jarrett, in partnership with Alan and Reynolds Bubis (formerly of the Tennessee & Republic labels). This Nashville, Tennessee-based label released records by Christine Kittrell, Gene Allison, The Fairfield Four, Earl Gaines, Larry Birdsong, Shy Guy Douglas, Jimmy Beck and Charles Walker, amongst others. Beck released a record on Champion entitled "Pipe Dreams" and another, called "Carnival" on the Zil label. Champion was out of business by 1960, and other Jarrett labels such as Valdot, Poncello, Spar and Ref-O-Ree followed. All of these companies were acquired by Bluesland Productions in the mid-1990s.
A fourth label based in the UK was founded by Mel Medalie in 1980, with an emphasis on soul and dance. Champion Records is an independent record label based in London and claims to be one of the oldest record companies with the same management/ownership in music.[2] DJ Paul Oakenfold numbers amongst their former A&R men.