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| “Vee-Jay Records… Isn’t that the label that had all those hits like “Duke of Earl,” “Sherry,” and “Raindrops?” And didn’t they have the Beatles at one time? I think I heard they went out of business or something…" | It’s not a story of a small business that becomes a giant corporation; rather, it’s the collective stories of the people involved. What follows is their story in their own words. |
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In cold hard facts, Vee-Jay was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken (Mr. & Mrs. Bracken), who used their first initials for the label’s name. The first song they ever recorded made it to the top ten of the national rhythm & blues charts. In a short time Vee-Jay was the most successful black-owned record company in the U.S.A.. By 1963, they were charting records at a faster rate than some of the major labels. They were the first company to have the Beatles; in one month alone in early 1964, they sold 2.6 million Beatles singles. Two years later, the company was bankrupt. So much for cold, hard facts. The trouble with these facts is that they don’t really tell the story. |
Sid McCoy: Vivian Carter and I started out together in radio. There’s a man in Chicago by the name of Al Benson, probably the biggest black disc jockey in the history of the business. Benson came up with a contest to find a young, deserving fellow and girl to put on the air. Vivian was the girl that won, and I was the fellow. |
| Vivian Carter: There must have been 800 or a thousand people there to get an audition. I heard him announce this contest about 10 minutes before he went off the air. He said he was looking for a boy and girl disc jockey, and if you would like to enter, write a one-minute commercial and be at one of the hotels at seven o’clock. |
