Grand Award

US label associated with 1955 to 1959 and 1959 to 197x.
[b]Label Code: LC 0753 / LC 00753[/b]

Many release show statements starting with "Grand Award Records" and "Grand Award Stereophonic Tapes". Please note that these are not labels. Under specific circumstances may be used for a company credit, see that profile.

Grand Award began life as records in the early 1950s. The label was devoted to the pop music of the day - largely anonymous musicians recording imitations of the popular styles of the time. A small number are jazz, mainly small group swing.

Around 1955 the company began to transform into Grand Award. By this point [a=Enoch Light] was a major player in the company, both as a recording artist and as a company officer. For the next five years Grand Award recording had a distinctive cover design consisting of a fake frame of black and white around a well-drawn illustration in the middle. Early ones carried the slogan "Great Music - Great Art", to emphasize the importance of the cover. Classical music was added to the roster. Most of the classical records had reproductions of European masters for the illustrations. The pop records had illustrations by American illustrators of the day.

In June 1958, they released the first stereo release.

The company was sold to in 1959 which became in 1962 then in 1967. By 1970, the history of Waldorf Music Hall / Grand Award / Command came to an end. A few LP reissues with dual branding carrying both and logos kept the music alive until about 1977. On these releases should be entered as a second label.