Holiday Inn Records

Holiday Inn Records was an American independent record label established in 1961 by D. Wayne Foster, with the involvement of hotel entrepreneur Kemmons Wilson. Although it shared the Holiday Inn name, the label was created as a separate music venture rather than as a conventional hotel-industry business. Its early purpose was to provide a creative outlet for Foster and Wilson and to release recordings by performers whom Foster discovered or helped develop. The label began after Foster encountered the musical group the Roller Coasters. He brought the group to Owen Bradley's Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, where it recorded the two-part instrumental or novelty-style number "Rim Shot." Foster then created Holiday Inn Records to distribute the resulting single. This initial release established the label's basic operating model: identifying performers, arranging recording sessions, and issuing records through an independent imprint. During its first period of operation, Foster served as the label's principal operator and producer. He worked with a range of regional and country, rock-and-roll, and popular-music performers, often participating directly in the recording process. Neal Matthews Jr. of the Jordanaires assisted with some of these sessions. Artists associated with the label during its first year included Jimmy Foster, Frank Starr, Kenny Lund, Rusty Curry, Buck Griffin, Stan Daniel, and Tookie Collom. The label subsequently issued additional singles, producing eleven more records before Foster withdrew from day-to-day involvement. By 1963, Foster was devoting relatively little time to the label because of other business interests. His departure created a management problem for Wilson, who turned to his longtime friend Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records. Phillips had previously invested in the Holiday Inn hotel chain and subsequently managed or produced recordings for the Holiday Inn label on Wilson's behalf. His involvement connected the imprint to a significant figure in the history of American roots music, although Holiday Inn Records remained distinct from Sun Records. The label continued to release recordings after the management transition. Its first identified rock-and-roll single was "Love" by Greg Todd and the Jacks, issued in 1968. That same year, Holiday Inn Records released its first full-length album, a twelve-song collection by Dolly Holiday. Phillips also recorded or issued material by a broad group of performers, including Charlie Feathers, Diane Hall, Lee Adkins, Jerry Dyke, the Climates, Ironing Board Sam, Portrait of Fun, Robert and Randy, Larry Brinkley, Larry and the Accommodations, Gary Ellison, Charlie Freeman, Charlie's Children, and Load of Mischief. Holiday Inn Records is therefore best understood as a short-lived and historically specialized independent label. Its importance lies less in sustained commercial scale than in the unusual relationship between a hospitality entrepreneur, a producer-discoverer, and Sam Phillips, together with its documentation of regional American recording activity in the 1960s. Public reference material does not establish a definitive later operating status, final closure date, financial performance, or continuing ownership structure.

Holiday Inn Records emerged in 1961 from D. Wayne Foster's interest in discovering and recording performers. Foster found the Roller Coasters and brought the group to Owen Bradley's Studio in Nashville, where it recorded "Rim Shot, Part 1" and "Rim Shot, Part 2." To distribute the resulting single, Foster established Holiday Inn Records as an independent label associated with Kemmons Wilson, the entrepreneur behind the Holiday Inn hotel chain. Foster initially operated the label and participated in many recording sessions. The imprint served as a vehicle for artists he discovered, with Neal Matthews Jr. of the Jordanaires assisting on some sessions. Its early roster included Jimmy Foster, Frank Starr, Kenny Lund, Rusty Curry, Buck Griffin, Stan Daniel, and Tookie Collom. Before leaving the label, Foster produced eleven additional records beyond the Roller Coasters release. In 1963, Foster's other business activities limited the time he could devote to producing records. He therefore left the operation, prompting Wilson to seek a new manager. Wilson turned to Sam Phillips, his longtime acquaintance and an investor in the Holiday Inn hotel chain. Phillips, known for founding Sun Records, subsequently ran Holiday Inn Records for Wilson and recorded additional performers for the imprint. The label's documented later output included a 1968 rock-and-roll single, "Love" by Greg Todd and the Jacks, and its first full-length album, a twelve-song release by Dolly Holiday. Phillips also worked with or released material by Charlie Feathers, Diane Hall, Lee Adkins, Jerry Dyke, the Climates, Ironing Board Sam, Portrait of Fun, Robert and Randy, Larry Brinkley, Larry and the Accommodations, Gary Ellison, Charlie Freeman, Charlie's Children, and Load of Mischief. Available reference material does not provide a definitive closure date or a reliable account of the label's activities after this period.

• 1968

  First identified rock-and-roll single

  [1]Holiday Inn Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label released Greg Todd and the Jacks' "Love."

• 1968

  First full-length album

  [1]Holiday Inn Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Holiday Inn Records issued a twelve-song album by Dolly Holiday.

• 1963

  Foster leaves label management

  [1]Holiday Inn Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Foster withdrew after producing eleven additional records, citing the demands of other business ventures.

• 1963

  Sam Phillips assumes management

  [1]Holiday Inn Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Kemmons Wilson asked Sam Phillips to manage Holiday Inn Records and oversee further recording activity.

• 1961

  Label founded

  [1]Holiday Inn Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  D. Wayne Foster established Holiday Inn Records to distribute the Roller Coasters' two-part recording of "Rim Shot."

• 1961

  Early artist roster assembled

  [1]Holiday Inn Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label signed or recorded a group of performers discovered or developed by Foster, including Jimmy Foster, Frank Starr, Kenny Lund, Rusty Curry, Buck Griffin, Stan Daniel, and Tookie Collom.

An independent American label focused on discovering regional performers and releasing singles and albums across country, rock-and-roll, and related popular-music styles.

• Single · 1961

  Rim Shot, Part 1 / Rim Shot, Part 2

  A two-part recording by the Roller Coasters that launched the label's documented release history. D. Wayne Foster arranged the group's Nashville recording session at Owen Bradley's Studio and created Holiday Inn Records specifically to distribute the single.

• Rock-and-roll single · 1968

  Love

  A single by Greg Todd and the Jacks, released in 1968 and identified in reference material as Holiday Inn Records' first rock-and-roll single.

• Full-length album · 1968

  Dolly Holiday album

  A twelve-song album by Dolly Holiday, released in 1968 and identified as the label's first full-length album.

• 1963

  Transfer operating responsibility to Sam PhillipsStrategy

  Background

  Foster's other business ventures reduced the time he could devote to producing records, leaving Wilson to find a new operator.

  Action taken

  Wilson asked Sam Phillips to manage the label and produce or record additional artists.

  Aftermath

  The label continued recording under Phillips' involvement, including releases associated with its 1968 rock-and-roll and album output.

  Source

• 1961

  Create an independent label to distribute the Roller CoastersOther

  Background

  After recording the Roller Coasters in Nashville, D. Wayne Foster needed an imprint through which to release the group's two-part recording.

  Action taken

  Foster founded Holiday Inn Records and issued "Rim Shot, Part 1" and "Rim Shot, Part 2."

  Aftermath

  The release established the label and led to additional recordings by artists discovered by Foster.

  Source

1. 1Holiday Inn Recordsen.wikipedia.org