Monument Records
Monument Records was a
record label founded in
1958 by
Fred Foster and
Bob Moore. From a
recording studio in the
Nashville suburb of
Hendersonville, Tennessee they produced a variety of sounds including
Rock and Roll,
Country and Western, and
Rhythm and Blues.
The company's first recording was by
Billy Grammer, titled "Gotta Travel On." However, it was the signing of the ex
Sun Records singer,
Roy Orbison, that brought great success, starting with the
1960 hit,
Only the Lonely. In addition to Orbison, over the years the studio was home to a number of successful recording artists including
Kris Kristofferson,
Jeannie Seely,
Boots Randolph,
Dolly Parton,
Ray Stevens,
Cindy Walker,
Charlie McCoy,
Willie Nelson,
Tommy Roe and
Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers.
Following the loss of Orbison to
MGM in
1965, the studio fell into a slow decline and that, combined with a series of bad investments in the 1980s, led to difficulties that saw Foster lose his company. Today, the catalog of Monument recordings is owned by
Sony Corporation.
Fred Foster, Monument's owner, also started a
soul/
R&B label called 'Sound Stage 7' in the 1960s. Its rostrum of artists included
Allen Toussaint (recording under another name),
Ivory Joe Hunter, the
O'Jays, Joe Simon and Alvin Cash, among others. Tracks by artists on this label, often produced by Foster with arrangements by
Bill Justis (famous in rock history for his hit 'Raunchy'), were generally only available as singles.
Arthur Alexander was also one of this label's artists for a time and one deserving a special mention in pop and rock history for his particular influence on the
Beatles and the
Rolling Stones. In particular, it is believed that
John Lennon was heavily influenced in his singing style by
Arthur Alexander.
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List of record labels
