Tops Records

American record label

Parent label: Pickwick International, Inc.·Est. 1947

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Defunct American budget record label, active 1947 to 1962. Also appears as "Tops" on releases. Tops Music Enterprises was formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1947 by Carl Doshay and Sam Dickerman, two "rack jobbers" who sold used jukebox 78 RPM records to grocery stores, drug stores, five-and-dime stores and the like when they decided to enter the record business by recording and releasing "knockoff' cover version records featuring session musicians and vocalists at a list price of 39 cents as opposed to 79 cents from the major labels. By the mid-1950s, the company, now based in Hollywood, hired Dave Pell as house producer and arranger as the company's success was starting to overwhelm Doshay. It also began recording artists such as Lena Horne, Mel Tormé, Pee Wee Hunt, the The Pied Pipers, Kate Smith (2), and The Ink Spots. In 1958, Doshay sold the company to Geiger counter manufacturer Precision Radiation Instruments, Inc. (P.R.I), primarily to ease its tax burdens. Later that year, Tops hired publicist Bob Blythe, who promptly ran Tops aground through a series of bad business decisions. A year later, Doshay suffered a heart attack and decided to sell the company for $1 million. Blythe, who wanted to acquire the company to begin with, and a team of investors bought Tops/P.R.I. in 1960. Blythe took over, fired Doshay and overspent the company into bankruptcy. The investor group fired Blythe but it was far too late. Tops and its catalog were sold to Pickwick International, Inc., and by 1963, its former rival folded the Tops/Mayfair/P.R.I. labels into its own operations. Please see Tops Music Enterprises, Tops Music Enterprises, Corp., or Tops Music Enterprises Inc., for company credits. The address is the same as the later companies of the Bihari Brothers shows. Most likely they acquired this part of the company when they went bankrupt. Note that many releases were issued under three labels — "Tops Records, Mayfair Records and Golden Tone" — yet hold the same content and often the same release info or catalog numbers (e.g., 910944). Also see Tops Mayfair Records.

Discography

837 albums
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Scheherazade

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff, The International Symphonic Orchestra Conducted By Gustave Stern · 1987

Studio Album

The Ink Spots

The Ink Spots · 1957

Studio Album

The Ink Spots

The Ink Spots · 1962

Studio Album

Lena Horne

Lena Horne · 1956

Studio Album

Plays Fats Waller

André Previn · 1958

Studio Album

Swings

Johnny Desmond · 1958

Studio Album

The 100 Voices Of Christmas

The Christianaires · 1959

Studio Album

An American In Paris

George Gershwin : The International Philharmonic Orchestra · 1948

Studio Album

Kay Starr Sings

Kay Starr · 1963

Studio Album

South Pacific

Rodgers & Hammerstein Featuring John T. Williams And Walter Ruick · 1996

Studio Album

Moanin' Low

Lena Horne · 1942

Studio Album

Voodoo Exotic Music From Polynesia And The Far East

Robert Drasnin · 1959

Studio Album

Christmas With Kate

Kate Smith · 1959

Studio Album

Hawaiian Favorites

Akoni Lani and His Islanders / Danny K. Stewart And His Aloha Boys · 1957

Studio Album

Barrel House Piano

Meade "Lux" Lewis

Studio Album

Charlie Ventura Plays Hi-Fi Jazz

Charlie Ventura · 1957

Studio Album

A Tribute To Tommy Dorsey

The Pied Pipers · 1957

Studio Album

The Ink Spots Volume 2

The Ink Spots · 1960

Studio Album

Dixieland

Matty Matlock And His Dixie-Men

Studio Album

Her Nibs

Georgia Gibbs · 1966

Studio Album

Italian Favorites

Louis Prima With Phil Brito · 1963

Studio Album

Plays Glenn Miller Favorites

Ray Eberle Featuring The Ray Eberle Orchestra, Will Bradley, Hy Schertzer · 1957

Studio Album

Prelude To A Kiss

Mel Torme · 1958

Studio Album

Hey There! Here's Fran Warren

Fran Warren · 1958

Studio Album

Western Favorites

Sons Of The Purple Sage With Linna Shane · 1957

Studio Album

In Orbit

The Three Suns · 1962

Studio Album

Dance To The Magic Of, With The Rythym Rockers

Billy Daniels · 1958

Studio Album

Flower Drum Song

Rodgers & Hammerstein · 1961

Studio Album

All-Time Favorites

Tops All-Star Orchestra · 1957

Studio Album

The Incomparable Lena Horne

Lena Horne · 1963

Studio Album

Banjo In Hi-Fi

Paul Martin And His Old-Timers · 1957

Studio Album

Swinging Down In Dixie

Jack Teagarden · 1963

Studio Album

Music From Michael Todd's Around The World In 80 Days

Lew Raymond · 1957

Studio Album

Let's All Sing

The Fireside Gang

Studio Album

Kirby Stone Four

The Kirby Stone Four

Studio Album

Percussion Italiano!

Vico Anthony And His Percussion Paesanos · 1960

Studio Album

Her Nibs

Georgia Gibbs · 1966

Studio Album

Rock And Roll

Joe Houston & His Rockets · 1957

Studio Album

Mr. Bongo Plays In Hi-Fi Cha Cha Cha

Jack Costanzo And His Latin Orchestra · 1957

Studio Album

Modern Jazz

Ronnie Lang And His All-Stars · 1957

Studio Album

Favorite Christmas Carols

The Pied Pipers And George Mather · 1958

Studio Album

Polka Party

George Poole And His Polka Dots · 1958

Studio Album

Holiday In Italy

Nestor Amaral And His Continentals · 1957

Studio Album

Glenn Miller Greats!

Jerry Gray · 1958

Studio Album

The Great Kate

Kate Smith · 1959

Studio Album

Show Time!

The Kirby Stone Four

Studio Album

Honky Tonk Piano

"Ace" O'Donnell · 1957

Studio Album

Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries

Jaye P. Morgan · 1962

Studio Album