Challenge Records
Challenge Records, founded 1927: jazz artists and albums on the label.
Challenge Records was a record label sold by the Sears-Roebuck Company. Releases were drawn from other recordings on other labels in the late 1920s, such as Banner, Gennett, Paramount Records and others. Sears also had the Silvertone label and the same recording of "Black Bottom" by Joe Candullo & his Everglades Orchestra was released on both labels. Around 1929 Sears did away with Challenge and Silvertone, replacing them with Conqueror Records. Challenge discs generally sold for less than Silvertone ones because they seldom used songs requiring royalty payments and the label generally assigned pseudonyms to the artists. Introduced in the Spring 1927 catalog for just 24¢ per disc, Challenge bore the frank disclaimer, "If you want the best, we recommend the Silvertone." The last issues appeared in Sears’ Spring 1931 catalog.
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Artists on Challenge Records
Scatman Crothers
1910–1986 · American entertainer (1910–1986)
Albert Mangelsdorff
1928–2005 · German jazz trombonist (1928–2005)
Nat Adderley
1931–2000 · American jazz cornet and trumpet player (1931–2000)
Frank Foster
1928–2011 · American jazz musician and bandleader (1928–2011)
Mary Ford
1924–1977 · American musician (1924-1977)
Gerald Wiggins
1922–2008 · American pianist (1922-2008)
Label profile
U.S. record label (1926-1930). This was the cheapest label marketed by Sears Roebuck & Co, selling for just 24¢ per disc, or 10 for $2.29. Introduced in Sears' 1926 catalog, it was marketed with the disclaimer "If you want the best, we recommend the ".
Earliest releases were produced by , and duplicated (though in inferior pressings) material on and . Many records reissued material recorded years earlier and nearly all releases used artist pseudonyms. Production shifted to in 1927 and drew upon masters from . These releases duplicated material on , , and labels. In some cases, material from other suppliers (including , , and ) was reissued on the Challenge label. Challenge was produced by the from 1929 until Sears discontinued the label in 1930.
Profile from Discogs (CC0)