Fontana Records
Fontana Records, founded 1957: jazz artists and albums on the label.
Artists on Fontana Records
Miles Davis
1926–1991 · American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer…
Thelonious Monk
1917–1982 · American jazz pianist and composer (1917–1982)
Henri Salvador
1917–2008 · French Caribbean recording artist; singer, songwriter…
Johnny Mathis
b. 1935 · American singer
John Dankworth
1927–2010 · British musician (1927-2010)
Les McCann
1935–2023 · American jazz pianist and vocalist (1935–2023)
Luiz Bonfá
1922–2001 · Brazilian musician (1922–2001)
Ted Curson
1935–2012 · Jazz trumpeter (1935–2012)
Oleta Adams
b. 1953 · American singer
Buddy Greco
1926–2017 · American singer and pianist (1926–2017)
Elek Bacsik
1926–1993 · Hungarian-American jazz guitarist and violinist; cousin of…
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
American musical group; jazz quartet led by Dave Brubeck
Blossom Dearie
1924–2009 · American jazz singer and pianist (1924–2009)
Henri Crolla
1920–1960 · French musician (1920-1960)
Oscar Brown, Jr.
1926–2005 · American recording artist; singer, songwriter, playwright…
Maurice Vander
1929–2017 · French jazz keyboardist (1929–2017)
Label profile
Label launched by Philips Phonografische Industrie (PPI) in 1956 in France as a variety label. Currently active as a jazz and pop label under Universal Music UK.
A logo change occurred in 1957. It was launched in the UK in 1958. initially used to market recordings licensed from Epic outside of the US, it later expanded to other US labels. In September 1964, PPI's US affiliate, Mercury Record Corporation, introduced the label in the US for international recordings, although it eventually became a mainstream pop label.
In 2013, Fontana's independent circuit was sold off to Ingrooves, leaving Fontana Records separate.
The label was revived in 2025 along with a restructure of Universal Music UK's labels. It serves as the UK home for Universal Music’s affiliated jazz labels Blue Note, Verve Records, and Impulse!. Their roster also includes pop artists who moved from Decca in the same label restructure. The label is currently managed by Tom Lewis (4).
Label Code: LC 0211
The 7-digit numerical catalogue numbers were introduced in April 1970. Any item with such a number is after that date.
Printing dates on French EPs of the late 50s/60s appear as "MY" or "MMY" (e.g. "81" = August 1961
Profile from Discogs (CC0)