Label "X"©2005JCMarion
RCA Victor Records announced the formation of label "X" on April 20, 1953. It is a wholly owned subsidiary label of RCA, but will have its own independent distribution system. The head A & R man for the new label is Joe Carlton. The name is taken either from RCA Victor's mysterious "Project Madam X" which was the code name for the devepment of the 45 rpm record in the post war forties, or the name used by trade press reporters concerning RCA's hush hush approach to their new project. The rest of the year of 1953 was spent by establishing the position of the new label with RCA Victor as the main pop and classical label, a new R & B oriented label (soon to be called Groove Records) and the Camden label (named after the New Jersey city where RCA manufacturing headquarters is located). In early 1954 RCA announced the creation of Groove Records which originally was to use the label X distribution system, but later made the new label totally independent of label X. The label found a niche in the mid fifties by providing covers of R & B hits and quasi-R & B sides such as those by the Three Chuckles, Eddie Fontaine, and Louis Jordan, as a means of introducing the sound of R & B to mainstream America. By September of 1955, RCA discontinues the label X name, and replaces it with Vik Records which had its biggest hits with Mickey & Sylvia. Here is a representative discography of RCA's label X releases.
0001 - Bill Darnell - That's The Way Love Goes / For You
0002 - Richard Maltby - Deep Blue Sea / Patrol Polka
0003 - Smith Bros - Melancholy Me
0004 - Roberta Lee - When The Organ Played
0005 - Dinah Kaye - False Hearted Lover / Strike A Match
0006 - Al Morgan - Mom / That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine
0008 - Sal Franzella - Impossible Motion / Fantastic Impromptu
0009 - Smith Bros - The Things I Love
0010 - Terry Fell & The Smith Brothers - Truck Driving Man / Don't Drop It
0014 - Ben Light - Back Home Again In Indiana (made risque "party " records in the 30s and 40s)
0016 - Richard Maltby - Meadowlark / Black Pearls
0018 - Geri Galian - Tara Lara / Slaughter On Tenth Avenue
0022 - Danny Mendelsohn - Happy Anniversary
0031 - Bill Darnell - Teardrops Are / You Can Betcha Life
0032 - Smith Brothers - If You Took Your Love from Me
0034 - Richard Maltby - Deep Blue Sea
0040 - Norman Petty Trio - Mood Indigo / Petty's Little Polka
0041 - The Coachmen - Fame And Fortune / Caring
0042 - Richard Maltby - St. Louis Blues Mambo
0044 - The Coachmen - Caring
0051 - Helen Grayco w Harold Mooney Orch - Oop Shoop / Teach Me Tonight (2 R & B covers by the wife of Spike Jones)
0053 - Wilder Brothers - Down In The Bottom Of The Well / Moon Of Manakoora
0055 - Russ Carlyle - In A Little Spanish Town / Nice Knowing You
0056 - Vince Carson - I'm Not Ashamed To Cry
0057 - Juliette - Am I Wasting My Time On You ?
0058 - Ben Light - Alexander's Ragtime Band
0060 - Roberta Lee - Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
0066 - Three Chuckles - Runaround / At Last You Understand (from master from Boulevard Records in Detroit)
0068 - Danny Mendelsohn - Auld Lang Syne / For He's A Jolly Good Fellow
0069 - Terry Fell & The Fellows - Let's Stay Together / We Wanna See Santa Do The Mambo
0071 - Frank Petty Trio - Down Yonder / On The Alamo
0074 - Dinah Kaye - Butterscotch Mop
0075 - Richard Maltby - Stardust Mambo / Strictly Instrumental
0076 - Betty Clooney - Whisper
0077 - Frankie Lester - Tell It To Me Again
0078 - Terry Fell & The Fellows - You Don't Give A Hang About Me / Get Aboard My Wagon
0079 - Unloved And Unclaimed - The Geer Sisters
0080 - Jan Strickland - Come To Me My Little Darling / Let's
0083 - Geri Galian - Snowfall
0087 - Bill Darnell - Kokomo
0089 - Helen Grayco - Please Don't Freeze
0090 - Jimmy Palmer - The Waltz You Saved For Me
0091 - Andy Williams - Now I Know / Here Comes That Dream
0092 - Phyllis & Bill Holmes - That Is The makings Of Love0094 - Richard Maltby - Begin The Beguine March / Six Flats Unfurnished
0095 - Three Chuckles - Foolishly / If I Should Love You Again
0096 - Eddie Fontaine - Rock Love / All My Love Belongs To You
0097 - Gordon Jenkins - Tired Of Waiting
0098 - Wilder Brothers - Ichi Car Tami Dachi
0099 - Rose Stewart - How Much Do I Love You
0103 - Johnny Sparrow & His Bows and Arrows - Sparrow's Nest / Keyhole Special
0104 - Norman Petty Trio - Three Little Kisses
0105 - Roberta Lee - Please Have Mercy / Take A Look At Me
0108 - Eddie Fontaine - On Bended Knee / I Miss You So
0109 - Bill Darnell - Rock & Roll Baby / A Million Thanks
0111 - Gloria Van - I Worship You
0113 - Russ carlyle - If You Only Knew
0114 - Terry Fell & The Fellows - Mississippi River Shuffle / He's In Love
0116 - Louis Jordan - Whatever Lola Wants / It's Been Said
0117 - Frankie Lester - Coquette
0119 - Wilder Brothers - Crazy Doll
0123 - Jimmy Palmer - Oh Mabel
0124 - Bill Kenny - If We All Said A Prayer
0125 - Norman Brooks - Heart / Too many Heartaches
0126 - Sandy Stewart - No More Love
0128 - Eddie Fontaine - Rollin Stone / I'm Through Chasing After You
0130 - Norman Petty Trio - Oh You Pretty Woman
0134 - Three Chuckles - So Long / You Should Have Told Me
0135 - Richard Maltby - Jumpin Trumpet / High Tide Boogie
0137 - Gisele Mckenzie - Hard To Get / Boston Fancy
0142 - Peppermint Harris - Need Your Lovin / Just You And Me
0143 - Laurels - Truly Truly / Tis Night
0145 - Dickie Lee - Daniel Boone
0146 - Russ Carlyle - At Sundown
0148 - Louis Jordan - Baby Let's Do It Up
0149 - Terry Fell - I'm Hot To Trot / Fa-So-La
0150 - Three Chuckles - Blue Lover / I Realize
0151 - Eddie Fontaine - The Rain Song
0155 - Russ Carlyle - It Was Nice Knowing You
0156 - Sandy Stewart - In Nuevo Laredo
0157 - Norman Brooks - Lonely Girl / If I Had Two Hearts
0158 - Richard Maltby - Book Of Love / Midnight Mood
0159 - Gordon Jenkins - Sweet Dreams
0162 - Three Chuckles - Still Thinking Of You / Times Two I Love You
0163 - Dick Lee - Baby Baby You
0170 - Every Word You Speak - Russ Carlyle
0172 - Gisele McKenzie - Pepper Hot Baby
0173 - Ben Light - You
0175 - Gordon Jenkins - Wish I Could Say The Same
0178 - Bill Kenny - The Flower And The Weed
0179 - Norman Brooks - Goodbye Gal Goodbye
0180 - Helen Grayco - I'd Better Be Careful
0181 - Russ Carlyle - Point Of No Return
0184 - Eddie Fontaine - Boom De De Boom
0186 - Three Chuckles - The Funny Little Things You Do / Anyway
0187 - Sammy Shore - 17 Tons / What Is A Skunk
0188 - Harriet Kay - Yum Yum
0194 - Three Chuckles - And The Angels Sing / Tell Me
0196 - Richard Maltby - The man With The Golden Arm
0216 - Three Chuckles - We're Still Holding Hands / Gypsy In My Soul
RCA's label X also had a number of LP albums released during the two years of its existence.
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