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Multinational record label; appears with logo "Verve" as well as with logo "Verve Records". Label Code: LC 0383 / LC 00383 For all Unofficial / Bootleg releases of this label, please use . Verve Records was originally the product of the vision of jazz impresario Norman Granz (1918-2001). He formed the label in 1956 and moved all of the recordings released on his earlier Norgran Records and Clef Records labels to create the new Verve catalog. The first releases were in February of that year. In December 1960, Granz sold the label to , becoming a subsidiary of MGM Records in the process. During the 1960s, Verve expanded into comedy (Jonathan Winters, Mort Sahl, Phyllis Diller), pop (), R&B (Howard Tate, Arthur Prysock), rock (The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Blues Project) and folk (Janis Ian, Richie Havens, Tim Hardin) music, eventually creating the Verve Folkways (later renamed Verve Forecast) label in 1966 for issuing more psychedelic-leaning rock as well as folk and blues material. Verve had million-selling jazz recordings during that decade from Stan Getz, Kai Winding, Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald and Jimmy Smith among others under the studio/A&R direction of Creed Taylor. The MGM film studio sold its record division to Polydor in 1972, a move that brought Verve into the newly formed PolyGram and its family of record labels. Verve slowly became relegated to jazz reissues as MGM Records (and the non-jazz Verve output) was ultimately absorbed into Polydor by 1976. During this period, PolyGram had Mercury Records' Emarcy jazz catalog absorbed into Verve's holdings. In the late 1980s, PolyGram decided to reactivate the long-dormant label with both a reissue program and new artist signings. The revitalized label's new material and remastered classic recordings sold very well and it soon became PolyGram's front-line jazz division. With the 1999 merger of PolyGram with Vivendi Universal creating the Universal Music Group, Verve Records became the hub of the The Verve Music Group, which also encompasses the influential , and labels as well as overseeing the jazz catalog holdings of a number of UMG-owned labels, including Commodore, Chess, Brunswick (pre-1958), Argo (2), Cadet Records, Dot Records, Coral, Decca, ABC-Paramount, , Mercury, Philips and Polydor. For the different label designs, see label guide links below. For the company credits, see: -Verve Records, Inc. (1956-1960) -MGM Records, a division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. (US) / MGM Records, a division of Loew's Incorporated (Germany) (1960-1971)
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Sub-labels
Verve Tape
Verve reel-to-reel releases
Autour De Minuit (2)
French compilations series: Les Plus Belles Voix Du Jazz : 3 Volumes (2 CD) Les Plus Beaux Moments Jazz : 20 Volumes (CD)
Blue Verve 5000 Series
Series launched in 1966 by Verve Records.
Great Women Of Song
A series of compilations from Verve Records that commenced in 2023. "Verve Records celebrates its remarkable heritage of female vocalists with “Great Women of Song.” Created with the newest genera...
Jazz-History
Argentinian. Single records from Jazz History.
Verve Extended Play Selections
Series of Dutch EP releases with selections of albums released by . All records share a backside sleeve with a band indicating "VERVE EXTENDED PLAY SELECTIONS" and a selected discography of ...
Verve Record Club
A monthly Jazz vinyl subscription club by . Meticulously mastered from analog sources. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Each release is limited to 2,500 copies.
Verve Folkways
American folk and blues label, originally founded in 1965 as a partnership between and 's for the purpose of exposing recordings from Folkways' artist roster to a newer an...
Very Special Performance
Series of "Very Special Price" 2-LP sets, released in UK during 1960s. The brand is a trademark of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Inc.
VSP
"Verve Special Products", a short-lived jazz budget reissue subsidiary of Verve Records, created by Dom Cerulli and Jack Maher in 1965 to release material from the Verve back catalog. T...
Verve Re-Issue Series
Verve World
Verve Master Edition
Reissue series of best-selling jazz albums mainly from the Verve/MGM, Mercury/Emarcy and ABC-Paramount catalogs of the 1950s and 1960s. The series was established in 1997. The releases are give...
Verve Jazz Masters
Series by the Verve Records label. This is a series, not a label. Only add this to the "Series" field, together with the actual label of the release.
Verve Elite Edition
Late 90's Verve Records small numbers jazz album CD re-issue series. Releases are remastered and packed in gatefolded slip-in cardboard packages with new linernotes. Unlike the [l=Verve Master...
Clef Series
Series of Norman Granz related jazz records. Initially released on Verve Records in the US and licensed to (a division of , or EMI) in the UK, where the first releases wer...
Verve Originals
Series by the Verve Records label. This is a series, not a label. Only add this to the "Series" field, together with the actual label of the release. Mostly Reissues of Classic Jazz...
Verve Sounds Of Fame
Series.
Verve Discoveries
Verve Discoveries is a series of previously unreleased studio and live recordings.
Verve By Request
Series by the Verve Records label. This is a series, not a label. Only add this to the "Series" field, together with the actual label of the release.
Contact Label
Verve 1755 Broadway New York, NY 10019 U.S.A. E-Mail: contact[at]vervemusicgroup.com