Lizard King Records is a small independent record label based in London. The label was founded in 2003 by former Arista boss Martin Heath and is named after Jim Morrison (lead singer of the Doors), who often referred to himself as being 'the Lizard King'. Some of the more successful of bands signed to them are: Fallout Boy and the Killers. Lizard King also signed the Go, The Colour, Donderevo and most recently, Brooklyn-based band Surefire. An independent record label is variously described as a record label operating without the funding (or outside the organizations) of the major record labels, and/or a label that subscribes to indie philosophies such as DIY and anti-corporate art. ... The Houses of Parliament and the clock tower containing Big Ben Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London (see Wiktionary:London for the name in other languages) is the capital of the United Kingdom and England. ... For other people named James or Jim Morrison, see James Morrison James Douglas Jim Morrison (December 8, 1943 – 3 July 1971) was a singer, songwriter, writer, and poet. ... The Doors, Legacy (Clockwise from top right): Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek The Doors (formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California) was a popular and influential American rock band. ... The Lizard King is a mythic figure created as an alter ego by Jim Morrison, lead singer of the popular psychedelic rock group The Doors. ... The Killers is a 21st century synth rock/ New Wave band from Las Vegas, Nevada, who formed in 2002. ... Surefire is a California-based company specializing in the production of high-quality flashlights. ...

Lizard King was originally a small indie record label founded by Martin Heath (ex of Rhythm King and Arista) and Dominic Hardisty (formerly from launch.com). The label's first signings (The Go, Donderevo) didn't achieve much, but the label's fortunes changed when they signed Las Vegas band The Killers, whose album Hot Fuss went on to sell 1.4m units in the UK and a further 4m units (via Island Def Jam) worldwide.

In May 2004 Martin Heath's shareholding was acquired by co-founder Dominic Hardisty. Under the terms of the deal, Martin Heath was permitted to continue using the Lizard King brand name as well as to continue working with some development artists. Ben Durling - the A&R executive who originally signed the Killers - then went on to set up his own label, Lavolta Records ([[1]]), which is an imprint of Sony/BMG.

External link

• Official site