Vanguard Records was a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical and jazz label, but shifted direction in the mid-1950s by challenging the blacklist and signing blacklisted performers Paul Robeson and The Weavers. Their new emphasis on folk music and later rock music was enhanced by signing Joan Baez, Buddy Guy, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Country Joe and the Fish and others over the years. A record label is a brand created by companies that specialize in manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and video recordings, on various formats including compact discs, LPs, DVD-Audio, SACDs, and cassettes. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki (R) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... USPS Black Heritage stamp Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson (April 9, 1898–January 23, 1976) was an American actor, athlete, singer, writer, and political and civil rights activist. ... The Weavers were an immensely popular and influential folk music quartet from Greenwich Village, New York, United States. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Joan Baezs 1975 bestseller Diamonds & Rust. ... Buddy Guy Buddy Guy (born George Guy, July 30, 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana) is an American blues music and rock music guitarist, as well as a singer. ... Buffy Sainte-Marie Buffy Sainte-Marie (born February 20, 1941) is a Canadian First Nations musician, composer, visual artist, educator and social activist. ... Country Joe and the Fish, from the cover of Feel Like Im Fixin to Die Country Joe and the Fish was a rock music/folk music band known for musical protests against the Vietnam War, from 1965 to 1970. ...

The label stayed dormant for most of the seventies, it re-emerged briefly with some disco releases in the eighties and was finally sold to the Welk Group. The Welk Group sold the classical music catalog back to Seymour Solomon. So there are two active record labels bearing the Vanguard name. Welk Music Group owns Vanguard Records specializing in folk music and is releasing new material. Vanguard also released their extensive folk and popular music back catalog on CD. Vanguard Classics Records is today owned by Artemis Records and also releases new material as well as its back catalog of classical music. Classical music is music considered classical, as sophisticated and refined, in a regional tradition. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and mostly distributed commercially. ... Artemis Records is a New York-based independent record company, founded in July 1999, by Artemis chairman/CEO Danny Goldberg. ...

External links

• vanguardrecords.com
• vanguardclassics.com

See also

• List of record labels