DUNWICH RECORDS Chicago
*************** USA
Dunwich Records was an independent American record label started by Bill Traut, Eddie
Higgins and George Badonsky in Chicago in 1965. Dunwich was also a production company
which licensed recordings to other labels, including Atlantic, Atco, Columbia, Mercury
and SGC. The label was primarily known for the release of singles from the emerging
Chicago rock scene in the 1960s. Only two artists, Shadows of Knight + Amanda Ambrose,
released albums on the label.
Traut, Higgins and Badonsky formed their first record label, Amboy, in 1963 and
released recordings of themselves and other bands. In 1965 they changed the label's
name to Dunwich, and in December released a cover version of Van Morrison's "Gloria" by
the Chicago band Shadows of Knight. By the spring of 1966, the song was a hit. After
some difficulty with nationwide distribution, Traut, Higgins and Badonsky made a distr.
deal with Atlantic subsidiary Atco Records. By mid-1967 Traut and Badonsky bought out
Higgins. Dunwich soon stopped releasing their own records, concentrating instead on
producing a range of artists and leasing the master recordings to other labels.
The Dunwich lute player logo appears on these recordings. Above the lute player is a
cartoon type word balloon that says "It's DUNWICH, man." This logo may have been on a
few other Chicago groups records, such as "The Cryan Shames" Columbia albums.
In the spring of 1968, Traut split with Badonsky, joined with producers Jim Golden and
Bob Monaco and reorganized Dunwich Records into Dunwich Productions, Ltd. The three
continued to produce Chicago-based groups, notably the bands Mason Proffit and Coven.
The latter group released their first album in 1969 on the Mercury label, but with the
Dunwich Productions logo. In 1971, Traut briefly revived the Dunwich label for a live
recording of Chicago folk artists, Gathering at the Earl of Old Town, which notably
includes the first recording of late singer-songwriter Steve Goodman performing "City
of New Orleans". The Dunwich label was eventually absorbed by its distributor, Atco,
which issued two final Shadows of Knight singles bearing the Dunwich logo, but issued
on the Atco label. In 1971, Traut and Golden joined with Jerry Weintraub to form Wooden
Nickel Records, whose early acts included the band Styx.
Since the Dunwich label released mostly singles, two collections released by Sundazed
Records in the 1990s are considered to be quite important to appreciating the history
of Dunwich Records and its contribution to music. Oh Yeah! The Best Of Dunwich Records,
Volume 1, was released in 1991. This was followed by If You're Ready! The Best of
Dunwich Records, Volume 2, in 1994. Artists appearing on these records include The
Shadows of Knight, The Knaves, The Pride & Joy, The Luv'd Ones, Saturday's Children,
The Wanderin' Kind, The Rovin' Kind, The American Breed, the H. P. Lovecraft band,
Sounds Unlimited, The Del Vetts, The Warner Brothers and Little Boy Blues. The
albums were produced by Bill Traut and George Badonsky. An earlier collection of
Dunwich singles had been released in 1971 on the Happy Tiger label as Early Chicago,
Volume 1.
The label's name "Dunwich" refers to The Dunwich Horror, a story by H. P. Lovecraft, an
author with whom Traut was enamored. The label's publishing arm, Yuggoth Music, was
named after a fictional planet in Lovecraft's stories.
[From : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunwich_Records] dec. 18, 2013
666 SHADOWS OF KNIGHT GLORIA (m)LP 04.1966
S 666 SHADOWS OF KNIGHT GLORIA (s)LP 04.1966
Gloria / Light Bulb Blues / I Got My Mojo Wroking / Dark
Side / Boom Boom / Let It Rock /// Oh Yea (S.alternate
take) / It Always Happens That Way / You Can't Judge A
Book (By The Cover) / (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man /
I Just Want To Make Love To You
667 SHADOWS OF KNIGHT BACK DOOR MAN (m)LP 10.1966
S 667 SHADOWS OF KNIGHT BACK DOOR MAN (s)LP 10.1966
Bad Little Woman / Gospel Zone / The Behemoth (instr.)
/ Three For Love / Willie Jean / Hey Joe /// I'll Make
You Sorry / Peepin' And Hidin' (Baby What You Want Me To
Do/Tomorrow's Going To Be Another Day/New York Bullseye
(instrumental jam) / High Blood Pressure / Spoonful
668 AMANDA AMBROSE AMANDA (m)LP .1967
S 668 AMANDA AMBROSE AMANDA (s)LP .1967
Feelin' Good / The Joker / Who Can I Turn To / I Feel
Pretty / Meantime / Yes I Can /// While I Am Still Young
/ Why Did I Choose You / Day Tripper / Yesterday / This
Door Swings Both Ways
At this point , the Dunwich label per se it abandoned , but Dunwich albums continue
as "DUNWICH PRODUCTIONS" (with Dunwich lute player logo) on other labels
MG 21135 MAUDS HOLD ON (m)LP 1967
MG 61135 MAUDS HOLD OM (s)LP 1967
Knock On Wood / When Something Is Wrong (With My Baby)
/ Look At Granny Run Run / Mercy Mercy Mercy /// Hold
On / You Must Believe Me / You Don't Know Like I Know
/ C'mon And Move / Ha Ha Ha / You Made Me Feel So Bad
(Note : Mercury Records)
PHM 200.252 H.P.LOVECRAFT H.P.LOVECRAFT (m)LP 1967
PHS 600.252 H.P.LOVECRAFT H.P.LOVECRAFT (s)LP 1967
Wayfaring Strabger / Let's Get Together / I've Been Wrong
Before / Drifter / That's The Bag I'm In / White Ship /
Country Boy And Bleecker Street / Time Machine / That's
How Much I Love You , Baby / Gloria Patria
(Note : Philips Records)
A 8002 THE AMERICAN BREED THE AMERICAN BREED (m)LP 1967
A 38002 THE AMERICAN BREED THE AMERICAN BREED (s)LP 1967
Step Out Of Your Minds / Knock On Wood / We Gotta Get
Out Of This Place / Same Old Thing / Lipstick Traces ///
Don't Forget About Me / High Heel Sneaker / My Girl /
Short Skirts / I Don't Think You Know Me / Up Tight
(Everything's Alright)
(Note : Acta Records)
A 38003 THE AMERIACAN BREED BEND ME SHAPE ME (s)LP 1968
Green Light / Don't It Make You Cry / Mindrocker / Bird
/ Something You've Got / Don't Make Me Leave You / Bend
Me , Shape Me /Before And After /Sometime In The Morning
/ I've Been Tryin' / No Easy Way Down
(Note : Acta Records , only stereo format)
With the dissolution of the partnership between Bill Traut And George Badonsky in
march 1968 , credit is usually given to a new entity , Dunwich Production Ltd ,
which includes Jim Golden And Bob Monaco as partners.
A 38006 THE AMERICAN BREED : PUMPKIN,POWDER,SCARLET AND GREEN LP 1968
(Note : Acta records)
A 38008 THE AMERICAN BREED LONELY SIDE OF THE CITY LP 1968
(Note : Acta Records)
SRS 67114 THE TROLL ANIMATED MUSIC LP 1968
(Note : Smash Records)
CS 9719 CRYAN' SHAMES SYNTHESIS LP 1969
(Note : Columbia Records)
CS 9785 AORTA AORTA LP 1969
(Note : Columbia Records)
LSP 4217 THE HARDY BOYS HERE COMES THE HARDY BOYS LP 1969
(Note : RCA Records)
LSP 4315 THE HARDY BOYS WHEELS/THE HARDY BOYS LP 1970
(Note : RCA Records)
HT 1009 MASON PROFFIT WANTED LP 1970
(Note : Happy Tiger Records)
HT 1010 AORTA AORTA 2 LP 1971
(Note : Happy Tiger Records)
HT 1019 MASON PROFFIT MOVIN' TOWARD HAPPINESS LP 1971
(Note : Happy Tiger Records)
A 10138 MASON PROFFIT : LAST NIGHT I HAD THE STRANGEST DREAM LP 1971
(Note : Ampex Records)
At this point , Traut and Golden form Wooden Nickel Records with Jerry Weintraub,
the successor label to Dunwich.
THE DUNWICH SINGLES DISCOGRAPHY :
*********************************
DN 116 THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT Gloria 7" 01.1966
Dark Side
DN 117 GEORGE EDWARDS Norwegian Wood 7" .1966
Never Mind,I'm Freezing
DN 118
DN 119
DN 120
DN 121 THE LUV'D ONES I'm Leaving You 7" 05.1966
Walking The Dog
DN 122 THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT Oh , Yeah 7" 05.1966
Light Bulb Blues
DN 123 KEN NORDINE Bachman 7" 05.1966
Crimson And Olive
DN 124 THINGS TO COME I'm Not Talkin' 7" 06.1966
Til The End
DN 125 THE DEL-VETTS Last Time Around 7" 06.1966
Everytime
DN 126
DN 127 IDLE FEW Farmer John 7" 07.1966
DN 128 THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT Bad Little Woman 7" 08.1966
Gospel Zone
DN 129 THE BANSHEES Free 7" 08.1966
Project Blue
DN 130 THE LUV'D ONES Come Back 7" 09.1966
Stand Tall
DN 131 WARNER BROTHERS Lonely 7" 09.1966
It Won't Be The Same Without Her
DN 132 CURLEY BARRIX Big Blue Monster 7" .1966
A World You Destroyed
DN 133
DN 134 THE HALF DOZEN The Angels Listened In 7" .1966
Another Day
DN 135 WANDERIN' KIND Something I Can't Buy 7" .1966
Winken,Blynken And Nod
DN 136 THE LUV'D ONES Dance Kid Dance 7" .1966
I'm Leavin' You
DN 137 CURLEY BARRIX Blue Ribbon Clown 7" .1966
I Talk In My Sleep
DN 138
DN 139 SATURDAY'S CHILDREN Born On Saturday 7" .1966
You Don't Know Better
DN 140 AMANDA AMBROSE Why Did I Choose You 7" .1966
This Door Swings Both Ways
DN 141 THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT I'm Gomma Make You Mine 7" 10.1966
I'll Make You Sorry
DN 142 THE DEL-VETTS I Call My Baby STP 7" 11.1966
That's The Way It Is
DN 143
DN 144 SATURDAY'S CHILDREN Deck Five 7" 12.1966
Christmas Sound
DN 145
DN 146 THE ROVIN' KIND Girl 7" 12.1966
My Generation
DN 147 THE KNAVES Leave Me Alone 7" 01.1967
The Girl I Threw Away
DN 148
DN 149 THE NITE LITES One , Two , Boogaloo 7" 01.1967
Same Old Thing
DN 150
DN 151 THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT Willie Jean 7" 02.1967
The Behemoth
DN 152 THE PRIDE AND JOY Girl 7" 04.1967
If You're Ready
DN 153
DN 154 THE ROVIN' KIND She 7" 05.1967
Didn't Want To Have To Do It
DN 155
DN 156 SATURDAY'S CHILDREN Leave That Baby Alone 7" 05.1967
I Hardly Know Her
DN 157 SOUNDS UNLIMITED A Girl As Sweet As You 7" 05.1967
Little Brother
DN 158
DN 159 SPACE BAND Tic Toc 7" 06.1967
Winchester Cathedral
DN 160 THE MAUDS Hold On 7" 07.1967
C'mon And Move
DN 161
DN 162
DN 163
DN 164 THE KNAVES Someone Like Me 7" 08.1967
You're Ready
DN 165
DN 166
DN 167 THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT Someone Like Me 7" 08.1967
Three For Love
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