Organization History

 

Fantasy Records was founded in 1949 by brothers Max and Sol Weiss, following their purchase of Jack Sheedy's San Francisco-based record label, Coronet. The Weiss brothers, already owners of records pressing company, combined the endeavors under the name Fantasy Records. Coronet's biggest artist, Dave Brubeck, signed with Fantasy Records promptly thereafter, becoming one of the label's hottest draws, with the company shipping 40,000 to 50,000 copies of Brubeck's records. Believing he had a 50 percent interest in the company as a whole, Brubeck worked as an unofficial artists and repertoire assistant, leading to the signing of performers such as Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, and Red Norvo, helping to cement the company's status as a leading label for jazz music. However, when he discovered he only owned 50 percent of his own recordings, Brubeck left Fantasy Records for Columbia Records.

 

The company continued to grow, acquiring Galaxy Records in 1951, the company's first subsidiary. In 1955, Saul Zaentz, film producer, joined the company. As a wedding gift, Charles Mingus gave Zaentz Debut Records' catalog, which became part of Fantasy Records. Zaentz purchased Fantasy Records from the Weiss brothers in 1968, a year after he took over running the company. He continued to grow the company, acquiring Prestige Records, Riverside, and Milestone in 1971, 1972, and 1973 respectively. The company's roster of talent continued to grow, including artists such as the Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), which would become one of the label's most prominent artists.

 

In order to accommodate the talent signed to the company and its subsidiaries and in part due to the success of CCR, a new studio was commissioned in Berkeley, opening in 1971. This also resulted in Fantasy Records relocating their headquarters from San Francisco to Berkeley, where they would remain. Colloquially known as "The House Creedence Built", CCR , several prominent artists such as Sylvester, the Blackbyrds, Cannonball Adderley, Tony Bennett, Sonny Rollins, and others record in one of initially three, then four studios, with one studio (Studio C) specifically designed for CCR. A fourth studio was added following the success of the Zaentz-produced film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This studio remains in use as of the time of the publication of this finding aid for recording artists, film, and video games.

 

Ralph Kaffel, vice president of Fantasy since 1971, succeeded Zaentz in 1973 as president, though Zaentz continued to remain involved as owner. Under Kaffel's leadership, Fantasy Records continued the policy of acquisitions: Stax Records (1977), Good Time Jazz (1984), Contemporary (1984), Pablo (1986), Specialty (1991), Kicking Mule (1995), and Takoma (1995). Artists during this era included Isaac Hayes, McCoy Tiner, Ron Carter, Gene Ammons, Nat Adderley, among others.

In 2004, Zaentz and his partners sold the building and the Fantasy Records labels to Concord Records, which would form the Concord Music Group. While some operations remain active in Berkeley, principal operations take place in Concord Music Group's headquarters in Beverly Hills, California.