Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label founded in 1887. It became a major force in recorded music through technological innovation, influential artists, and a large popular-music catalog.

Columbia Phonograph Company: An American company founded in 1887 to sell and operate phonographs and make recordings. The company that established the Columbia name in recorded sound.
Graphophone: An early sound-recording and playback machine using wax-coated cylinders. Graphophones were central to Columbia’s earliest recording and sales business.
Frank Sinatra: An American singer and actor whose recordings shaped popular music from the 1940s onward. His Columbia years established him as a major recording star.
Blue Note Records: An American jazz record label founded in 1939, known for its influential recordings and distinctive design. Its focused jazz identity contrasts with Columbia’s broad mainstream catalog.
Album era: A period when the long-playing album became a central format for popular music. Columbia’s LP launch helped make the album a major unit of listening and sales.
Edward D. Easton: An American businessman who founded the Columbia Phonograph Company. His company’s launch in 1887 began Columbia’s history.
Gramophone record: A flat disc used to store and reproduce sound through a spiral groove. The disc format transformed the market Columbia had entered through cylinders.
Mitch Miller: An American record producer, musician, and executive who led Columbia’s popular-music division. His 1950s direction shaped Columbia’s roster and commercial sound.
Columbia Masterworks: Columbia’s label and series for classical music and spoken-word recordings. It developed the label’s classical and cultural programming alongside popular music.
Grammy Awards: Annual awards recognizing achievement in the recording industry. Columbia artists and releases have figured prominently in the awards’ history.

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