Founding
A&M Records was formed in late 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss.[2] Their first choice for a name was Carnival Records, under which they released two singles before discovering that another label had already taken the Carnival name. The company was subsequently renamed A&M, after Alpert's and Moss's initials. From 1966 to 1999, the company's headquarters and recording studios were on the grounds of the historic Charlie Chaplin Studios at 1416 North La Brea Avenue, near Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.[3]
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, A&M had such acts as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Baja Marimba Band, Burt Bacharach, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66, the Sandpipers, Boyce & Hart, We Five, the Carpenters, Chris Montez, Elkie Brooks, Lee Michaels, Captain and Tennille, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Quincy Jones, Lucille Starr, Stealers Wheel, Hoyt Axton, Gallagher and Lyle, Barry DeVorzon, Perry Botkin, Jr., Marc Benno, Liza Minnelli, Rita Coolidge, Gino Vannelli, Wes Montgomery, Jan Davis, Paul Desmond, Bobby Tench, Hummingbird, Toni Basil, and Paul Williams. Folk artists Joan Baez, Phil Ochs and Gene Clark also recorded for the label during the 1970s. Billy Preston joined the label in 1971, followed by Andre Popp and Herb Ohta in 1973. In the late 1960s, through direct signing and licensing agreements, A&M added several British artists to its roster, including Cat Stevens, Joe Cocker, Procol Harum, Humble Pie, Fairport Convention, Free, the Move, Strawbs and Spooky Tooth. In the 1970s, under its manufacturing and distribution agreement with Ode Records, A&M released albums by Carole King and the comedy duo Cheech & Chong. Other notable acts of the time included Nazareth, Y&T, the Tubes, Styx, Supertramp, Joan Armatrading, Bell and James, Chris de Burgh (who went on to greater mainstream success in the 1980s), Rick Wakeman, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Chuck Mangione, Squeeze, and Peter Frampton. On March 10, 1977, A&M "signed" the Sex Pistols outside Buckingham Palace in a mock signing ceremony after the band had been dropped by EMI, although the real signing had actually occurred the prior day;[4] however, A&M dropped the band within a week.[5]
A&M sustained its success during the 1980s with a roster of noted acts that included Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark; Henry Badowski; Janet Jackson; the Police; Sting; the Brothers Johnson; Falco; Atlantic Starr; the Go-Go's; Bryan Adams; Suzanne Vega; Righeira; Brenda Russell; Jeffrey Osborne; Oingo Boingo; the Human League; Ozark Mountain Daredevils; Sharon, Lois & Bram; Annabel Lamb; Jim Diamond; Vital Signs; Joe Jackson; Charlie Peacock; Vesta Williams; and Scottish rock band Gun. They also, through a deal with Christian music label Myrrh, distributed back catalog recordings of Amy Grant as well as her new recordings, starting with 1985's Unguarded, to the mainstream marketplace, a vital component in her subsequent breakthrough as a mainstream artist.
Within a decade of its inception, A&M became the world's largest independent record company.[6] A&M releases were initially issued in the United Kingdom by EMI's Stateside Records label, and then under its own name by Pye Records, who released the first Herb Alpert records on the Pye International label before issuing the records on the A&M label until 1967. From 1969, A&M set up its own UK base appointing John Deacon (not to be confused with Queen's bass guitarist of the same name) as general manager, a post he held until 1979. Several A&R men were recruited including Larry Yaskiel, Derek Green and Mike Noble and major UK acts such as the Police, Supertramp, Rick Wakeman, Squeeze, Gallagher & Lyle, Elkie Brooks, the Strawbs and Peter Frampton as well as many others were all signed to the UK label. A&M releases were also issued in Australia through Festival Records until 1989. A&M Records Ltd.[7] was established in 1970, with distribution handled by other labels with a presence in Europe. A&M Records of Canada Ltd.[8] was also formed in 1970, and A&M Records of Europe in 1977. In 1979, A&M entered a distribution agreement with RCA Records in the US,[9]
Over the years, A&M added specialty imprints: Almo International[10] for middle of the road; Omen Records (1964–1966)[11] for soul; Horizon Records[12] for jazz (1974–1978); AyM Discos[13] for Latin-American; Vendetta Records[14] for dance music (1988–1990); and Tuff Break Records for hip-hop music (1993–1995).[15]
Continued releases by Sting and reboot
Since the label's second dissolution, label artist Sting continued to license the A&M name and logo for his future album releases, starting with 2013's The Last Ship and continuing lately with 2021's The Bridge.[1]
The label was once again relaunched in November 2024 by Interscope as a subsidiary (currently under legal name: A&M Records, LLC) and has a new roster, including the Rolling Stones, Apink, Astrid S, Victoria De Angelis, Bonnie McKee, Epex, Dean and Benny Blanco (from his own labels, Mad Love Records and Friends Keep Secrets). A&M operates under the UMG umbrella through its subsidiary Interscope Capitol Labels Group.
Blanco stepped down from A&M, upon his marriage to Selena Gomez. Gregg Nadel joined the label as a new general manager.
