Smash Records was an American record label founded in 1961 as a subsidiary of Mercury Records.
History
Mercury Record Corporation president Irving Green announced the formation of the company’s new pop subsidiary label, Smash Records, in March 1961. Smash was seen as an opportunity for greater exposure and sales for both newly-signed talent and for independently cut masters.[1]
In the summer of 1961, the label achieved its first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Wooden Heart," by Joe Dowell.[2]
In November 1961, label head Charles Fach announced the label would move into the "country and western" field, and announced the signing of two artists, Billy Deaton and Howard Crockett. Mercury A&R chief Shelby Singleton was tapped to head the C&W production.[3] Singleton was interested in Southern styles, and had recruited east Texas's Big Bopper