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| Fable Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder | Ron Tudor |
| Defunct | 1984 |
| Status | Defunct |
| Genre | Pop, jazz, rock |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Location | Melbourne, Victoria |
Fable Records was an Australian independent record company which operated from 1970 to 1984. It was one of the most successful and productive Australian 'indie' labels of the period, issuing over 300 singles and dozens of EPs and LPs. Fable made a significant initial impact in Australia in 1970-71, scoring a string of hits by new Australian artists, and throughout its history the company discovered and promoted local talent. Fable enjoyed further success between 1972 and 1975 through its subsidiary label Bootleg Records, which racked up a string of hit albums and singles by artists including Brian Cadd, the Bootleg Family Band and Kerrie Biddell.
Fable/Bootleg released a wide variety of music from rock to mainstream vocal music. Its catalogue also included theatre organ music, Christian gospel music by singing group The Proclaimers, comedy recordings by veteran entertainer Frankie Davidson, and occasional novelty items like Drummond's 'chipmunk' version of "Daddy Cool" and a piano version of "In The Summertime" by film critic and honky-tonk piano virtuoso Ivan Hutchinson. Its debut single was "Curly", by variety performer and TV host Jimmy Hannan, and one of its last releases was single by TV personality Bert Newton and the Debney Park High School Band, which reportedly reached #11 on the Melbourne charts.
Fable also had a long association with Victorian Football League (VFL), beginning in 1972, when it released a series of officially-authorised VFL football club songs, adapted from 'standards' like "Yankee Doodle Dandy". These were widely played in the 1970s, at matches and on TV and radio broadcasts. In 1979, Fable artist Mike Brady released "Up There Cazaly", which effectively became the VFL anthem, reaching #1 on the Australian charts and selling over 250,000 copies, becoming the most successful Australian single ever released up to that time, and earning it a place in the Guinness Book of Records.