| Pye Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | BMG Rights Management (majority of back-catalogue) |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | UK |
PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced almost no music until the company name and trademark was acquired by the Scottish broadcaster and music producer, Tony Currie, in September 2024.[1]
The new Pye Records has begun to release new albums on vinyl: ‘Race The Sun’ from the Tony Currie Orchestra, conducted by Gavin Sutherland (principal guest conductor for the English National Ballet), and Callum Au. 'Race the Sun' was conceived to pay tribute to the pop orchestras of the original Pye Records.[2] The revived label has also released 'Harvest Gold' by the London-based singer-songwriter Andrea Black.
Pye Records was best known for artistes such as Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhood of Man (1975–1979). The label changed its name to PRT Records (distributing as Precision Records & Tapes) in 1980, before being briefly reactivated as Pye Records in 2006.
In September 2024, Pye was relaunched by Currie, using a wind-powered pressing plant in Edinburgh to press its vinyl.[3]
- ^ "Iconic record label relaunches 40 years later on tiny Scottish island". The National. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "Kinks' classic record label revived after 40 years - and on vinyl". Wandsworth Times. 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "Kinks' classic record label revived after 40 years - and on vinyl". Your Local Guardian. 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2024-09-26.