CHRISTIAN RECORD LABELS
Light Records
is a part of the Compendia Music Group which is a
division of Sheridan Square Entertainment, New York, NY 10011
Compendia Music Group
210 25th Avenue North, Suite 1200
Nashville, TN 37203
Telephone: (615)
277-1800
For email addresses, see the Compendia Music
Contact page.
Current Artists:
Minneapolis Gospel Sound, Rizen, Bishop Paul S.
Morton, Earl Bynum, Gary Mayes, Bridgette Campbell, Benita Washington,
Youthful Praise, Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Women’s
Mass Choir, Kidz Shout, Christopher Lewis, Light Records Classic Gold
Series, Mighty Clouds of Joy and Stellar Awards Hits 2003.
Music Categories:
Gospel
History:
Light Records and Lexicon Music publishing
were founded in 1966 by Ralph Carmichael as a joint venture with Jarrell McCracken’s Word Records in Waco,
Texas. Carmichael would provide the music; Word, the publishing and
distribution.
Early artists on Light included daughter Kim (Carol) Carmichael,
the Carmichael Young People, Ralph Carmichael’s 102
Strings recordings, Jimmy Durante (singing in his
staccato voice such hymns as Beyond The
Sunset with the Ralph Carmichael
Orchestra), Sue Raney, and Thurl Ravenscroft (the voice of Tony the Tiger in cereal commercials).
Carmichael took Light into Gospel music early with the
signing of Andrae Crouch & the
Disciples in 1968. Other gospel artists on
Light included the Winans, Walter Hawkins and Bob Bailey
.
Contemporary Light artists included the Allies, Bryan Duncan, Resurection Band, and Sweet Comfort Band.
In 1974, Word, Inc. was sold to ABC, and in June of 1980,
Carmichael bought Word's half of Lexicon/Light from ABC/Capitol Cities, and
Light had an address in Newbury Park, California.
Light Records was acquired by Platinum Entertainment in
1993.
In 2001, Platinum
Entertainment filed for Chapter 11
reorganization. In January 2002, Platinum emerged from bankruptcy as Compendia Music Group, and
the Light label was reborn as a Gospel music label.
The Compendia Music Group was acquired by Sheridan Square Entertainment in December 2004.
Some information is from Ralph Carmichael’s
autobiography, He’s Everything To Me, copyright 1986 by Ralph Carmichael, published by Word
Books, out-of-print. Additional information is from various Internet
sources.
