Details
- Reference NumberARC-0002
- Level of descriptioncollection
- TitleSire Records Collection
- Date1966-1994, undated
- Size72 (Linear feet)
- Scope and ContentsThe Sire Records Collection documents two distinct eras of the record company founded by Seymour Stein. The first era dates from 1966 to 1980 and consists of hundreds of audiotapes from Sire's recording sessions. The music genres documented on these tapes include blues, progressive rock, and punk rock. Artists include the Climax Blues Band, the Dead Boys, Flamin' Groovies, Richard Hell, and the Stanky Brown Group. The second era of Sire Records began when the company became part of Warner Brothers, and this part of the collection contains 19 cartons of artist and business files that date from 1976 to 1994. These files are primarily correspondence regarding contracts and recordings and often include promotional materials such as photographs. The two musical genres best represented in the files are new wave and pop. Notable artists documented here are Depeche Mode, Madonna, The Ramones, and the Talking Heads. The Sire Records Collection provides insight into how artists were signed to a major record label, and it demonstrates the personal involvement that Stein had with the majority of the artists he discovered.
- Biography / Administrative HistoryChronology
- Timeline1966: Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer found Sire Productions.
1973: Sire releases first hit song, <title render="doublequote">Hocus Pocus</title>, by the Dutch progressive rock band Focus.
1975: Signs the Ramones and Talking Heads.
1976: Forms North American distribution deal with Warner Brothers Records.
1978: Forms joint venture with Warner Brothers.
1980: Warner Brothers purchases Sire.
1982: Sire signs Madonna.
1995: Partnership with Warner Brothers dissolves. - Publication NoteNeglia, Jose Vincente. "The Untold Story of the 'Rejected 12' from Lenny Kaye's Nuggets, or How I Learned to Love the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame." Ugly Things, 46 (Winter 2017): 41-42.
- NotesCitation: [Identification of item], Sire Records Collection, Library and Archives, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Acquisition Note: The Sire Records Collection was received by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. as a gift from Seymour Stein on January 31, 2003. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. transferred the collection to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. on March 31, 2011.
Processing Information: Processed by Anastasia Karel, Assistant Archivist. Completed November 10, 2010. Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS and local processing manual. - AccessCollection is open for research. Patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights statement on the Researcher Registration form before using this collection. Select original documents are closed. These items are noted at the file level. Patrons must use digital or physical facsimiles of originals. Audiotapes in the collection are on defunct media and, therefore, are RESTRICTED. Access copies of these materials will have to be created prior to use. Consult the Library and Archives staff in advance of your visit to ensure access to these materials is available.
- UseThe copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. For more information, please consult the staff of the Library and Archives.
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