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Challenge Records

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Can anybody direct me to a comprehensive historical account of Challenge Records location and activities (post Gene Autry) please, beyond a discography? Cant seem to find one on-line. The 'Dial 3' CD notes any good?

Cheers Mark

Edited by Windlesoul

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  • Windlesoul
    Windlesoul

    Yeh I know Bob, need the label background info for some distantly related research on a particular artist. Was it always Hollywood, LA based? Address ever change?

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Yeh I know Bob, need the label background info for some distantly related research on a particular artist.

Was it always Hollywood, LA based? Address ever change?

Edited by Windlesoul

Jimmy Seals - The Yesterday Of Our Love on Challenge - people keep saying this is Jim Seals of Seals & Crofts - surely not though, the singer sounds like a black guy?  I realise that he was a member of The Champs who were on Challenge but he joined after their hits I think.

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I'm sure I saw it says he played sax somewhere too Pete.

 

For such a humongous label I assume a lot of product was leased in and not from LA? There's at least some Memphis stuff there.

I'm sure I saw it says he played sax somewhere too Pete.

 

For such a humongous label I assume a lot of product was leased in and not from LA? There's at least some Memphis stuff there.

 

I heard that too but I think it might be an urban legend which came about simply because he joined The Champs, but it was after Tequila.

Jimmy Seals - The Yesterday Of Our Love on Challenge - people keep saying this is Jim Seals of Seals & Crofts - surely not though, the singer sounds like a black guy?  I realise that he was a member of The Champs who were on Challenge but he joined after their hits I think.

Sounding black, sorry Pete but never to my ears ! It's apealling but poppy sounding. The Urban Legend I can understand where you going with that. But. have you ever listen to the flip side ? That's a first hint about this "sounding black" any wich way. It just doesn't. I never got to much in the "yesterday of our love" since it sounded "garragy-poppy" to my ears. As well as it is northern soul, but so are many other things that are not soul at all  If it's really Jimmy Seals to become Seals & Croft, that for fact, I don't know but it could makes sense. If I were really into it to own it and crave about it, I would dig into it. I'm just not. Wikipedia has a story around it I remember. But, hey, Wiki is...

Some info here that suggests he's one and the same:

 

Challenge Records released "Train To Nowhere" as a single on January 15, 1958, with "Tequila" on the B-side. Because Flores was under contract with RPM, credit was given to "Chuck Rio," which became his permanent adopted stage name. The new group was called "The Champs," although there clearly was no cohesive group per se. Burgess did record three new songs for "The Champs" on January 20, but any vocal direction was quickly scuttled by the immediate mania surrounding "Tequila." The instrumental B-side not only charted quickly, it shot up the charts in short order, and hit number one on March 28, 1958. A rival version by Eddie Platt also charted and peaked at no. 20.

 

A touring group was quickly assembled to capitalize on the success of "Tequila," consisting of Chuck Rio on sax, Dave Burgess on rhythm guitar, Dale Norris on lead (Buddy Bruce declined), Joe Burnas on bass, and Gene Alden on drums. Another recording session took place on April 5, and Challenge had enough material to release the first Champs lp, "Go Champs Go." However, the subsequent stage shows were a disaster, and Rio and Burgess feuded. Rio and Alden quit the tour in June, and a frantic search for replacements began. (Chuck Rio returned to L.A., and began "Chuck Rio and the Originals" for Challenge Records; he later was associated with the Persuaders). Dave Burgess called Danny Wolfe, who in turned called Slim Willet in Abilene. Slim was a country singer, influential in Abilene and Dallas radio scene. He also was active in the popular "Big D" Jamborees of the 1950's there and operated the Winston record label out of his garage. Willet recorded local Texas musicians in various combinations, including a young Jimmy Seals on tenor sax and a young Dash Crofts on drums. The two were primarily playing with pianist Dean Beard as "Dean Beard and the Four Pals" and "Dean Beard and the Crew Cats." Seals sax was remarkably similar in tone in Rio's.

 

https://www.sealsandcrofts.com/champs.html

 

and from the same Seals and Croft site:

 

In 1964-65, as The Champs were winding down, Jimmy Seals released four 45 rpm records under the Challenge label. It was the first time he had been featured as a singer-songwriter. None of the singles charted:

 

Wish For You, Want For You, Wait For You/Runaway Heart (9153)

Lady Heartbreak/Grounded (9200)

Everybody's Doing the Jerk/Wahoo

She's Not a Bad Girl/The Yesterday of Our Love

 

https://www.sealsandcrofts.com/jimmyseals.html

Jimmy Seals - The Yesterday Of Our Love on Challenge - people keep saying this is Jim Seals of Seals & Crofts - surely not though, the singer sounds like a black guy?  I realise that he was a member of The Champs who were on Challenge but he joined after their hits I think.

 

Edit: WHOOPS! Just realised that I wrote pretty much the same thing as Godzilla above, but anyway, here goes:

 

It defintiely is the Jim Seals. John Trombatore who was a band member in The Champs alongside Jim Seals, co-wrote some of his CHALLENGE sides and later also turned up as a co-writer on songs from the first couple of Seals & Crofts albums.

 

https://www.sealsandcrofts.com/jimmyseals.html

Edited by Sebastian

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