Bobby Robinson owned a record shop in New York City. He established many record labels in the'50s and '60s. On some he was the sole owner, on others he was in partnership with his brother DannyRobinson or others. Among them were Red Robin Records, established in 1952 (Bobby and Danny),Whirlin' Disc Records, established in 1956 (Bobby), Fury Records, established in 1957 (Bobby), EverlastRecords, established in 1957 (Bobby and Danny), Fire Records, established in 1959 (Bobby), RevelationRecords, established in 1959 (Bobby, John Bowden and Clarence Lewis) and Enjoy Records,established in 1962 (Bobby and Danny). Bobby Robinson was a pivotal figure in the history of black music. Bobby (shown at right in his store inhis later years, courtesy of the New York Times) was born in Union, South Carolina, on April 16, 1917,and served in the US Army in World War II. After the war, he went to New York City and establishedBobby's Record Shop in 1946. The store was the first black-owned business on 125th Street in Harlem.Local musicians congregated in his record shop and Bobby became interested in recording and makingrecords. He established the Robin (later Red Robin) label in 1951. His first record was "Bobby's Boogie"by Morris Lane's Band, but he soon began concentrating on what today is known as doo wop. Herecorded local groups including the Du Droppers, Vocaleers, Mello-Moods and the Rainbows. Therecords were successful in the New York City area and these doo wop records are some of the mostprized records of the genre. Bobby went on to establish many other record labels and soon enjoyednational success.Red Robin and Whirlin' Disc recorded mostly vocal group rhythm and blues music. Originally, Fury wasestablished as a record label and Fire was to be the publishing arm. When Bobby Robinson issued"Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison in March, 1959, it was a sensation and went to the top of the singlescharts. At the height of this success, Robinson was sued by Savoy Records who, unknown to Bobby,had Wilbert Harrison under a 5 year contract that was to expire in August 1959. Because Fury was tiedup in litigation, Robinson began releasing material on the Fire Record label. The litigation lasted untilSeptember, 1959, and prevented Robinson from issuing any follow-up Wilbert Harrison records while hewas so hot. Fire Records became known as a blues label and issued albums by Lightnin' Hopkins, Buster Brown and Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup. Bobby Robinson made occasional forays into New Orleanswhere he recorded Lee Dorsey and Bobby Marchan. The Revelation label was the Bobby Robinson gospel label. It operated from 1959 to 1962. RevelationRecords was operated by Bobby Robinson, John Bowden and Clarence "Fats" Lewis (see business cardat right). It was located at 271 West 125th Street in New York City with the Fire and Fury labels. JohnBowden was a gospel record producer and promotion man. Most of the singles on this label indicateJohn Bowden Productions where a producer is mentioned.The biggest hits produced by Robinson were "Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison which soldover 2 million records, with "Fannie Mae" by Buster Brown and "Ya Ya" by Lee Dorsey both sellingover one million records. In addition to these artists, he also had hits with Elmore James (some of hisbest work), Gladys Knight and the Pips (their first recordings), Lewis Lymon and the Teen Chords,Bobby Marchan, King Curtis, Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford, and Les Cooper.Robinson leased the music from his labels Fire, Fury, and Revelation to Bell records in 1965. Bellreissued much of it on their Sphere Sound subsidiary label. Bobby Robinson continued to issue records into the 1980s. Amazingly, in the late 70s he produced thefirst hip hop records by recording Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, issuing the group's recordson his Enjoy label. Robinson continued to operate his record shop until it closed on January 21, 2008.He died at age 93 on January 17, 2011.Of the many labels, only Fire, Fury, Everlast, Enjoy and Revelation issued albums and are covered inthe following album discographies. We have also included a singlesdiscography for the multiple labels owned by Robinson. As for stereo, the entire stereo story hasonly been heard on CD. The Robinsons' labels boasted "The Ultimate in Monaural Sound," and we knowof no stereo issues on Fire, Fury, Enjoy, Everlast or Revelation (with the exception of some post-1970singles). The Sphere Sound LPs were mono also (although some albums were reissued in electronicstereo). It was only in the 1990s, when Little Walter DeVenne obtained the original multitracks fromBobby Robinson, that the material began being issued in true stereo on the Relic label. For that reason,several CD issues are appended to this discography to illustrate the many songs recorded in stereo. The first Fire label (far left) was white with red print, FIRE at the top in white surrounded by red flames. The second Fire label (near left) was red with black print, FIRE at the top in red surrounded by blackflames. The Fury label (far left) was yellow with black printing. A horse logo is coming out of a tornado whichstarts at the center of the record. The Enjoy label (near left) was gold with blue print. The first Everlast label (far left) was orange with black print, with the Everlast name on the top. Thesecond Everlast label was orange and white, with the Everlast name written vertically down the left side. The Revelation label (far left) was purple with silver print, with the label name in block letters at the top.At near left is Bell Records' subsidiary Sphere Sound label. Many of the Sphere Sound albums werereissues of Fire-Fury-Revelation-Enjoy-Everlast material. We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is aninformation web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have noassociation with Fire/Fury Records or any of their subsidiaries. Should you be interested in acquiringalbums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow theinstructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 1997, 2019 by Mike Callahan.
Everlast Discography (1989 2011)
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