Hanson (band) 2001-05: Independent career Whose independent career was this? In the early to mid-1990s, Isaac, Taylor and Zac sang a cappella and recorded such classic songs as "Rockin' Robin", "Splish Splash" and "Johnny B. Goode", Which other songs did they record? The band recorded two independent albums in their hometown of Tulsa, Boomerang (recorded in autumn 1994, released in 1995) and MMMBop (released in 1996). Did those two albums feature their a cappella singing? All three boys started their musical careers as pianists, but Isaac eventually started playing guitar and Zac started playing drums, while Taylor continued as the keyboard player. Are there any other interesting aspects about this article? The boys then found themselves at the South By Southwest (aka SXSW) music festival in Austin, Did they perform at that festival? There, they were promptly signed by manager Christopher Sabec. He shopped them to several record companies, Which record company signed them? Mercury. Did any other companies want to sign them? After this performance, they were signed almost immediately by Mercury.
What did they release under the mercury label?
What did Hanson release under the mercury label?
In the early to mid-1990s, Isaac, Taylor and Zac sang a cappella and recorded such classic songs as "Rockin' Robin", "Splish Splash" and "Johnny B. Goode", as well as their own material. Their first performance as a professional group took place in 1992 at the Mayfest Arts Festival in Tulsa. They were known as the Hanson Brothers, before shortening the name to Hanson in 1993. Hanson also appeared on Carman's Yo! Kidz: The Vidz, which cast Taylor as a young Biblical David facing Goliath, Isaac as an event announcer, and Zac and other members of the family in the stands cheering on this "sporting event". All three boys started their musical careers as pianists, but Isaac eventually started playing guitar and Zac started playing drums, while Taylor continued as the keyboard player. The band recorded two independent albums in their hometown of Tulsa, Boomerang (recorded in autumn 1994, released in 1995) and MMMBop (released in 1996). The latter featured the original version of the song "MMMBop", which would later become the runaway single on their debut commercial record Middle of Nowhere. The boys then found themselves at the South By Southwest (aka SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas. There, they were promptly signed by manager Christopher Sabec. He shopped them to several record companies, most of which dismissed the band as either a novelty or fraud before Steve Greenberg, an A&R representative for Mercury Records, heard them play a set at the Wisconsin State Fair. After this performance, they were signed almost immediately by Mercury. They soon became a worldwide sensation with the release of their first major-label album, Middle of Nowhere, which was produced by Stephen Lironi and the Dust Brothers. Middle of Nowhere was released in the US on May 6, 1997, selling 10 million copies worldwide. May 6 was declared 'Hanson Day' in Tulsa by Oklahoma's then-governor Frank Keating. Although 'Hanson Day' was originally intended to be a one-time occurrence, many Hanson fans all over the world still recognize May 6 as Hanson Day every year. Hanson's popularity exploded during the summer of 1997, and Mercury Records released Hanson's first documentary Tulsa, Tokyo, and the Middle of Nowhere and their Christmas album Snowed In in the wake of their success. Hanson also launched MOE (which stood for Middle of Everywhere), a fan club magazine that ran for 12 issues. After numerous unauthorized biographies of each of the brothers were published, Hanson turned to their close friend, Jarrod Gollihare of Admiral Twin, to write their authorized biography. Hanson: The Official Book reached number 9 on the New York Times Best Sellers List (nonfiction) on February 1, 1998. The band was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1998: Record of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. During the summer of 1998, Hanson began a highly successful concert tour, the Albertane Tour. They performed a string of shows throughout stadiums and arenas in the US, targeting young audiences with a playful and energetic style. A live album, titled Live From Albertane, was released the following fall, as well as their second documentary The Road to Albertane. In response to the demand for their earlier work, Hanson re-released MMMBop as 3 Car Garage, minus four tracks, in May 1998. To date, the tracks from Boomerang have not been re-released. Three tracks from Boomerang ("Boomerang", "More Than Anything", and "Rain (Falling Down)") and two of the remaining tracks from MMMBop ("Incredible" and "Baby (You're So Fine)") were released on the first MOE CD sent to fan club members. During the Albertane Tour, Hanson wrote and demoed what would later become the songs for their second major studio album, This Time Around. During this time period, Mercury Records, the band's label, had been merged with Island Def Jam. Almost immediately following the changeover in May 2000, Hanson released their second album, This Time Around, but due to lack of promotional funding, sales were low and the label eventually pulled funding for their tour. The band toured through the summer and fall of 2000 on their own funds. After a three-year struggle, the brothers left Island Def Jam Records to seek more creative freedom. Label executives had refused over 80 songs from the band, believing new material lacked marketability. The documentary film Strong Enough to Break follows these events. Hanson now records for their own independent label, 3CG Records. The label has distribution deals through Alternative Distribution Alliance in the United States, Cooking Vinyl in Europe, Sony Music in Asia and with various other distributors throughout the world. During the dispute with their former label, Hanson signed with the management company, 10th Street Entertainment, which also manages artists such as Meat Loaf and Blondie. The band's Underneath Acoustic tour occurred during the Summer and Fall of 2003. Music included acoustic versions of songs from the then-forthcoming release, Underneath. The tour ended November 5, 2003 with a performance at Carnegie Hall. Released on April 20, 2004, Underneath sold 37,500 copies in the first week of release in the US alone. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and No. 25 on the Billboard 200 album chart, making Underneath one of the most successful self-released albums of all time. In autumn 2005, Hanson toured in the US and Canada to support The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric. They also visited colleges to showcase Strong Enough to Break, the documentary chronicling difficulties with and departure from Island Def Jam. During college visits, the band held question-and-answer sessions about independent artists' role in the music industry. CANNOTANSWER
Middle of Nowhere was released in the US on May 6, 1997,
Hanson is an American pop rock band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, formed by brothers Isaac Hanson (guitar, vocals, bass, piano), Taylor Hanson (keyboards, vocals, percussion), and Zac Hanson (drums, vocals, piano). Supporting members include Dimitrius Collins (guitar) and Andrew Perusi (bass), who have toured and performed live with the band since 2007. They are best known for the 1997 hit song "MMMBop" from their debut album released through Mercury/Polygram Records, entitled Middle of Nowhere, which earned three Grammy nominations. The group's label Mercury Records was merged with its sister labels and the band was moved to Island Def Jam Music Group. After releasing one album on Island Def Jam, the label and the group parted ways. Hanson has sold over 16 million records worldwide and have had three Top 20 albums in the United States. They have had three Top 20 US Hot 100 singles and eight UK Top 20 singles. The band now records under its own independent record label, 3CG Records.

History

1992–1996: Early years
In the early to mid-1990s, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac sang a cappella and recorded such classic songs as "Rockin' Robin", "Splish Splash", and "Johnny B. Goode", as well as their own material. Their first performance as a professional group took place in 1992 at the Mayfest Arts Festival in Tulsa. They were known as the Hanson Brothers, before shortening the name to Hanson in 1993.

Hanson also appeared on Carman's Yo! Kidz: The Vidz, which cast Taylor as a young Biblical David facing Goliath, Isaac as an event announcer, and Zac and other members of the family in the stands cheering on this "sporting event".

All three boys started their musical careers as pianists, but Isaac eventually started playing guitar and Zac started playing drums, while Taylor continued as the keyboard player. The band recorded two independent albums in their hometown of Tulsa, Boomerang (recorded in autumn 1994, released in 1995) and MMMBop (released in 1996). The latter featured the original version of the song "MMMBop", which later became the runaway single on their debut commercial record Middle of Nowhere. The band played in Austin during the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, which led to them being signed by manager Christopher Sabec. He shopped them to several record companies, most of which dismissed the band as a novelty before Steve Greenberg, an A&R representative for Mercury Records, heard them play a set at the Wisconsin State Fair. After this performance, they were signed almost immediately by Mercury. They soon became a worldwide sensation with the release of their first major-label album, Middle of Nowhere, which was produced by Stephen Lironi and the Dust Brothers.

1997–2000: Commercial success

Middle of Nowhere was released in the US on May 6, 1997, selling 10 million copies worldwide. May 6 was declared 'Hanson Day' in Tulsa by Oklahoma's then-governor Frank Keating. Although 'Hanson Day' was originally intended to be a one-time occurrence, many Hanson fans all over the world still recognize May 6 as Hanson Day every year. Hanson's popularity exploded during the summer of 1997, and Mercury Records released Hanson's first documentary Tulsa, Tokyo, and the Middle of Nowhere and their Christmas album Snowed In in the wake of their success.  Hanson also launched MOE (which stood for Middle of Everywhere), a fan club magazine that ran for 12 issues. After numerous unauthorized biographies of each of the brothers were published, Hanson turned to their close friend, Jarrod Gollihare of Admiral Twin, to write their authorized biography.  Hanson: The Official Book reached number 9 on the New York Times Best Sellers List (nonfiction) on February 1, 1998. The band was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1998: Record of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. During the summer of 1998, Hanson began a highly successful concert tour, the Albertane Tour.  They performed a string of shows throughout stadiums and arenas in the US, targeting young audiences with a playful and energetic style.  A live album, titled Live From Albertane, was released the following fall, as well as their second documentary The Road to Albertane.

In response to the demand for their earlier work, Hanson re-released MMMBop as 3 Car Garage, minus four tracks, in May 1998. Three tracks from Boomerang ("Boomerang", "More Than Anything", and "Rain (Falling Down)") and two of the remaining tracks from MMMBop ("Incredible" and "Baby (You're So Fine)") were released on the first MOE CD sent to fan club members.

During the Albertane Tour, Hanson wrote and demoed what became the songs for their second major studio album, This Time Around. During this time period, Mercury Records, the band's label, had been merged with Island Def Jam. Almost immediately following the changeover in May 2000, Hanson released their second album, This Time Around, but due to lack of promotional funding, sales were low and the label eventually pulled funding for their tour. The band toured through the summer and fall of 2000 on their own funds.

2001–2005: Independent career
After a three-year struggle, the brothers left Island Def Jam Records to seek more creative freedom. Label executives had refused over 80 songs from the band, believing new material lacked marketability. The documentary film Strong Enough to Break follows these events.

Hanson now records for their own independent label, 3CG Records. The label has distribution deals through Alternative Distribution Alliance in the United States, Cooking Vinyl in Europe, Sony Music in Asia and with various other distributors throughout the world.  During the dispute with their former label, Hanson signed with the management company, 10th Street Entertainment, which also manages artists such as Meat Loaf and Blondie.

The band's Underneath Acoustic tour occurred during the Summer and Fall of 2003. Music included acoustic versions of songs from the then-forthcoming release, Underneath. The tour ended November 5, 2003 with a performance at Carnegie Hall.

Released on April 20, 2004, Underneath sold 37,500 copies in the first week of release in the US alone. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and No. 25 on the Billboard 200 album chart, making Underneath one of the most successful self-released albums of all time.

In autumn 2005, Hanson toured in the US and Canada to support The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric. They also visited colleges to showcase Strong Enough to Break, the documentary chronicling difficulties with and departure from Island Def Jam. During college visits, the band held question-and-answer sessions about independent artists' role in the music industry.

2006–2008: The Walk and tenth anniversary
On January 15, 2007, Hanson released on iTunes the first episode of their documentary podcast "Taking the Walk", detailing production of the studio album. The first episode of the band's documentary Strong Enough to Break was also released on iTunes. The program is edited into 13 episodes for release by podcast.

In March 2007, Hanson began a "preview tour" to promote The Walk and give fans a taste of recent work. Over six days, Hanson performed at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, Toad's Place in New Haven, Connecticut, The Crocodile Rock in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and The Supper Club in New York City. On March 30, Taylor and Zac appeared in Dallas, TX to screen their documentary at the AFI Film Festival. Afterward, the brothers held a Q&A session along with director Ashley Greyson. Hanson performed in the UK during April 2007, playing songs from The Walk. They also promoted the release of the single "Go" and the UK release of the album.

The Walk, Hanson's second studio album with 3CG Records (Fourth overall), was released in the US, Mexico and Canada on July 24. It was released in Japan on February 21 and in the UK on April 30. As part of this album, the band hosted "Take the Walk" events with fans encouraged to walk one mile to raise money and awareness of AIDS/HIV in Africa. The band partnered with Tom's Shoes to give shoes to children in Africa.

On May 6, 2007, the 10th anniversary of Hanson Day, the band re-recorded their first major label album, Middle Of Nowhere, at The Blank Slate bar in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The band invited fan club members, causing hundreds to fly to Oklahoma for the acoustic event.  Hanson played concerts in the summer of 2007, supporting release of The Walk.  The band appeared in Providence, Boston, New York City, Toronto, and Los Angeles.
The record Middle of Nowhere Acoustic was released at the end of that year, exclusively on Hanson.net. The record included all but three songs of those originally in Middle of Nowhere ("Speechless", "Thinking of You" and "With You in Your Dreams") and featured the song Yearbook, never performed live before.

2009–2012: Shout It Out
In June 2009, Hanson completed the album Shout It Out and planned to release it on June 8, 2010. The band also announced that they would be co-headlining a tour with Hellogoodbye. The tour started in Hanson's hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on September 30, 2009 and finished November 11, 2009 in Anaheim, California.

Hanson also released a five-song EP titled Stand Up, Stand Up that was available at shows and on the band's official website. The tracks are acoustic versions of four new Hanson songs, plus the album version of "World's on Fire" which was originally going to be on their album Shout It Out but was ultimately left off the album. It was released worldwide on iTunes on December 8, 2009.In December 2009, Hanson announced they would play five consecutive concerts at New York's Gramercy Theater. Each concert featured one of the band's four previous albums in its entirety, and the premiere of their upcoming Spring 2010 release. Dubbed 'Five of Five', the engagement began with a performance of Hanson's debut, Middle of Nowhere, on April 26, 2010 and then moved onto 2000's This Time Around on April 27, 2004's Underneath followed on April 28 with 2007's The Walk on April 29. On April 30, the band unveiled their new album, Shout It Out. The concert series was also streamed live on band's official website, Hanson.net, and included an exclusive "Backstage Pass" stream for fan club members. On March 6, 2010, Hanson shot dance and other sequences for their upcoming music video of their new single, "Thinking 'Bout Somethin'", at Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa. Hanson recruited professional dancers for the shoot and also invited fans and local residents to take part in the video, which is an homage to the Blues Brothers. The video was directed by Todd Edwards, co-founder of Blue Yonder Films. It was released for public viewing on their MySpace channel on April 15, 2010. "Weird Al" Yankovic has a cameo appearance as the tambourine player. On June 8, 2010, Hanson's fifth studio record was released. Shout It Out debuted at number 30 on the Billboard 200, number 2 on the Indie chart, and No. 16 on the digital chart. On June 15, 2010, the band's free concert at the South Street Seaport in New York City rather incongruously ended in a riot after an estimated 20,000 fans showed up at a venue which could only accommodate half that many people. The rapper Drake was also on the bill. Hanson offered a "platinum package" of their Shout it Out record which included artwork hand-painted by the band's members. In October 2010, Hanson released "The 113 Painting Book" which includes the paintings they created for these packages. To promote their new album, Shout It Out, Hanson toured from July 2010 through November 2010. The tour kicked off in Buffalo, NY on July 21, with the final show in Toronto, Ont., on November 23. Throughout the tour, the band broadcast live streams from their website. The footage included introducing the local musician winners of their opening band contest, a few full length concerts, and walks with fans to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa for their Take the Walk Campaign. One of the most notable concerts included two days in November at Walt Disney World Resort's Food and Wine Festival for the Eat to the Beat concert series.

The band released a second single from Shout It Out in 2011. "Give a Little" reached Top 40 on the US Hot AC charts, making it the first top 40 hit for the band since their 2000 single "If Only".

The band resumed their touring activity in September 2011. The US Musical Ride Tour lasted from September 4 to November 1. Starting on November 6 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, they proceeded to tour Latin America and Europe in order to promote their Shout It Out album internationally. In early 2012, they toured Canada with Carly Rae Jepsen. Later in 2012, they took the Shout It Out world Tour to Philippines and Australia as well.

2013–2019: Anthem, Finally It's Christmas and String Theory
Their sixth album Anthem was released on June 18, 2013. The album charted at number 22 on the US Billboard 200, making it their eighth album to reach the top 40 of the Billboard 200; the album also peaked at number 5 on the US Independent Albums chart. The first single is titled "Get the Girl Back", which was released on April 9, 2013. The single charted at number 39 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs.

On October 23, 2013, Hanson served as guest judges on the popular show Cupcake Wars. Four cupcake bakers fought to the finish for the chance at having their cupcakes at a concert and an after party with the band, and a $10,000 prize.

On March 16, 2017, Hanson announced their 25th anniversary tour called "Middle of Everywhere: 25th Anniversary Tour"  to celebrate the band's first signed album release.

Hanson released their second Christmas album, Finally It's Christmas, on October 27, 2017. They also performed a Finally It's Christmas special, which can be found on YouTube. In 2018, they performed backing vocals on the title song for Mike Love's solo album Reason for the Season.

In July 2018, Hanson announced a symphonic tour and accompanying album, titled String Theory, inspired by their bucket list desire to play with a symphony orchestra at iconic venues such as the Sydney Opera House and the Greek Theatre. The tour began in August 2018 and saw them touring the world performing with the backing of local symphony orchestras. The album was released on November 9, 2018 with the symphonic composition recorded in Prague, lead by Academy award winning arranger David Campbell. Hanson performed their highlight shows at the Sydney Opera House in Australia over the two nights of March 4th and 5th 2019. Their parents, Walker and Diana, flew to Australia to see their sons perform in the hallowed space. Whilst in Australia, the band played some side gigs at The Melbourne Zoo without the orchestra backing.

On September 13, 2019, Hanson announced their Wintry Mix tour in North America, featuring Paul McDonald and Joshua and the Holy Rollers, led by the youngest Hanson brother, Mac Hanson.

During the Wintry Mix tour, Zac Hanson was injured in a motorcycle accident on October 2, 2019. Despite the incident, the tour continued, with Zac on percussions and former HAIM drummer Dash Hutton filling in for him.

Other projects and appearances
Hanson occasionally host a song writing retreat known as Fools Banquet (sporadically between 2004–2015), where they invite musician friends to spend a week collaborating on writing and recording new songs. In the early years, most of the songs that came from Fools Banquet collaborations featured on Hanson's fan club only albums. Artists that have attended over the years include Andrew W.K., Ben Kweller, Imani Coppola, Sandra McCracken, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Adam Green and Pedro Yanowitz. Some songs that have been born and released as a result of Fools Banquet collaborations have been: We are All Women released by Andrew W.K. and Battle Cry released by Hanson.

Back to the Island (BTTI) is a week long destination concert event for fans that is held annually at a resort in Jamaica. During BTTI, attendees have the opportunity to participate in exclusive events with each member of the band, obtain exclusive merchandise, plus see the band give live performances.

In early 2009, Taylor Hanson launched a separate project including members of Smashing Pumpkins, Fountains of Wayne and Cheap Trick called Tinted Windows, a power pop quartet whose debut album quickly earned critical praise and repeat airplay on leading syndicated FM radio programs.

Hanson was the musical guest at the Tulsa stop of The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour starring Conan O'Brien on May 15, 2010. Conan accompanied the band in playing a cover of the song "Never Been to Spain" by American rock legends Three Dog Night.
In June 2010, Hanson performed with former American Idol contestant Siobhan Magnus.

As an April Fools' Day joke in 2011, Hanson covered the song "Wait and Bleed" by the heavy metal band Slipknot, and the website Shockhound claimed that Hanson would record an entire album of Slipknot covers.

On April 25, 2011, Hanson sang their hit "MMMBop" on the US version of Dancing with the Stars. The band also makes a cameo in Katy Perry's music video for her song "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)".

In May 2013, they launched their own beer: Mmmhops.
The Hanson brothers partnered with craft beer company Mustang Brewing to create the drink as their way of raising a toast to their 21st anniversary.  Hanson shared the first taste of the beer with those attending the premiere of The Hangover Part 3.

Hanson appeared as dining room guests in the 15th episode of Hell's Kitchen Season 13.

In 2015, Hanson appeared on Blues Traveler's album Blow Up the Moon, co writing the song "Top of the World". In June 2015, they appeared on Owl City's fifth studio album, Mobile Orchestra, in the song "Unbelievable" as his third single for the album.

In July 2016, the group performed on ABC's Greatest Hits.

In 2016, the band performed the song "Him or Me", a cover of the song by Paul Revere & the Raiders, on Bun E. Carlos' solo album called "Greetings From Bunezuela!"

On May 29, 2017 (Memorial Day), Hanson performed live on ABC's Good Morning America to commemorate their 25th year together and promote their new song.

In 2019, the band made a cameo appearance in Australian soap opera Neighbours.

In 2021, Hanson competed in season five of The Masked Singer as the "Russian Dolls", being the first band to compete on the series. The character performed in two costumes during the first and fifth performances and performed in three costumes for the second and third performances. Performances that utilized four costumes had one of them being used as a prop. When unmasked by Nick Cannon and the Men in Black on Week 9 of the fifth season, Taylor, Isaac, and Zac Hanson were underneath the main Russian Doll costume.

Controversies 
Hanson faced backlash after a copy of Zac's Pinterest account leaked in 2020, which contained "a trove of pro-gun memes, many of which were racist, transphobic, homophobic, and sexist." Examples of the posts on the now-deleted account include memes supporting George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin, others comparing the right to use an AR-15 rifle with Rosa Parks's right to sit on a bus, as well as posts suggesting that men who "dress like a woman" have a mental illness. After first defending the posts, Zac apologized, saying, "The leaked Pinterest page provided a distorted view of the issues surrounding race and social justice, which do not reflect my personal beliefs. I apologize for the hurt my actions caused."

In November 2020, Isaac posted on Instagram that our governments' want to cancel Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter in the face of COVID," adding "I for one will not comply." He later apologized, saying, "What I shared was driven by an emotional reaction to a recent personal experience. ... I'm sorry for the pain and worry that my posts caused. I don't believe there is a group conspiring against Christmas, only that I hope value is placed on both practices of safety and of faith."

The band held a series of in-person concerts with accompanying livestreams in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from October 2020 to January 2021. Some fans took issue with the band holding these concerts amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Philanthropy
In July 2006, the band recorded with a school choir in Soweto, South Africa to create "Great Divide", which was released in the UK and U.S. through iTunes in December 2006.  All proceeds from the song were directed towards research and prevention of AIDS in Africa.

On September 10, 2007, Hanson began "The Walk Tour" in Nashville. During the tour, Hanson continued their work against poverty and AIDS in Africa, partnering with an American company, TOMS Shoes.  As part of TOMS' "Shoe Drop", for every pair of shoes sold, the company donated another pair for a child in Africa.

The Walk tour was suspended after Isaac underwent lifesaving surgery for a pulmonary embolism.  Doctors treated his condition by relieving blood flow restrictions caused by excess chest muscle and scar tissue from the repetitive motions of guitar playing.  The tour resumed with Midwest and East Coast dates March through May 2008.  

Hanson embarked on the "Walk Around the World Tour" starting on September 7, 2008, in Portland, Oregon, and ending November 16, 2008, in San Diego, California. Once again Hanson continued to help fight poverty in Africa by continuing their  walks before the shows. A coffee table book titled "Take the Walk" was released in late 2008 to coincide with their "Walk Around the World Tour". This book presents the band's story behind their inspiration for their fight on poverty in Africa. The book also features a special EP with new tracks recorded especially for the project. Both the music and the book will raise further funds for aid groups in Africa.

Hanson also joined the 9th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers.

Members

Isaac Hanson

Clarke Isaac Hanson was born on , in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the eldest of the three brothers in Hanson, and was eleven when the band started in 1992. He sings both backing and lead vocals and plays electric and acoustic guitar, as well as the piano, bass and the synthesizer. Isaac married Nikki Dufresne on September 30, 2006, in Tulsa at the Philbrook Museum of Art. Isaac met Dufresne after spotting her in the fifth row of a crowd at their 2003 New Orleans concert. They have three children.

Taylor Hanson

Jordan Taylor Hanson was born on , in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Taylor was nine when Hanson started in 1992. In Hanson, he sings both lead and backup vocals, and plays keyboard, percussion (including drums, bongos and the tambourine), guitar, harmonica, and piano. He is also the lead singer of supergroup Tinted Windows. On June 8, 2002, Taylor married Natalie Anne Bryant, whom he had first met in 2000. They have seven children.

Zac Hanson

Zachary Walker Hanson was born on , in Arlington, Virginia, and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the youngest of the three brothers in Hanson, and was six when the band started in 1992. He plays drums, percussion, piano, guitar and also sings backup and lead vocals in the band. Zac, at age 12 years and 126 days, is the  sixth-youngest Grammy nominee of all time. He holds the title of youngest songwriter nominated for a Grammy Award (same year). Zac married Kate Tucker on June 3, 2006. They have five children. On October 2, 2019, Zac was involved in a motorcycle accident in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which resulted in five broken bones: three broken ribs, a broken clavicle, and a cracked scapula.Zac and his family are also gamers, and currently run a gaming channel on YouTube named "Zaccidental Gamer", where they play such games as Minecraft Dungeons, Halo Infinite, and more.

Touring musicians

 Dimitrius Collins – guitar (2007–present)
 Andrew Perusi – bass (2007–present)

Touring substitutes
 Dash Hutton – drums and percussion (2019; substituted on drums for Zac Hanson during the Wintry Mix tour after the latter's injury)

Timeline

Discography

 Boomerang (1995)
 MMMBop (1996)
 Middle of Nowhere (1997)
 Snowed In (1997)
 This Time Around (2000)
 Underneath (2004)
 The Walk (2007)
 Shout It Out (2010)
 Anthem (2013)
 Finally It's Christmas (2017)
 String Theory (2018)
 Against the World (2021)

Tours
 Albertane Tour 
 This Time Around Tour 
 Underneath Acoustic Tour 
 Underneath Tour 
 Live and Electric Tour 
 The Walk Tour 
 The Walk Around the World Tour 
 Use Your Sole Tour 
 Shout It Out Tour 
 The Musical Ride Tour 
 Shout It Out World Tour 
 Anthem World Tour 
 Roots & Rock 'N' Roll Tour 
 Middle of Everywhere: 25th Anniversary Tour 
 Finally, It's Christmas Tour 
 String Theory Tour 
 Wintry Mix Tour

Filmography
 Yo! Kidz: The Vidz (1994)
 The Weird Al Show – S01E06 (October 18, 1997)
 Tulsa, Tokyo & the Middle of Nowhere (November 18, 1997)
 The Road to Albertane (November 3, 1998)
 Melrose Place (S07E19 – Usual Santas) (1999)
 Space Ghost Coast to Coast – S06E03 – Girl Hair (October 22, 1999)
 Noah Knows Best (November 18, 2000)
 At The Fillmore (April 24, 2001)
 Frank McKlusky, C.I. (2002)
 Sabrina the Teenage Witch (2002)
 Underneath Acoustic Live (July 27, 2004)
 Strong Enough to Break (2006)
 Taking The Walk (2008)
 5 of 5 (November 30, 2010)
 Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.), Katy Perry's Music Video (2011)
 Re:Made in America (2013)
 The Masked Singer (2021) - Russian Dolls

Awards and nominations
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Year !! Awards !! Work !! Category !! Result
|-
| rowspan="8"| 1997
| rowspan="3"| MTV Europe Music Awards
| "Where's the Love"
| MTV Select
| 
|-
| "MMMBop"
| Best Song
| 
|-
| rowspan="15"| Themselves
| Best New Act
| 
|-
| Denmark GAFFA Awards
| Foreign New Act
| 
|-
| rowspan="5"| Billboard Music Awards
| Top Pop Artist – Duo/Group 
| 
|-
| Top New Pop Artist
| 
|-
| Top Hot 100 Artist – Duo/Group 
| 
|-
| rowspan="2"| Top Billboard 200 Artist – Duo/Group
| 
|-
| rowspan="12"| 1998
| 
|-
| Japan Gold Disc Awards
| New Artist of the Year
| 
|-
| ECHO Awards
| Best International Newcomer
| 
|-
| World Music Awards
| World's Best Selling New Artist 
| 
|-
| rowspan="2"| Brit Awards
| Best International Group
| 
|-
| International Breakthrough Act
| 
|-
| rowspan="2"| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
| Favorite Group – Pop
| 
|-
| Favorite Group – New Artist 
| 
|-
| rowspan="2"| Kids' Choice Awards
| Favorite Music Group
| 
|-
| "MMMBop"
| Favorite Song
| 
|-
| rowspan="2"| NARM Awards
| Snowed In| Best Selling Holiday Album
| 
|-
| Live from Albertane''
| Best Selling Music Video
| 
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2005
| MTV Video Music Brazil
| "Penny & Me"
| Best International Video
| 
|-
| rowspan="2"| Lunas del Auditorio
| rowspan="2"| Themselves
| rowspan="2"| Best Foreign Pop Artist 
| 
|-
| 2012
|

References

External links

 

 
Mercury Records artists
American boy bands
American pop rock music groups
Family musical groups
Sibling musical trios
Musical groups established in 1992
Child musical groups
Teen pop groups
MTV Europe Music Award winners
Indie pop groups from Oklahoma
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Mercury Records was an American record label that had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Later Mercury was owned by Philips, PolyGram, and Universal Music Group. In the United States, it operated through Island Records; in the United Kingdom, it was distributed by EMI Records.

Since the separation of Island Records, Motown, Mercury Records, and Def Jam Recordings combining the Island Def Jam Music Group, Mercury Records has been placed under Island Records, although its back catalogue is still owned by the Island Def Jam Music Group (now Republic Records, EMI Records and Island Records).

Background
The success of Mercury Records has been attributed to the use of alternative marketing techniques to promote records. The conventional method of record promotion used by major labels such as RCA Victor, Decca Records, and Capitol Records was dependent on radio airplay, but Mercury Records founder Irving Green decided to promote new records using jukeboxes, instead. By lowering promotion costs, Mercury Records was able to compete with the more established record labels.

Beginnings
Mercury Record Corporation was formed in Chicago in 1945 by Irving Green, Berle Adams, Ray Greenberg, and Arthur Talmadge. They were a major force in R&B, doo wop, soul music, pop doo wop, pop soul, blues, pop, rock and roll, jazz and classical music. Early in the label's history, Mercury opened two pressing plants, one in Chicago and the other in St. Louis, Missouri. With the use of automatic presses and providing 24-hour turnaround, they aimed for direct competition with the major recording labels, Columbia, Decca, Capitol, and RCA Victor.

By hiring two promoters, Tiny Hill and Jimmy Hilliard, they penetrated the pop market with names such as Frankie Laine, Vic Damone, Tony Fontane, and Patti Page.

In 1946, Mercury hired Eddie Gaedel, an American with dwarfism, most notable for participating in a Major League Baseball game, to portray the "Mercury Man", complete with a winged hat similar to its logo, to promote Mercury recordings. Some early Mercury recordings featured a caricature of him as their logo.

In 1947, Jack Rael, a musician and publicist/manager, persuaded Mercury to let Patti Page (whom he managed) record a song that had been planned to be done by Vic Damone, "Confess". The budget was too small for them to hire a second singer to provide the "answer" parts to Page, so at Rael's suggestion, she did both voices. Though "overdubbing" had been used occasionally on 78-rpm discs in the 1930s, for Enrico Caruso and Elisabeth Schumann recordings, among others, this became the first documented example of "overdubbing" using tape.

The company released an enormous number of recordings under the Mercury label, as well as its subsidiaries (Blue Rock Records, Cumberland Records, EmArcy Records, Smash Records, and Wing Records, later via Fontana Records and Limelight Records after being absorbed by Philips). In addition, they leased and purchased material by independent labels and redistributed them.

Under their own label, Mercury released a variety of recording styles from classical music to psychedelic rock. Its subsidiaries, though, focused on their own specialized categories of music.

Mercury's jazz division

John Hammond brought his expertise and connections when Mercury bought Keynote Records in the late 1940s. Mercury, under its EmArcy label, released LPs by many post-swing and bebop artists, including Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Clark Terry, Dinah Washington, Nat and Cannonball Adderley, Ernestine Anderson, Sarah Vaughan, Maynard Ferguson, Jimmy Cleveland, Herb Geller, and others. By the early 1960s, Mercury was releasing jazz under the flagship label. Highlights of the early and mid-1960s included albums by Quincy Jones, Buddy Rich, Cannonball Adderley, Charles (then called Charlie) Mingus, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Max Roach, and others.

In the early 1950s, Norman Granz founded his own record company, Norgran Records, which later became Verve, and was purchased by MGM Records in 1961, later acquired by Polygram. Both Mercury and Verve are now owned by Universal Music Group, and Mercury's jazz library falls under the Verve division. Since the early 1990s, Verve has reissued many Mercury jazz titles on CD. In addition, Mosaic Records in Stamford, Connecticut, has issued several box sets spotlighting the Mercury and Verve recordings of multiple artists, including Max Roach, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, and Buddy Rich.

Later history:1950s - 

During the 1950s, Mercury released hits of musicians such as the Platters, Brook Benton, the Diamonds, and Patti Page.
In 1961, Philips, a Dutch electronics company and owner of Philips Records, which had lost its distribution deal with Columbia Records outside North America, played a key role in Mercury's future by signing an exchange agreement with the American Record Company. A year later, Mercury was sold to Consolidated Electronics Industries Corp. (Conelco), which was an affiliate of Philips under its U.S. Trust division; in 1963, Mercury switched British distribution from EMI to Philips.

In 1962, Mercury began marketing a line of phonographs made by Philips bearing the Mercury brand name.

In July 1967, Mercury Records became the first U.S. record label to release cassette music tapes (Musicassettes).

In 1969, Mercury changed its corporate name to Mercury Record Productions Inc., while its parent Conelco became North American Philips Corp. (NAPC) after Philips bought control of the company.

Philips and German Electronics giant Siemens reorganized their joint-ventured record operations, Grammophon-Philips Group, home of Deutsche Grammophon, Philips Records, and Polydor to become PolyGram in 1972. That year, PolyGram bought Mercury from NAPC. Mercury's corporate name was changed to Phonogram Inc. to match a related company in the UK that operated the Mercury label there. During the 1970s, Mercury released hits of musicians such as Paper Lace "The Night Chicago Died", Rod Stewart, Daniel Moone, BTO and 10cc.

From late 1974 to early 1983, the company's label design featured a painting of three famous Chicago buildings: Marina City, John Hancock Center, and One IBM Plaza which was Mercury headquarters during that period, having moved from its long-time address at 35 East Wacker Drive in Chicago. From 70s to 80s, Mercury released albums of funk bands such as Ohio Players, the Bar-Kays, Con Funk Shun, Cameo, Kool and the Gang, and the Gap band.

In 1980, Phonogram moved its headquarters from Chicago to New York City.  In 1981, Mercury, along with other U.S. PolyGram-owned labels, which included Polydor, RSO Records, and Casablanca, consolidated under the new name PolyGram Records, Inc.

Under PolyGram, Mercury absorbed the artists and catalogue of Casablanca Records (also home to the 20th Century Records back catalogue), which consisted of hard rockers Kiss and disco stars Donna Summer and the Village People, and primarily became a rock/pop label with Kiss, Scorpions, Rush, John Cougar Mellencamp, Kurtis Blow, Tears for Fears, Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Treat, Candy, and Def Leppard.

Mercury, by having Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Def Leppard, Kiss, Candy, and Scorpions on their roster, was a premiere label for glam metal. Most of these bands were on Vertigo Records in Europe (that label specialized in progressive rock and hard rock including subgenres like glam metal).

In late 1998, PolyGram was bought by Seagram, which then absorbed the company into its Universal Music Group unit. Under the reorganization, Mercury Records was folded into the newly formed The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG). Mercury's pop roster was predominantly taken over by Island Records, while its hip-hop artists found a new home at Def Jam Recordings, and some of Mercury's R&B acts were moved to the newly created Def Soul Records roster. Mercury's former country unit became Mercury Nashville Records. IDJMG revived the Mercury imprint in the US in 2007.

Today, the Mercury name survives on the Mercury Music Group division of UMG France, the Mercury Studios film division (which absorbed Eagle Rock Entertainment, acquired by UMG in 2014), the classical music label Mercury KX, and catalogue reissues in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Brazil, as well.

Mercury Living Presence series
In 1951, under the direction of recording engineer C. Robert (Bob) Fine and recording director David Hall, Mercury Records initiated a recording technique using a single microphone to record symphony orchestras. Fine had for several years used a single microphone for Mercury small-ensemble classical recordings produced by John Hammond and later Mitch Miller (indeed, Miller, using his full name of Mitchell Miller, made several recordings as a featured oboe player in the late 1940s for Mercury). The first record in this new Mercury Olympian Series was Pictures at an Exhibition performed by Rafael Kubelík and the Chicago Symphony. The group that became the best known using this technique was the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, which, under the leadership of conductor Antal Doráti, made a series of classical albums that were well reviewed and sold briskly, including the first-ever complete recordings of Tchaikovsky's ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. Dorati's 1954 one-microphone monaural recording (Mercury MG 50054) and 1958 three-microphone stereo rerecording (Mercury MG 50054) of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture included dramatic overdub recordings of 1812-era artillery and the bells of the Yale University Carillon. A stereo release in 1960 featured new recordings of the cannon shots, and the bells of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon at the Riverside Church in Chicago. Besides Mercury's mono and stereo versions of the 1812, only one other classical album rang up gold-record sales in the 1950s in the U.S. The recording of the 1812 Overture is considered by many to be one of the best performances of that work, and was still in reissue in 2011, nearly 60 years after its first release.

The New York Times music critic Howard Taubman described the Mercury sound on Pictures at an Exhibition as "being in the living presence of the orchestra" and Mercury eventually began releasing their classical recordings under the 'Living Presence' series' name. The recordings were produced by Mercury vice president Wilma Cozart, who later married Bob Fine. Cozart took over recording director duties in 1953 and also produced the CD reissues of more than half of the Mercury Living Presence catalog in the 1990s. By the late 1950s, the Mercury Living Presence crew included session musical supervisors Harold Lawrence and Clair van Ausdall and associate engineer Robert Eberenz. When Cozart retired in 1964, Lawrence took over the Mercury classical division and continued producing Mercury Living Presence records into 1967.

Besides the recordings with the Chicago and Minneapolis orchestras, Mercury also recorded Howard Hanson with the Eastman Rochester Orchestra, Frederick Fennell with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and Paul Paray with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Dorati made some recordings in the United Kingdom with the London Symphony Orchestra for Mercury during the 1960s.

In late 1955, Mercury began using three omnidirectional microphones to make stereo recordings on three-track tape. The technique was an expansion on the mono process—center was still paramount. Once the center, single microphone was set, the sides were set to provide the depth and width heard in the stereo recordings. The center microphone still fed the mono LP releases, which accompanied stereo LPs well into the 1960s. From 1961, Mercury enhanced the three-microphone stereo technique by using 35-mm magnetic film instead of half-inch tape for recording. The greater emulsion thickness, track width, and speed (90 ft/min or 18 in/sec) of 35-mm magnetic film increased prevention of tape layer print-through and gained in addition extended frequency range and transient response. The Mercury 'Living Presence' stereo records were mastered directly from the three-track tapes or magnetic film, with a 3-2 mix occurring in the mastering room. The same technique—and restored vintage equipment of the same type—was used during the CD reissues. Specifically, three-track tapes were recorded on Ampex 300-3 (½-in, three-track) machines at 15 in/sec. The 35-mm magnetic film recordings were made on three-track Westrex film recorders. The 3-2 mixdown was done on a modified Westrex mixer. For the original LPs, the mixer directly fed the custom cutting chain. At Fine Recording in NY, the Westrex cutter head on a Scully lathe was fed by modified McIntosh 200W tube amplifiers with very little feedback in the system. Older mono records were made with a Miller cutter head. For the CD reissues, the output of the Westrex mixer directly fed a DCS analog-to-digital converter and the CDs were mastered on Sony 1630 tapes. No digital enhancement or noise reduction was used.

The original LP releases of the classical recordings continued through 1968. The Mercury classical-music catalogue (including the Living Presence catalogue) is currently managed by Decca Label Group through Philips Records, which reissued the recordings on LP and then CD. In turn, Mercury now manages the pop/rock catalog of Philips Records.

In 2003, Speakers Corner Records began issuing 180-gram, audiophile-quality LP reissues. The LPs are mastered from two-track tapes made at the time of the original LP mastering, thus one generation removed from the edited session master used to produce the original LP master and the CD master.

In 2012, Decca Classics, the current owner of the Mercury Living Presence label, issued a value-priced 51-CD box that included 50 of the 1990s CD titles (remastered by Wilma Cozart Fine), a bonus CD containing an interview with Wilma Cozart Fine, and a deluxe booklet detailing the history of Mercury Living Presence. The CD set was issued worldwide and was sold by major retailers. A limited-edition six-LP box set was also issued. The CD set brings back into print dozens of titles that had not been available as manufactured CDs since the early 2000s. The CD box set sold out within 8 months, and the LP box set sold out within 6 months.

In 2013, Decca Classics issued a second, 55-CD box set, along with a second six-LP box set. The CD box set included two bonus discs: a new reissue of the 1953 monophonic recording of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" by Dorati with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, and a first-time-on-CD reissue of the premiere recording of John Corigliano's Piano Concerto, played by Hilde Somer with the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Victor Alessandro. Also included on the Corigliano CD was an interview with the composer and the pianist. As in the first CD box set, the 53 titles from the 1990s series were remastered by Wilma Cozart Fine.

On January 4, 2015, Mercury co-founder Irwin Steinberg died at the age of 94.

Major Mercury Records labels and operations worldwide

Current

Mercury Records was relaunched in 2007 as a label under The Island Def Jam Music Group, appointing record executive David Massey as the President and CEO of the new venture.

This division of Mercury handled US distribution of most pre-1998 Polydor Records pop/rock releases currently under UMG control. Some exceptions remain, however. Some artists based outside the US did not have their releases on Polydor in North America, signing to various other labels, instead. Some of these bands, such as The Who, did sign to a label that also is now part of the UMG family (or later absorbed by such a label), hence those labels control US rights to these works (in the case of The Who, they had been on US Decca Records and MCA Records in the past, their prebreakup catalogue is now on Geffen Records in North America).

Mercury KX (formerly )

Mercury Classics was relaunched in 2012 as an international classical label by UMGI, appointing musicologist and record executive Dr. Alexander Buhr as managing director. The label aims to identify and work with strong creative individuals who bring a distinctive and fresh perspective to classical music.

In its first year, artist signings to the label included Icelandic neoclassical composer Olafur Arnalds, New York-based string quartet Brooklyn Rider, Chinese pianist Yundi, and Austrian clarinetist and Berlin Philharmonic soloist Andreas Ottensamer. The label also oversees the recording career of Montenegrin classical guitarist Milos Karadaglic, and has an ongoing partnership with Tori Amos, which dates back to her work with Buhr on her classically inspired Night of Hunters album for Deutsche Grammophon in 2011. Following Buhr's longstanding relationship with the Deutsche Grammophon label, some of Mercury Classics' early core classical recordings have been released as co-brands of Mercury Classics and Deutsche Grammophon.

In 2013, Mercury Classics released Olafur Arnalds' label debut For Now I Am Winter, which entered the US Classical Chart at number one. It was followed by an EP of Arnalds' soundtrack to the much acclaimed ITV crime series Broadchurch, which received a BAFTA Award for best original soundtrack the following year. Yundi's recording of three Beethoven sonatas went platinum in his native China. The label also released Andreas Ottensamer's debut "Portraits", and the much acclaimed label debut of Brooklyn Rider "A Walking Fire". Milos Karadaglic's "Latino Gold" topped the UK classical charts and entered the pop charts. Legendary banjo soloist and 15-time Grammy Award winner Bela Fleck's concerto for banjo and orchestra "The Impostor" was released in the fall.

In 2014, Mercury Classics released "Aranjuez", Milos Karadaglic's recording of iconic guitar concertos by Joaquin Rodrigo, featuring Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The album topped the iTunes Classical charts in more than 10 countries and the classical charts in the US, UK, France, New Zealand, and Denmark, where it peaked in the pop charts at number 17. With the release of Yundi's new album Emperor/Fantasy, including Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto with Berlin Philharmonic and Daniel Harding, Mercury Classics held the top two spots on the UK classical chart. In May 2014, the label released Tori Amos' 14th studio album Unrepentant Geraldines. The album entered the US Billboard top 200 at number seven, charted in UK (number 13), Netherlands (number 10), and Germany (number 15), and hit the iTunes top 10 in more than 20 countries.

Influential classical music website Alto Riot named Mercury Classics its Label of the Year 2013.

Mercury Classics was later rebranded as Mercury KX.

Mercury Nashville
Mercury's Nashville unit dates back to 1957, when Mercury formed a joint venture with Starday Records specifically for releasing artists performing country music. Mercury bought out Starday's half in 1958.

In 1997, PolyGram, looking to cut costs in anticipation of a merger with a competitor, consolidated all of its Nashville operations under the Mercury name. Mercury Nashville took over management of all of PolyGram's country back catalog from sister labels such as Polydor (including releases once issued by MGM Records), A&M, and the small country back catalog of Motown Records (Motown released these albums under subsidiary labels). All country artists under contract to other PolyGram labels either moved to Mercury or were dropped altogether.

Today, Mercury Nashville continues to be an active imprint under Universal Music Group Nashville, where it continues to manage the country back catalog that once belonged to PolyGram (MCA Nashville manages what Universal had already owned at the time of the PolyGram merger).

Mercury Records (UK)
In 1958, Mercury switched its distribution in the UK from Pye to EMI, and in 1964 to Philips.

Mercury operated as an imprint in the UK under Phonogram, a division of Dutch electronics company Philips from the mid-1960s until 1998, when Phonogram was bought by Universal Music. In March 2013, its artist roster was moved to Virgin EMI in a restructuring of Universal's UK labels.

In 2005, Jason Iley was appointed the new managing director of Mercury. He joined the company from Island Records, where he was general manager. In July 2005, Iley appointed Paul Adam to senior artist and repertoire (A&R) director of the label; the two had previously worked together at Island Records.

In October 2006, U2 decided to leave Island Records and moved to Mercury Records, reportedly to rejoin Iley, with whom they had worked previously at Island Records.

In March 2011, the label announced it was stopping the production of CD and vinyl singles, and would only release them physically as "rare exceptions".

In 2012, signings on Mercury included Pixie Lott, Arcade Fire, Amy Macdonald, Noah and the Whale, Chase & Status, Jake Bugg, and Bo Bruce.

In July, Mercury announced that Mike Smith was joining as president of its music division.

In March 2013, Mercury UK was absorbed into Virgin EMI by Universal Music. Virgin EMI was rebranded as EMI Records in June 2020.

Mercury Records (Australia)
Launched in 1955 exclusively as a full-service local (Australian) A&R operation. Mercury Records first known Australian artist was Keith Potger in 1968, but the label was put into hibernation in 1999 in favour of the Universal label until 2007 - 2013. Some successful Australian artists on Mercury included: INXS, Kamahl, Bullamakanka, Darren Hayes, Carl Riseley, The Preatures, Tiddas, Dragon, Teen Queens, Melissa Tkautz and Karis Eden.

Mercury Records (France)
In France, Mercury Records operates as a part of the Mercury Music Group, a division of Universal Music Group, which Group controls the French operations of UMG labels Mercury, Fontana Records, Verve Records, Decca Records, Blue Note Records, Island Records, and Virgin Records, among others.

Various other national Universal Music Group companies are known to actively use the Mercury Records trademark as an imprint for their local A&R operations, but no other Universal Music Group companies use the label as a key marketing differentiator, nor do they operate frontline divisions based on the Mercury label.

Mercury Records Tokyo (formerly Mercury Music Entertainment)
Launched in 1993 as a division of Nippon PolyGram (now Universal Music Japan), it was later relaunched in 2000 as a joint venture with Kitty Films under the name Kitty MME. It was merged into the Universal J label in 2002. Its artist roster included Seiko Matsuda, Yūji Oda, Delta, ZIGGY, Kinniku Shōjo Tai, and Takashi Sorimachi.

After 15 years, the label was revitalized under its new name, Mercury Records Tokyo, and is now under the Universal Music and Brands division of Universal Music Japan. Korean pop group Monsta X was the first artist or group signed under the newly relaunched label.

See also
 Chicago record labels
 List of Mercury Records artists
 List of record labels

References

External links

Main sites
Mercury Records US site
Mercury Records UK site

Mercury Records Australian site

Mercury Nashville – official site

Other sites
Microgroove.jp – a site devoted to the label's history
Mercury US & UK A&R team contact list
Jay & The Techniques article in The Standard Report
Interview with Wilma Cozart Fine by Bruce Duffie

American record labels
Rhythm and blues record labels
Soul music record labels
Rock and roll record labels
Jazz record labels
Soundtrack record labels
History of Chicago
Island Records
Philips
Record labels established in 1945
Labels distributed by Universal Music Group
Companies based in New York City Manifesto Records was a UK based dance music record sub label of Mercury Records which focused on dance music across all genres. The label began operations in 1994 with the first release being a remix of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" (in which they got Summer to re-record vocals as the original masters had been lost in a fire). The label had 13 Top 10 hits before being wound down in 2002 (a move partially brought about to "bottle the labels unique period because of its unprecedented success"). The label was briefly resurrected by Mercury between 2004 - 2006. The label was set up and headed by Eddie Gordon and Luke Neville who recruited Judge Jules as A&R. Jules would recruit Luke Neville. Ben Cherrill (who would later move to Positiva Records in 2001) also had an active role at the label, joining in 1998. Notable acts on the label included Todd Terry, Josh Wink, Byron Stingily, The Space Brothers, Yomanda and York. In 2000 the label set up a short lived subsidiary M-->Bargo.

Mercury Records would occasionally release promotional club remixes of some of its artists on Manifesto labelled 12"s, in particular for Dina Carroll, who released one single through the label, "Without Love" in 1999.

Releases

Singles

Albums

Promotional singles

M-->Bargo releases

References

British record labels
Electronic dance music record labels