[78-L] Sparton and Quality

[David Lennick]

Bally was one of many labels Sparton picked up for Canadian distribution. Till 
mid 1954 they had Columbia and didn't need any other labels, although the plant 
also pressed Capitol (also till some time in 1954), Regal (had Canadian rights 
to a few jazz independents), Musicana (Canadian rep for Musicraft, Black & 
White, Gold Seal, Coral/Brunswick when first started in 1948, and local 
Canadian recordings on the Musicana label) and a few other labels. When both 
Capitol and Columbia set up their own Canadian branches and went elsewhere for 
pressings, Sparton grabbed whatever it could get and set up its own label. ABC 
Paramount, Bally, Oriole, Allegro (better LP pressings here than in the US), 
RKO Unique, Grand Award, San Francisco, Disneyland, Starday..later, Command, 
Westminster, and occasionally taking on overruns for the Camden label in 
Canada. There's also a Freddy Gardner 78 on Sparton that I could never trace to 
any English source..Evensong/Ave Maria, Sparton 110R. Gardner's family knew 
nothing of this issue.

dl

Mark L. Bardenwerper, Sr. wrote:
> agp wrote:
>> Based on the recent discussion that involved Dickie Goodman and the 
>> Flying Saucer records I acquired a copy Flying Saucer the 2nd as 
>> released on 78 by Sparton in Canada (as opposed to the Luniverse 
>> pressing). Nice thing is that it came with a Sparton sleeve. The 
>> sleeve has the legend 'HEAR .. SEE.. SPARTON T.V.'
>>
>> Not knowing a lot about Sparton, I have some questions. Were they 
>> similar the UK's Pye in that they also made consumer electronics?
>>
>> Also -- apart from ABC Paramount, did they have fixed agreements with 
>> US companies for release in Canada, or did the US indies shop their 
>> releases to Apex, Quality, and Sparton, and who ever gave the best 
>> deal got the release.
>>   
> I do know that Lou Breese made some records in the 50's for Bally and 
> there were dupes on Sparton of some of them. Bally, of pinball machine 
> fame, out of Chicago.
>