March 8 2026 CDST USA

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Sweeper From Evelyn Laurie Records 

Origins and Founders

Laurie Records was founded in March 1958 by Robert and Gene Schwartz and Allan I. Sussel, with arranger Eliot Greenberg joining as a minority partner in the early 1960s. The label’s name came from Sussel’s daughter, Laura “Laurie” Sue Sussel. Sussel had previously run Jamie Records, and Laurie became his more successful second act.

🎵 Breakthrough Artists and Sound

Laurie quickly carved out a niche in the late‑1950s/early‑1960s New York pop scene. Its roster included:

• Dion & The Belmonts — the label’s first major hitmakers with “I Wonder Why” (1958).

• The Chiffons — girl‑group staples with a polished Brill Building sound.

• The Mystics, The Jarmels, Bobby Goldsboro, and The Royal Guardsmen.

• Laurie also served as the U.S. outlet for Gerry & The Pacemakers, linking the label to the British Invasion.

A key creative force was songwriter Ernie Maresca, who penned several of Dion’s biggest hits and became part of the label’s internal engine.

🏢 Business Evolution and Subsidiaries

Laurie operated several subsidiary labels—Rust Records, Legrand Records, and others—allowing it to diversify its catalog and distribution footprint. The company maintained steady output through the 1960s and 1970s, typically anchored by one major act at a time.

By the early 1980s, Laurie rebranded as 3C Records, and its master recordings eventually came under the Capitol Records division of Universal Music Group.

Broadcast Bulletin (Daily Updates)

Album Showcase

Birthdays 

Vault Vinyl's

Beatles and Elvis 

Legacy and Lore 

Visual Archives 

Gold Star Oldies Radio  Steaming Directories 

Legends Remembered & Celebrated — Gold Star Oldies  Tributes

March 6, 1959 — The new Drifters lineup, led by Ben E King (formerly known as The Crowns) holds its first recording session, waxing "There Goes My Baby," the first R&B hit to use strings. However, previous R&B acts had included them occasionally since the early 1950s. It also becomes the first record by a Drifters ensemble to have a #2 pop hit. (See March 9, 1957 item below)


                1982 — Billboard reports that Dick Clark has donated the original American Bandstand podium to the Smithsonian Institution.


March 7, 1956 — "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins enters Billboard magazine's rhythm and blues music chart, unprecedented for a country/rockabilly performer. It climbs to #2 R&B, also reaching #2 on the Pop chart and #3 on the Country & Western list.
 

March 8, 1962 — The Beatles make their British national radio debut, appearing on the BBC program Teenager's Turn performing Roy Orbison's "Dream Baby," Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee," and The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman." (Their first television appearance occurs several months later.)

March 9, 1957 — The original Drifters reach #10 on the R&B chart with "Fools Fall In Love," the last of their 15 hits, including three #1 records. Their manager, George Treadwell, did not tread lightly when he fired them the next year and replaced them with the Five Crowns, including Ben E King, because the first group had complained about their compensation. (See March 6, 1959 item above)
                 1959 — Frankie Avalon's "Venus" begins a five-week run at #1 on the pop chart, helping foster the "Frankies and Bobbies" era of non-threatening white teen idols. He has plenty of competition within the year from Fabian, Paul Anka, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Vee, and Freddie Cannon.

March 10, 1956 — RCA Victor places a half-page ad in Billboard introducing Elvis Presley as "the new singing rage."

                  1979 — James Brown performs at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, singing the country classics "You're Cheatin' Heart" and "Tennessee Waltz" and his own "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag."

March 12, 1971 — Paul McCartney wins his lawsuit to dissolve the Beatles and turn their affairs over to a receiver.

Sources:
Eight Days a Week (Ron Smith)
On This Day in Black Music History (Jay Warner)
Chronology of American Popular Music, 1900-2000 (Frank Hoffman)

Birthdays Singers and Song Writers 

Early Beatles News

Visual Archive