Verve Records

1956-67, established by Norman Granz concentrated on his tastes in Swing and Bebop, published 100's of great Jazz artists including:

• Ella Fitzgerald
• Oscar Peterson
• John Coltrane
• Louis Armstrong
• Stan Getz
• Jimmy Smith
• Count Basie
• Charlie Parker
• Dizzy Gillespie
• Billie Holiday
• Buddy Rich
• Lionel Hampton
• Buddy DeFranco
• Bill Evans
• Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
• Joe Henderson
• Gerry Mulligan
• Lalo Schifrin
• Pat Metheny
• Diana Krall
• John Scofield
• Woody Herman
• Stuf Smith
• Mel Tormé

Source: http://www16.brinkster.com/fitzgera/labels/verve2k.htm Last Updated 03.19.02

Under its 60's ownership by MGM (Granz later formed Pablo Records), Verve released some of the greatest LPs in rock history: those by the Velvet Underground, The Mothers' Freak Out, Absolutely Free, and We're Only in it for the Money; all were commercial flops, as was their attempt to artificially create a "San Francisco Sound" buzz by signing up Boston bands ("The Bosstown Sound"), including the Ultimate Spinach (with Jeff Baxter).