Mainstream Records is an American record company and independent record label founded by producer Bob Shad in 1964.
Mainstream's early releases were reissues from Commodore Records. Its catalogue grew to include Bob Brookmeyer, Maynard Ferguson, Jim Hall, Helen Merrill, Carmen McRae, Jimmy Raney, Zoot Sims, Clark Terry, and Sarah Vaughan. Janis Joplin, with Big Brother and the Holding Company, Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes first appeared on Mainstream.
In 1978, Mainstream ceased activities. Bob Shad died in 1985. In 1990, the label was restarted by his daughter, Tamara, and Humphrey Walwyn, the former head of BBC Records. It was bought by Legacy Recordings in 1993 and purchased back by the Shad family in the early 2000s. The label is now run by Shad's granddaughter Mia Apatow, with the help of her brother Judd Apatow.
Discography 56000/S6000 series (12" LPs) The Mainstream 56000/S6000 Series commenced in 1964 when the label was established by Bob Shad and ran until 1971 and initially reissued material from Commodore Records and Time Records (an earlier Bob Shad label) in addition to some new jazz recordings, then soundtracks, before branching into psychedelic rock around 1966.Edwards, D., Callahan, Eyries, P., Watts, R. & Neely, T. Discography of the Mainstream Label (Preview), accessed October 18, 2014 Catalog number Title Artist Notes 56000/S6000The Commodore Recordings 1939, 1944Billie Holiday56001/S6001Begin the BeguineEddie Heywood56002/S6002Influence of FiveVarious ArtistsColeman Hawkins, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Don Byas, Chu Berry56003/S6003Dixieland-New OrleansVarious ArtistsJack Teagarden, Pee Wee Russell, Eddie Condon, Wild Bill Davison & Others56004/S6004Town Hall ConcertVarious ArtistsGene Krupa, Charlie Ventura, Bill Coleman, Red Norvo, & Others56005/S6005The Soil and the SeaVarious ArtistsPete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Peter Hawes, Lee Hays56006/S6006I'm LostDottie Clark56007/S6007Boss of the BluesCharles Brown56008/S6008Chairmen of the BoardVarious Artists Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Joe Bushkin, Mel Powell, Jess Stacy56009/S600952 StreetVarious ArtistsBillie Holiday, Ben Webster, and Others56010/S6010Dixieland-Chicago StyleVarious ArtistsMuggsy Spanier, Russell, & Others56011/S6011Era of the ClarinetVarious ArtistsPee Wee Russell, Edmund Hall, Irving Fazola, Benny Goodman, Tony Parenti, George Lewis56012/S6012Lester Young & Kansas City SixLester Young56013/S6013Two Jims and ZootJimmy Raney, Zoot Sims & Jim Hall56014/S6014The Artistry of Helen MerrillHelen Merrill56015/S6015A Taste of HoneyMorgana King56016The Songs of Kurt WeillFelicia SandersReissue of Time 200756017/S6017Era of the Swing TrumpetVarious ArtistsEldridge, Hackett, Jonah Jones, Page, Williams, & DeParis56018/S6018Town Hall Concert Volume 2Various ArtistsKrupa & Ventura 3, Stuff Smith, Red Norvo, Wilson, Phillips, Bert, Rogers, Sachs, Palmieri, Stewart, Powell, Krupa, Ventura, & Walthers 56019/S6019Tenor HierarchyVarious ArtistsColeman Hawkins, Chu Berry, Ben Webster, Frank Wess, Phillips, Don Byas56020/S6020Jelly Roll MortonJelly Roll Morton56021/S6021Bahutu Chant & DancersBahutu Chant & Dancers56022/S6022Once Upon a TimeBillie Holiday & Teddy Wilson56023/S6023Expressions EastJohn Berberian56024/S6024LegendEddie Condon56025/S6025Look at YesterdayVarious ArtistsStan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Buddy Stewart, Paul Quinichette, Jimmy Raney, Wardell Gray 56026/S6026LegendPee Wee Russell56027/S6027LegendWillie "The Lion" Smith56028/S6028Second to NoneCarmen McRae56029/S6029Riverboat JazzJuggy's Jazz Band56030/S6030August ChildSylvia Copeland56031/S6031Color Him WildMaynard Ferguson56032/S6032Organ Out LoudGene Ludwig56033/S6033The Award WinnerFrank Wess56034/S6034Ruth Brown '65Ruth Brown56035/S6035Ballads My WayCharles Brown56036/S6036Corcovado TrumpetsVic Schoen56037/S6037MeditationsColeman Hawkins56038/S6038Sittin' InChu Berry56039/S6039LegendBunk Johnson56040/S6040The BluesLightnin' HopkinsReissue of Time T/700456041/S6041Tiger TailStanley TurrentineReissue of Time 5208656042/S6042NowCleo Bradford56043/S6043TonightClark Terry Bob Brookmeyer Quintet56044/S6044Haven't We Met?Carmen McRae56045/S6045The Blues RoarMaynard Ferguson56046/S6046YancyEmily Yancy56047/S6047Oud ArtistyJohn Berberian56048/S6048It's Time We MetTerry Gibbs56049/S6049Home Town BluesSonny Terry & Brownie McGhee56050/S6050 VibrationsJimmy Ricks56051/S6051Latin Au Go GoJoe Cain56052/S6052Miss Morgana KingMorgana King56053/S6053The CollectorMaurice JarreSoundtrack to The Collector56054/S6054The Power of Positive SwingingClark Terry Bob Brookmeyer Quintet56055/S6055We Three TrioWe Three Trio56056/S6056Baby the Rain Must FallElmer BernsteinSoundtrack to Baby the Rain Must Fall56057/S6057The Moment of Truth Piero PiccioniSoundtrack to The Moment of Truth56058/S6058Wonderful LifeIrene Kral56059/S6059The CreeperDennis Budimir56060/S6060The Maynard Ferguson SextetMaynard Ferguson56061/S6061King RatJohn BarrySoundtrack to King Rat56062/S6062Juliet of the SpiritsNino RotaSoundtrack to Juliet of the Spirits56063/S6063Great Original Soundtracks & Movie ThemesVarious Artists56064/S6064The Heroes of TelemarkMalcolm ArnoldSoundtrack to The Heroes of Telemark56065/S6065Woman TalkCarmen McRae56066/S6066MumblesClark Terry56067/S6067The Lollipop CoverRuby Raksin56068/S6068A Patch of BlueJerry GoldsmithSoundtrack to A Patch of Blue56069/S6069Comic Book HeroesCapes and Masks Orchestra56070/S6070The Square Root of ZeroElliot Kaplan56071/S6071The 10th VictimPiero PiccioniSoundtrack to The 10th Victim56072/S6072That Man in IstanbulSoundtrack to That Man in Istanbul56073/S6073The Trouble with AngelsJerry GoldsmithSoundtrack to The Trouble with Angels56074/S6074I've Lost My Yo-YoBrandywine Singers56075/S6075Pow! Jeannie Trevor SingsJeanne Trevor56076/S6076Award Winning Original Motion Picture Soundtracks & ThemesVarious Artists56077/S6077StagecoachJerry GoldsmithSoundtrack to Stagecoach56078/S6078HarperJohnny MandelSoundtrack to Harper56079/S6079Detectives & the Agents & Great Suspense Motion Picture ThemesVarious Artists56080/S6080Walk Don't RunQuincy JonesSoundtrack to Walk, Don't Run56081/S6081The Blue MaxJerry GoldsmithSoundtrack to The Blue Max56082/S6082The Shop on Main StreetZdeněk LiškaSoundtrack to The Shop on Main Street56083/S6083Walk on the Wide SideElmer BernsteinSoundtrack to Walk on the Wild SideRerelease of Choreo A4ST 56084/S6084AlfieCarmen McRae56085/S6085Bitter AcidMauricio Smith56086/S6086Gingerbread MenClark Terry/Bob Brookmeyer Quintet56087/S6087Songs of InspirationBill Brown56088/S6088The Wrong BoxJohn BarrySoundtrack to The Wrong Box56089/S6089Chaplin's Art of ComedyElias BreeskinSoundtrack to Chaplin's Art of Comedy56090/S6090Gypsy GirlMilton DeLuggSoundtrack to Gypsy Girl56091/S6091In Person in San FranciscoCarmen McRae56092/S6092Mira!Hugo Montenegro56093/S6093Soul of a PeopleGordon JenkinsReissue of Time 205056094/S6094A Man and His MoviesElmer Bernstein56095/S6095Hey, Listen Baby-Let's DanceDavid Carroll and His Orchestra56096/S6096Wine, Women and ItalyItalian Guitars56097ThunderOrquesta Los Hombres de España 56098/S6098Melodies of LoveRichard Hayman56099/S6099Big Brother and the Holding CompanyBig Brother and the Holding Company56100/S6100A Pot of FlowersVarious ArtistsThe Wildflowers, Harbinger Complex, Euphoria and The Other Side56101/S6101Music from CamelotHugo Montenegro56102/S6102The Superfine DandelionThe Superfine Dandelion56103/S6103Jelly Bean BanditsJelly Bean Bandits56104/S6104The Amboy DukesThe Amboy DukesS6105Tiffany ShadeTiffany ShadeS6106Bohemian VendettaBohemian VendettaS6107The Tangerine ZooThe Tangerine ZooS6108The Growing ConcernThe Growing ConcernS6109The Best of Morgana KingMorgana KingS6110Live & WailingCarmen McRaeS6111Slaughter on 10th AvenueHugo MontenegroS6112Journey to the Center of the MindThe Amboy DukesS6113The Art of Lovin''' |The Art of Lovin'
|S6114 |The Best of Pete Jolly|Pete Jolly
|S6115 |Ellie Pop|Ellie Pop
|S6116 |Outside Looking In|The Tangerine Zoo
|S6117 |The Orient Express|The Orient Express
|S6118 |Migration|The Amboy Dukes
|S6119 |Stone Circus|Stone Circus
|S6120 |Nucleus|Nucleus
|S6121 |A Spoonful of Cathy Young|Cathy Young
|S6122 |Last Nikle|Last Nikle
|S6123 |Totie Fields Live|Totie Fields
|S6124 |Hour World|The British Casuals
|S6125 |The Best of the Original Amboy Dukes|The Amboy Dukes
|S6126 |Drive It|Lincoln St. Exit
|S6127 |Josefus|Josefus
|S6128 |December's Children|December's Children
|S6129 |Electric Holy Man|Henry Tree
|S6130 |Freeport|Freeport
|S6131 |Katmandu|Katmandu
|S6132 |Lacewing''Lacewing
300 series (12" LPs) The Mainstream 300 Series commenced in 1971 as the label focussed more on funk/soul and jazz artists (as well as reissuing jazz LP's originally released on Time Records) before the label folded around 1976.