I thought I might touch from time to time on the smaller labels that are represented in my collection. The Canary label is listed in the ASPMA website, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it was more of a vanity project than a true song-poem outfit. It seems to have been largely set up to produce records of the compositions of Earl Miles, as well as a few other writers. In fact, at the time that ASPMA stopped being updated, the company remained in the hands of someone from the Miles family. Many of the records on Canary were performed by Durward Erwin, who has one of the more interesting names found on song-poem or vanity labels.
The production values are higher here, as I've found them to be on several smaller labels (as well as the labels that were subsidiaries of places such as the Globe family of labels), and as a result, the songs tend to sound more professional than much of what I've shared here.
On the other hand, today's offerings fit well into that brand of early '60's pop music which was all over the MOR stations of the day, and your tolerance for that style will probably dictate your enjoyment of this record. Here's a song by another Canary author, Grace Tindell, "Capture It":
Download: Durward Erwin - Capture It
Play:
And here's a tune by the aforementioned Earl Miles, "A Girl Named Sorrow", sung again by the dulcet pipes of Durward Erwin:
Download: Durward Erwin - A Girl Named Sorrow
Play:
4 comments:
It was nice to find your blog featuring a 45 record from the Canary Record Label featuring the music of Earl Miles.
My father, Earl Miles, who passed in 1998 was a songwriter, publisher, and owner of the Canary Record Company.
The song, "A Girl Named Sorrow", was written by him and charted on the Billboard charts in the US as well as Europe.
If anyone has a questions or comments regarding Canary Records, I can be contacted at Doreemiles@yahoo.com
Thank you,
Doree Miles
It was nice to find your blog regarding the Canary Record Label featuring music published by Earl Miles.
My father, Earl Miles, who passed in 1998, was a songwriter, publisher, and the owner of Canary Record Company. The song you featured "Girl Named Sorrow" was written by him and charted in the Billboards in the US as well as Europe in mid 60's.
If anyone has questions or comments regarding Canary Records,
you can contact me at Doreemiles@yahoo.com
Canary was not your regular song-poem outfit: several of the Durward Erwin cuts, including A Girl Named Sorrow, were licensed out by Earl Miles to other companies. At least two Canary/Miles/Erwin 45s were released around 1967 by the UK company Emerald, a Decca imprint, who usually specialised in Irish music and artists but who later (the company was around between 1965 and 1978) released one of the earliest 45s by the British chart topper Shakin' Stevens.
I've not yet come across another song poem/vanity hybrid like Canary who licensed their tracks for UK release. That makes Canary - and Earl Miles - rather unique.
"A Girl Named Sorrow" isn't working now.
Oddly enough, the word verification for this is "derwery"!
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