Wand Records


Wand Records was an American independent record label, started by Florence Greenberg in 1961 as a subsidiary of Scepter Records. Artists on Wand Records included The Isley Brothers, The Kingsmen, Mel Wynn & the Rhythm Aces, Chuck Jackson, and the Monzas.
In 1976, Greenberg retired from the business and sold her record labels to Springboard International. When Springboard went bankrupt, Gusto Records acquired the catalog. The Kingsmen acquired full ownership of their Wand catalog in court from Gusto for non-payment of royalties.

Wand label artists

Chuck Jackson was the first artist signed to Wand. His single "I Don't Want to Cry" went to No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the R&B chart in 1961. The Isley Brothers released their classic single "Twist and Shout", which peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the R&B chart in 1962. In 1963, the Kingsmen released "Louie Louie", which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100. Maxine Brown had a number for singles released on the label, including "Oh No Not My Baby" in 1964.
Some artists to have one-off releases include Benny Gordon with "Gonna Give Her All The Love I Got", and a singer called Al Wilson. For some time there has been speculation and discussion among some Northern soul collectors and enthusiasts that the single "Help Me", composed and produced by Johnny Northern and Ralph Bailey, arranged by Robert Banks, is not the same Al Wilson who recorded "The Snake". It is believed by some that this may be a completely different singer who happened to have the same name.

List of artists