Sire Records

Sire Records, originally called Sire Records Company, is an American label under Warner Music Group, with distribution handled by Warner Records. It was started in 1966 by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each putting in ten thousand dollars. The first releases, in 1967, were distributed in the US by London Records, and from the start Sire focused on bringing underground, progressive British acts to American audiences. Early artists included the Climax Blues Band, Barclay James Harvest, Tomorrow, Matthews Southern Comfort, and the proto-punk Deviants.

After two years, distribution by London ended, and Sire moved through several partners: Polydor Records in 1970 and 1971 (when the label’s well-known logo debuted); Famous Music from 1972 to 1974 (during which progressive rock band Focus had a hit with “Hocus Pocus,” which was released in 1971 and became a US hit in 1973); and ABC Records, which took over the deal when it bought Famous Music. In Europe, Phonogram Inc. handled distribution from 1974 to 1977. During the 1970s, Sire put out compilation albums like the three-volume “History Of British Rock” series, and worked with acts such as the Flamin Groovies, Renaissance, the Turtles, Duane Eddy, the Small Faces, and Del Shannon. One of the label’s biggest successes came in 1977 when the Climax Blues Band reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Couldn’t Get It Right.” That same year, Stein—who had worked with the Shangri-Las in the 1960s—persuaded the group to reunite, but the trio soon asked to leave their contract, and the new songs they recorded were never released.

In the mid-1970s, Sire became a successful independent label and signed artists from the punk and new wave scenes, including the Ramones, the Dead Boys, the Undertones, and Talking Heads. In 1977, Sire returned to major-label distribution through a new deal with Warner Bros. Records. The next year, Warner Bros. began negotiations to buy Sire outright, making it a subsidiary. Over the following years, Sire found major success in the US and Canada with acts like the Pretenders, Madonna (its biggest artist), Soft Cell, the Cure, Depeche Mode, the Smiths, Martini Ranch, and Echo & the Bunnymen. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the roster included Ministry, k.d. lang, Ice-T, Seal, and Tommy Page.

In 1994, Sire switched distribution from Warner Bros.