Carnival Records (UK label)

Lore & Background

Carnival Records was owned by Allan Crawford, an ex-pat Australian living in London. He had worked for Southern Music before setting up his own music publishing company, Merit Music, and the record labels Cannon, Carnival, Crossbow and Rocket. Using session musicians and singers, Crossbow put out cover versions of current hits; Ross McManus, father of Elvis Costello, sang on many recordings. Original recordings were issued via the Carnival and Sabre labels.

Keith 'Sugar' Simone, a gospel singer from Jamaica, came to England in 1961. In 1963 he auditioned at Planetone Records and came into contact with Alan Crawford, who signed him to Carnival. He cut six singles for the label before later signing with Island Records. Dandy Livingstone's entry came via a phone call from Lee Gopthal, who told him that Allan Crawford (then owner of Radio Caroline) wanted to connect with the Jamaican scene.

Reader's Guide

Carnival Records played a brief but notable role in the early UK reggae and ska scene, issuing original recordings by Jamaican and West Indian artists in London from 1963 to 1965. The label's first single was 'Oo-Wee-Baby' by Errol Dixon in 1963. It also released a compilation LP, 'The Ska's the Limit', in 1964. The label's connection to Radio Caroline, via owner Allan Crawford, provided potential promotional reach. Artists such as Dandy Livingstone and Keith 'Sugar' Simone began their recording careers on Carnival before moving to larger labels. The label's output, though limited, documents the early migration of Jamaican music to the UK and the formation of the British reggae and ska sound. Its last single appears to be 'I Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do Now' by Sugar 'N' Dandy in 1965.

Did You Know?

• Carnival Records was owned by Australian businessman Alan Crawford, who also owned Radio Caroline.
• Dandy Livingstone made his recording debut on Carnival as part of the made-up duo Sugar 'N' Dandy, using double tracking to simulate a second singer.
• The label issued a compilation LP titled 'The Ska's the Limit' in 1964.

The Man Behind the Label

Alan Crawford, an Australian expatriate based in London, built Carnival Records atop a career in music publishing. Before launching his own imprint, he had worked for Southern Music, one of the largest music publishers of the era, and then founded his own publishing house, Merit Music. From that foundation, Crawford spun out several record labels—Cannon, Carnival, Crossbow, Rocket, and Sabre—each serving a distinct purpose. Crossbow handled exploito recordings, where session singers like Ross McManus (father of Elvis Costello) would mimic current hits by altering their vocal delivery. Carnival and Sabre, by contrast, were reserved for original material. Distribution relied heavily on mail order rather than traditional retail channels. Crawford simultaneously served as chairman of Radio Caroline, and Billboard reported in May 1964 that he intended to leverage that pirate radio station to promote Carnival's roster. The label's operational window was remarkably short, running from 1963 to 1965, yet it touched a surprising breadth of West Indian and British musical talent.

The Sugar 'N' Dandy Debut

Dandy Livingstone's first recording session for Carnival Records was born from a phone call by Lee Gopthal, who relayed that Crawford—then also chairman of Radio Caroline—wanted to tap into the Jamaican music scene. The label specifically sought a duo act, and the name "Sugar 'N' Dandy" was coined to reflect Livingstone's sweet vocal quality and his sharp sartorial style. What was meant to be a two-person session became a one-man operation when Livingstone's friend Roy Smith failed to appear at the studio. To create the illusion of a duet, engineers employed a double-tracking technique on Livingstone's lead vocal. Roy Smith did later contribute his voice to three additional Sugar 'N' Dandy releases, and on one Sugar 'N' Spice record, "Only Heaven Knows" (B-side "Let's Ska"), Tito Simon added his vocal. The final single attributed to Sugar 'N' Dandy, "I Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do Now" with "I Want To Be Your Lover" on the flip, was produced by Tony Day and Alan Zaffert, and appears to be the last release the label ever issued.

A Roster of West Indian and Nigerian Talent

Carnival's catalogue, though modest in span, showcased a remarkable cross-section of musicians. Keith "Sugar" Simone, a Jamaican gospel singer who arrived in England in 1961 for further education and found work as an engineer between singing gigs, auditioned at Planetone Records in 1963 and was subsequently signed by Crawford, cutting six singles before moving to Island Records. The African Messengers brought a distinctly Nigerian flavour to the label's output, featuring multi-instrumentalist Peter King, trumpet player Mike Falana, conga player Paul Chukuwma Edoh, bassist David 'Happy' Williams, and drummer James Menin. Falana was already a notable figure on the London jazz circuit, having held solo billing in 1963 and played with the Joe Harriot Quintet, the John Williams Big Band, and the Johnny Burch Octet before later joining Graham Bond's organisation and briefly the Ramong Sound. Other artists included Errol Dixon, Mike Elliott (who would later join Foundations), Mel Turner, and Sunny and the Hi-Jumpers.

Critical Reception and Distribution Challenges

Despite its brief existence, Carnival's releases attracted genuine critical attention. Record Mirror reviewed Mel Turner's "White Christmas" (with the Souvenirs and the Mohicans) in its December 21, 1963 issue, awarding it four stars and praising the slow thumping beat and bluesy piano beneath the Irving Berlin standard, while noting the saxophone-heavy instrumental B-side. The reviewer predicted strong holiday sales, and the single did indeed perform well commercially—yet poor distribution meant many potential buyers simply could not find it in stores. Turner's 1964 follow-up, "The Hermit and the Rose Tree," conducted by Alan Moorhouse and produced by Crawford, earned a May 9 Record Mirror review calling it an "excellent disc" with a soft and gentle commercial feel, and it was even issued in picture-cover format in the Netherlands on Delta DS-1134. The label also released a fourteen-track compilation LP, The Ska's the Limit (Carnival CX 1000), in 1964, which was simultaneously issued on the Page One label, underscoring the distribution networks Crawford maintained.