Clark Galehouse, founder of Golden Crest Records. Image courtesy of John Broven.
Clark Galehouse started out as a swing band sax player from Illinois and wound up running Long Island’s most prolific independent record label out of of Huntington Station. We take a detour from radio history this episode to talk with John Broven about the life and legacy of Galehouse and his label, Golden Crest Records.
Ad for Shelley Products company in Huntington Station. Image courtesy of John Broven.
Broven started out a lover of American rhythm & blues from East Sussex, England and wound up a consultant for Ace Records and, eventually, the husband of Clark Galehouse’s daughter, Shelley. Together the couple rescued the label from obscurity, reissuing the stunning array of music that Galehouse recorded, from early rock and roll to jazz to local and regional school orchestras. The Golden Crest catalog is now housed in the Library of Congress.
Links
- John Broven and Golden Crest Records
- Books by John Broven (Amazon author page)
- “Golden Crest Records: The Independent Record Industry Comes to Long Island” (Long Island History Journal)
- Blues Unlimited Magazine (The Blues Foundation)
- The Wailers (Pacific Northwest Bands)
- The Other Chili Peppers (Offbeat Magazine)
- Beyond the Needle: History of Vinyl Records
- Golden Crest Records YouTube Playlist