Editing Federal Records (section)

{{Short description|American record label}}
{{Infobox record label <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Music -->
| name        = Federal Records
| image       = <!-- logo, such as "LABEL-LOGO.jpg" -->
| image_size  = <!-- size -->
| image_alt   = <!-- WP:ALT text describing the image -->
| caption     = <!-- a caption for the image -->
| parent      = <!-- parent company, such as "[[Warner Music Group]]" -->
| founded     = 1950
| founder     = <!-- name of founders, separated by using commas, {{Flatlist}} or {{Hlist}} -->
| defunct     = <!-- year the label dissolved, such as {{end date|1990}} -->
| status      = <!-- leave blank unless "Inactive" -->
| distributor = <!-- distributors, separated by using commas, {{Flatlist}} or {{Hlist}} -->
| genre       = <!-- such as "[[World music|World]]" or "Various", separated by using commas, {{Flatlist}} or {{Hlist}} -->
| country     = United States
| location    = <!-- headquarters city and state -->
| website     = <!-- such as "{{URL|www.atlanticrecords.com}}" -->
}}

'''Federal Records''' was an American [[record label]] founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of [[Syd Nathan]]'s [[King Records (USA)|King Records]] and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed [[record producer]] [[Ralph Bass]] and was mainly devoted to [[rhythm & blues]] releases. The company also released [[hillbilly]] and [[rockabilly]] recordings from 1951 onward, e.g., "Rockin' and Rollin" by [[Ramblin' Tommy Scott]] on Federal 10003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/labels/f/f432.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201141958/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/labels/f/f432.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-02-01 |title=Federal |publisher=Rockin' Country Style |access-date=2008-12-31 }}</ref> Singles were published on both 45 and 78 [[Revolutions per minute|rpm]] speed formats.

Federal issued such classics as [[The Dominoes]]' "[[Sixty Minute Man]]", and "[[Have Mercy Baby]]"<ref name="first">{{cite book|title=What Was the First Rock'n'Roll Record|last=Jim Dawson|first=& Steve Propes|author-link=Steve Propes|publisher=Faber & Faber|year=1992|isbn=0-571-12939-0|location=Boston & London|pages=21–25}}</ref> as well as [[Hank Ballard]] & [[The Midnighters]]' "[[Work with Me, Annie]]"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=64|title=Ralph Bass|publisher=rockhall of fame|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017154207/http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=64|archive-date=2006-10-17|access-date=2006-11-08}}</ref>  which was opposed immediately by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) but went on to be an enormous hit.<ref>{{cite book|title=What Was the First Rock'n'Roll Record|last=Jim Dawson|first=& Steve Propes|publisher=Faber & Faber|year=1992|isbn=0-571-12939-0|location=Boston & London|pages=76–79}}</ref>

[[James Brown (musician)|James Brown]] was touring with [[The Famous Flames]] when they were signed to Federal in 1956. The group's first Federal single, "[[Please, Please, Please (James Brown song)|Please, Please, Please]]," was a regional hit and eventually sold a million copies.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.history-of-rock.com/james_brown.htm
|title=James Brown
|publisher=history-of-rock
|access-date=2006-11-08
}}</ref>

Between 1962 and 1965, [[Freddie King]], one of the three [[blues]] [[Honorific nicknames in popular music|"kings"]] (Freddie, B.B. and Albert), released a [[Freddie King discography|series of albums]], mostly [[instrumentals]], for Federal.

[[Johnny "Guitar" Watson]] was another artist on Federal Records.<ref>{{cite web
| last = Edwards
| first = David
|author2=Mike Callahan
| title = King/Federal/DeLuxe Story
| publisher = Both Sides Now Pubs
| date = 1998-01-10
| url = http://www.bsnpubs.com/king/kingstory.html
| access-date = 2009-08-02}}</ref>