dcrecords.org

A website dedicated to

20th Century music in

Washington, DC.

     Between 1946 and her death in 1975 Mrs. Lillian Claiborne worked tirelessly to create a successful record company in Washington, DC.  Along with her original partner Haskell Davis she launched the "DC" Records imprint in January 1947 with two 78s by Tiny Meeker's band and ads in Billboard magazine.  The choice of "DC" not only represented the place, it represented the two cofounders, Davis and Claiborne.  This partnership was reinforced shortly thereafter with the formation of Claiborne-Davis Music, the publishing arm of the venture. This website documents Lillian Claiborne's contributions to the Washington, DC music scene and the dozens of local and national artists she touched.

      Mrs. Claiborne was not alone in her efforts. Many other entrepreneurs such as  the Feld brothers and Ben Adelman, tried to establish Washington, DC as a center for the recording industry.  This website will document their successes and failures. 

     The serial listings of the records released by these small companies are the focus of this site.  They are found under Labels. Additional information such as artist profiles, recording studio history and music venues will be posted.

Link to the Gandhi Record on DC

Webmaster Jay Bruder

Email Contact: jabruder4 at yahoo dot com 

Mention DC Records in the subject line.